March

Where has the time gone? I promised myself I would faithfully record the happenings of life in the village and somehow I've gotten side tracked! It's been two months since I've written. A lot has happened. I am so busy with school and other activities that it is hard to keep up.

So, what do we do for fun? Cook! Our staff is great. We all get along well, so it's nice to have dinner together every once in a while. Thus far, we've had five such gatherings. I've had two at my house - with no running water :) For the first one, I made two types of chili. Last month, I was craving a salad. So, I decided to have a salad bar party. Everyone was instructed to bring something you would find at a salad bar. I loved it! It was such a treat! We had so much food that the next day seven of us descended upon my house at noon for lunch! (It was an in-service day.) For our other parties, we had a potluck, a seafood chowder dinner, and a dessert party. The dessert party was to watch the closings of the Olympics. Several of the teachers have satellite. I've chosen not to do this. Should I return, I would reconsider this option.

We also have a book club - the Tundra Triangle. The teachers of three villages (Akula, Akiuk, and Nunapitchuk) have been invited to join. This is our first year, and I think it's been quite successful. It is a serious group: notes and notebooks! I enjoy the discussion. The book club has read Raising Ourselves, 1984, The Road, The Sound and the Fury, and Love, Eat, Pray.

We also have a beading group. Rhonda is teaching beading. The group meets once a month, and each time they've met this year, I've had other obligations. But I am rather jealous of their work. It's lovely. In a few weeks I am attending an art conference on beading. I am looking forward to that. Some of the work I've seen is beautiful!

I am also taking a class from the University of Alaska - Fairbanks on The History of Alaska. I need two classes for my AK certification: a history class and a cultural diversity class. My class is obviously a distance learning class. I read and write papers. It's not hard, just time consuming. But I must admit I do enjoy the class.

There's also game night. Everyone enjoys word games such as scrabble. I tend to make up my own rules as we play, so everyone has to watch out for me! I don't do it intentionally. It just happens :)! I also like doing jigsaw puzzles. I have a beautiful one that I am working on right now . It's a painting based on the poem The Lady of Shalott. I love it. I am going to invite people over to help me finish it up. I love working on this puzzle. The intricacies of the work are amazing. I work on it a little in the evenings as a diversion. Unfortunately, it always wakes me up, instead of putting me to sleep!

And, then there's always the outdoor activities. I am waiting for spring fishing. Yesterday, I saw a few people fishing (in Yup'ik manuq). They were manuqing for pike. I still have salmon from the fall. I bake or pan fry salmon at least once a week. I have enough for the rest of the year. Still, it would be nice to have some pike. I've always wanted to go ice fishing. So, I am certain I will.

Vicki and Deanna both bought winter bikes this year. They like to ride on the frozen river between villages. That would be nice to do and great exercise. I love to ride at home on the trails. I've not tried the winter bikes. I've even seen them used in Anchorage. I've never seen them used in Peoria! And, if the bikes are not right for the moment, there's always the snow machine. Vicki and Deanna have one; Pete and Tammy have one; and, the school has one available for all of us to use. It's just a little difficult to start. . . but if you want to go to the other side to the store or post office, it's worth the work to get it started!

And, of course, there's always hunting. I've never shot a gun, but I do have my FOID. One of these days, I will try the sport, probably not this year!

I also think if you like cross country skiing, this would be a perfect place. It would certainly be great exercise. Our daylight is increasing six minutes a day now! So, our evenings are beautiful. The sun rises around 9 AM and sets around 9 PM, so there's plenty of time to get out and just walk. It's a little icy in spots, but I just put on a pair of ice cleats and go.

There's absolutely no reason for anyone to be bored here. Nor do I have any real feeling of isolation. In many ways, life is much easier here than in the Lower 48!