Finally touching down. . .

Well, I made it! I'm sorry it took me so long to post. I'll try to chunk this up to make it easier to read.

Day 1 (Monday)-
I arrived in Bethel at 8:15 AM after traveling in planes and waiting in airports for 20 hours. The airports were grueling. I had a carry on suitcase and a huge bag that I was passing off as my purse. Also, I had Portia (my cat). She had to go into the cargo hold and therefore I had to check her-- at every stop! This consists of TSA (Transportation Security Administration) frisking my cat and inspecting her kennel at all 3 stops on the trip. She made it fine. I even managed to sneak her out in the bathroom in both Denver and Anchorage to walk around a bit. Anyway, I met some new teachers immediately while waiting for my luggage. The adventure started when my suitcase came around and it was totally demolished. To make it worse, it was my mom's suitcase. I'm working on the claim. Monday was mainly spent filling out paperwork and running around town. I now have a local bank account and cell phone. I also bought mud boots. This was a completely necessary purchase as it rains here a LOT!!!! I did all of this with my new friend Segue. She is from Oklahoma and teaching in another village. She is one of the most interesting and practical people I have ever met. (She'll play into this blog a lot.)

That night Segue and I decided we couldn't live without a Diet Coke. So, we stopped at AC (Alaskan Wal-Mart) and picked up a few things. I spent $93 on 3 items. Let's discuss them. I bought mud boots. They're rubber boots, not very attractive, but very practical. They were on sale for $25. That's an ok deal. Then, I needed a fan. The hotel was hot and I didn't send one to Eek. I bought a 16" oscillating desk fan. In Ohio it would cost $20 or so. Here, I paid $50!!!!! Segue and I decided we had to have Diet Coke. I bought a 12 pack for $12.50. Yep, there goes the raise.

Day 2 (Tuesday)
We spent an entire day learning about curriculum in five different areas (writing, math, social studies, science, and Yup'ik culture). Although it was interesting it was pretty intense and long. Also, I have to talk about the food. For lunch, they gave us a burrito. It was steak and guacamole and a bunch of other stuff. IT was amazing! It came from a restaurant called Shogun. They serve Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, and American food. I'd recommend it next time you're in Bethel.

That night we went on a boat ride on the Kuskokwim River. It was amazing. I went with Segue and Sandy. Our driver, Jim, was a retired teacher for LKSD. Along the way he stopped and we picked berries. They were very good. We had salmonberries, blueberries, and blackberries. They all grow wild all over the tundra! Luckily, I wore my new mud boots because the tundra was, well, it was tundra. It was wet. Remember that the tundra is mostly water in the summer and snow and ice in the winter. So, as we walked picking berries your feet would sink into the ground and water would seep around them. The view was incredible.

Day 3 (Wednesday)

This day was spent discussing reading and it's part in LKSD. It was pretty interesting again.

That night we had a Native potluck where they had about 8 different kinds of salmon, including salmon tacos. I tried them. They were pretty good. Also, I had moose stew. Yes, it had moose in it. It was pretty good actually.

Day 4 (Thursday)

This day was spent discussing the Yup'ik culture and how it will affect my job. It was interesting, but intense. We tried Eskimo ice cream that day. This is a variant of the famous fish ice cream I mentioned earlier. This one had Crisco, powdered sugar, blackberries, and salmonberries. It actually was ok. I wouldn't want a whole bowl though.

Then, I picked up Portia and we went to the airport. Not Alaska Airlines, but Yute Air. My principal Kip and I had a chartered flight out. They weighed our luggage so they could distribute it correctly. Unfortunately, I also had to be weighed. They weigh passengers so they can distribute the cargo safely. I was a little nervous for this flight since it's a tiny bush plane. It held 4 people. I flew in a Cessna 207 if you're technical. Frankly, the only difference was that it was louder and maybe a bit more bumpy. That was it! I know many people are afraid of small planes, but really there's nothing to worry about. When we landed I thanked the pilot and told him it was my first small plane ride. He said, "Really? Mine too!" I laughed and told him he did a great job then. I suppose you have to put up bad humor from the guy willing to fly across the tundra.

Then, we packed our stuff into a trailer that was hooked up to the back of a four-wheeler. It was also my first four wheeler ride. I had to sit on the side and hang on with one hand while the other hand held onto Portia. Luckily, the town is pretty small so it didn't take long. I walked in the door and two of the teachers came and had me over for dinner. It was very good food and better company.

All in all, I think I'll like it here.

Well, this has been rather lengthy so I'll leave the rest for later this weekend. I'll post pictures as soon as I unpack my card reader!