Landmarks

A few landmarks have occurred this weekend. First, I'm officially a certified teacher in Alaska. It has been quite the process! Keep in mind I hold a professional certificate in Ohio, I've been teaching 5 years, and I have a master's degree in education. How hard could it be to get certified here? Well, in early April I decided to find out. I sent in my application packet which included a long, notarized application, ink fingerprint cards (2 of them), an original copy of my Ohio certificate, a letter from Ohio Wesleyan stating that I did in fact complete student teaching, official transcripts from Kent State, Ohio Wesleyan, and Bowling Green, and the promise to hand over my first born child. Ok, maybe the last part isn't true, but the rest is. But, yesterday in the mail I received my Initial Teaching Certificate. It's good for at least 3 years assuming I take the required classes.


Second, I have been in Alaska for exactly one month! It's been great and I'm looking forward to the next nine (except maybe the -60 part).

Thirdly, I have been declared the Phase 10 queen of Eek!


Finally, I have become quite adept at berry picking! Berry picking is a common past time here in Alaska. Mostly women do the picking. There are several types: salmonberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and cranberries. People pick them and freeze them for use in many recipes, like Eskimo Ice Cream! I've been picking three times. The first time was after a boat ride on the Kuskokwim at new teacher training. That time I didn't actually keep any, I ate them along the way.


I have some pictures from my second berry picking episode.


First, salmonberries. They taste nothing like salmon. I assume they're called this because of the color.
There are also blueberries that grow like crazy here!


Also, there are blackberries here. They are nothing like the blackberries in the Lower 48, but they're still really good.

Finally, for all you math oriented people out there. I put a penny next to them to give you a size comparison.

I did pretty well that day! I put them on a cookie sheet to freeze them and use them later.

School is Officially in Session

I'm writing this as I have completed two full days of teaching in Alaska! Lots of people have been asking me how it went, how it's different and just in general what it's like. Well, let me explain a little.

In some ways things are exactly the same. I've had a kid fall asleep in my class already because he was up until 3 AM. Students here socialize with friends during class just like they did in Ohio. Many classroom management issues are the same (Yes, you have to sit in a seat. No, you can't tip back in your chair. I'm sorry, flicking quarters is not appropriate behavior). Also, most students want to share their story with you. I have students who work on a commercial fishing boat in the summer "pitching fish". I think it's mainly grunt work, but they have to start there to be promoted.

But, in some ways, school is completly different! First, let me explain about Alaska time. Everything here is far more laid back than in the Lower 48. If something is supposed to start at 8, it might not start until 8:30 and nobody thinks anything of it. School is somewhat the same way. At TMS, students have 3 minutes between classes. If you were in gym class and had to go across the building to science, too bad you learned to walk quickly! Here, most high school students have three rooms- mine, the other teacher's, and the gym. The gym is approximately ten steps from my room. The other HS room is even less. Students still have three minutes between classes. However, tardies are not counted until 10 minutes into the class! So, a student could potentially take 13 minutes between classes. Although, to their benefit, they don't. To top off this discussion: there is no bell. Not one. It broke. So, it's up to the teachers to dismiss students.

Another thing that is different here: communication. The Yup'ik culture uses a lot of nonverbal communication. For instance a scrunched up nose means no. And the raising of eyebrows means yes. Funny story about that. . . The other day I asked a question in class. I asked, "Do you think that being a good writer is something that can be learned?" ONe of my students looked right at me and enthusiastically raised his eyebrows two or three times. I tried to ignore him. I couldn't figure out what he was doing. Was he trying to point at something? Was he flirting (doesn't he know I'm at least 10 years older?)? Was he just strange? I didn't know. Luckily, another student answered. Then, I asked, "Is writing an e-mail easier than a research paper?" Again with the eyebrows. Then, like a ton of bricks, it hits me. He wasn't strange, he wasn't flirting, he was agreeing with me! He meant "yes" to both my questions! I felt pretty silly. Now, I really hope he doesn't read this blog.

Overall, the last two days were pretty good. And, although I like it here, I miss TMS!

Home Sweet Home

I thought it was about time that I posted something about Eek. I tried to have no expectations coming in. The houses are what I thought they would be--shacks by Lower 48 standards, but necessary here. Most houses are small because they're easier to heat that way. My house is what I call ghetto teacher housing. It's not really that bad, but all the other teachers live in brand new apartments and I have a trailer from the 70s! Let's discuss:

To the left you'll see a picture of the outside of my house (EE07). That's as close as I come to a physical address. The wooden sidewalk is actually called a boardwalk. Off either side of the boardwalk is tall grass and mud--lots of mud.

This is what is called an arctic entryway or mud room. Please ignore all the boxes. The school is in the process of relocating things and they needed boxes, so I've been keeping mine in case they need some.This is the kitchen. The water jug looking thing next to the sink is a filtration system. It's like a big Brita pitcher.

This is my living room. I had a hard time getting it all in the shot. It's not that big, but I just couldn't find a good angle! I have two recliners that I LOVE and a couch that's ok. The crazy lamp was left here by the former occupant. I can imagine that that's not the type of thing to check on a bush plane.

These two pictures are of my spacious bathroom. I'm saying that with all honesty because anyone who saw my last apartment knows that anything is an improvement! In the first picture you can see my two little earring racks. There are probably 20 pairs of earrings on each of them. I had some of the kids from the village in the other day and they were amazed by how many I had. I told them I had been collecting for awhile, and I'd been to a few Premier Design parties. They had no idea what that was though! In the second picture, behind the toilet is my shower stall. I'm supposed to be getting a tub soon. Keep your fingers crossed!

This is my pantry. The other side is full of shelves too. I took a picture of the full side. Pretty pathetic. I think I will be doing some more shopping soon!

This is the spare bedroom. The black hole in the first picture is really a dark blue recliner. You can see the clothes hanging behind the recliner because there are no doors to a closet here. Strange. You can also see Portia on the desk.

This is my bedroom. You can see how small the room really is. My bed is right against the wall and the nightstand is right next to it. In the first picture in the lower left corner is an air purfier that I borrowed from another teacher. The air in this house is not very clean. Overall, the house is not bad.

However, that being said there are a few things I wish I had brought with me:

1. JIF creamy peanut butter

2. black trash bags

3. DVDs. I forgot to send any of mine. I can rent them here, but that can get expensive!

4. air freshners and Frebreeze. Something in the house smells funny.

5. white socks for size 10 shoes.

6. any kind of chocolate stuff

7. duct tape

8. a trash can. I'm not really sure how I would have brought this, but I need one for the bathroom.

Well, I hope to post pics of the village and school soon. Also, check back for my thoughts on flying in a bush plane!

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!