Picture Update...

Here are some of the pictures I took during my time in Barrow. I know, I've been back a week but I have been working really hard on my classroom! (Pictures of that soon!!!)

Morning we left Kaktovik, picture from the airport.

 

 

Our plane is coming in! When you have a flight you just wait out by the runway.

 

Here is our plane, first stop: Deadhorse!

I'm sitting by the propeller.

The beautiful Deadhorse Airport.

Walking around during our layover, without all the pesky checkpoints found in larger airports we can come and go as we please!

 

 

For the next flight I was in the very front so I could look at what the pilots were doing.

 

When we were landing all you could see through the windshield was ground, doesn't show in the picture though...

We got there just in time for a community potluck, I was even brave enough to try a little of the seal. (It is fishier than fish!)

 

Some beautiful flowers picked by Barrow children.

 

One day the new hires got to take a trip to the Inupiat Heritage Center.

These posts made from whale bones are a common sight in Barrow.

First signpost.

Just in case you needed to know how far it is to London.

Second Barrow signpost, most of the choices on it were very random though.

 

The Arctic Ocean!

Our principal's dog: Kona.

KIDS DON'T FLOAT!!!

 

The second place I stayed for the week had this awesome staircase!

And I could see the ocean from the bed...

 

Then my phone died and I took no more pictures in Barrow. But back in Kaktovik I got some great pictures when Deb, Ann, and myself walked out to the lake.

 

The land is swampy all the way there, my feet were soaked by the end of our walk.

It's a pretty big lake, and where all the drinking water comes from.

Panorama!

These fences everywhere are to catch blowing snow so it drifts outside of town.

Another picture of the school.

 

One of my treasures, every time I walk to the beach I end up dragging something back with me, last time it was this... er... seal flipper? I'm not sure.

My collection!

The snow fence is falling down... This is where the tundra tried to eat my boots!

It Begins

We got back to Kaktovik yesterday. And it feels so good to be back! I love this village and if anyone  is feeling exceptionally adventurous they should give it a visit sometime. All of the people here are very friendly and the kids are great. Plus, I really like the staff here. I have people I can go to for advice and leadership, and even someone who can keep me up on Doctor Who news. Are there difficulties to living in a village? You bet. The prices are much higher than I am used to, shipping takes forever, shopping options are... limited, I can't drop over to visit my college friends, and it can be hard to leave work when your commute is less than a minute. Would I trade it for anything? Not at all! I love it here and am so excited that more than two years of research into the Alaskan Bush has culminated in this experience! Today some co-workers and I went for a tundra walk (the tundra nearly ate my boots!), I get to rack up some serious airline miles without having to spend a penny because the district covers it, and a polar bear met us down at the beach when we flew in yesterday. Hard? Definitely. Worth it? Most definitely. Now, if you don't mind, my books finally got here, so I'm going to read a little and then be ready for my first official in-school workday.

Way up North...

Here I am in Barrow.

Way up there...

I should really get some work done but I'm having trouble focusing so it must be time for a brain break! Just thought I would drop you all a line. I'm having a pretty good time. Some of the talks have been a little dry but there were also some interesting, informative ones. We learned how to do a couple of basic Inupiat dances. (Forgive me if I've used the wrong word, I still forget when to use Inupiat and when to use Inupiaq.)

We also learned about the Inupiat Heritage Framework, this is one of the things I am most excited about, integrating the local culture into the 'western' euro-american model of education that schools in the US traditionally use. We have a teacher specifically for language and culture in Kaktovik but I has been putting bits into the classroom, especially in my environmental print. So far I have the alphabet, colors (except orange), and calendar words in both English and Inupiaq so that the preschoolers get used to seeing the words. (Lots of Qs in my room friend, lots of Qs.)

Here is a link to an online dictionary if you are interested.

Another one of our sessions was a tech session to familiarize ourselves with our district computers. I went to a session to learn how to use iMovie, our assignment was to make a short movie about Barrow. It is super corny when I say "hundreds, maybe thousands of miles" I am sure you've all been within the hundreds of miles range (possible exception to my friends in the land down under!). These pictures were all taken by people other than myself. Also the video just kind of cuts out at the end.

School starts Wednesday for K - 12, I do Dial4 testing first to determine the starting place for each of my students. So I am anxious to get back to Kaktovik and finish putting my room together! Everyone else is so much farther along than I am. :( Probably because I have no idea how to set up a preschool room and I am a scatterbrain. And you know what else I'm discovering? I'm having a hard time hunting down Diet Pepsi up here. Regular Pepsi? No problem! Diet Coke? We've got you covered! Diet Pepsi? Oh sorry. Ah well.

Well, I'll post pictures soon but thought you might just like an update!

Fun Weekend - Now back to work

So much has happened in the last few days. First my roommate arrived! So now the house is looking a little more lived in and two of my boxes showed up, so I have some dressier clothing for the in-service. My roommate loves fishing; she had her pole and went to the lagoon on day one. So we had whitefish and Arctic char straight from the ocean to our kitchen. (Whitefish is actually decent as far as fish go.) The next day was Friday – all the teachers go out for prime rib and then tour the island. Since Ann and Deb had never been Leroy decided to take us out to the bone pile. While out there we saw our first polar bears!!! There was a mama bear and two cubs just sitting out on the pile. Here are a couple of pictures.

 

 

Saturday was another work day. I made some nifty signs for centers in my room, plus I started one bulletin board. I have five boards in my room plus a big one in the hallway. (Sadly my hallway one is tucked away where it won’t be seen much.) I’ve resolved to try not working on Sunday when I don’t need to, so I didn’t! Ann, Deb, and I walked down to the airport and went wading in the Beaufort Sea (part of the Arctic Ocean). It was so cold! But it was a fairly warm day so it all worked out.

A whale jawbone in someone's yard.

This is the whaling shack. When they catch the whale it gets pulled up here to be cut up and divided.

Looking at the town.

No wind today!

Me and my Walking Woman.

Looking North over the Beaufort Sea.

Barter Island Airport.

Kaktovik Visitor Center.

Wading!

The Vampire Boat.

 Right after we got back from our walk Leroy stopped by and offered to take us fishing at his spot! We went out on his boat to a small island in the sea; the only sign of civilization was the weather Doppler station in town. It was like we were the only four people on the planet, so cool. The day before the guys had gotten nine fish out there, we only got two – one for Ann and one for Leroy. Ann had a fish nearly to the shore that got away, and I was reeling in one but it too got away. It was really frustrating because the water was so clear you could see dozens of fish, they just weren’t biting. However, it was an absolutely beautiful day without a breath of wind, the sea was eerily calm.

See how calm it is?

Ann is excited for the fishing trip!

On the horizon there is a white speck marking town. Otherwise it is just us in the big open Sea!

Leroy driving his boat.

Red hat, yellow sweater.

This is why the airport sometimes goes underwater.

Leroy's boat.

The catch of the day.

Today, I’m flying to Barrow – Northernmost town in the USA, for my in-service! I’m so excited to have my first teaching job officially begin!!!

Wonderful Place!

I seem to have fallen into one of the crown jewels of the arctic quite by accident! One of the older teachers talks about how excited she was to get in here after having been in Barrow for a few years. And my principal and his wife were super excited to be coming up here, bringing with them my roommate, all three of whom had heard wonderful things. I'm also excited to meet the people who pass through. Especially the National Geographic photographers! When I was in middle school it was nearly my sole ambition to become a NG photographer, but things changed and here I am. It is still very much on my bucket list to have a picture published in NG, today they have the Your Shot section so perhaps I will get my chance.
Anyway, I walked around the village yesterday with two teachers and several children. Here are some of my newest pictures.

So this lawn flamingo blew into the teachers' yard the other day. No idea where it came from but it has an airline sticker on it that says FREEZE. We think it's hilarious and plan to stand him up when it isn't so swampy. We'll see how long he lasts.

See the ice on the horizon? Brrr. Actually it is chilly here but not downright cold. Which since it is August I'm totally down with.

This is the mess that is the pre-school room.

Alaska Cotton, isn't it pretty?

This shed has moose antlers on top. The two big fan items are bones, probably from a whale.

There's the current airport! They are moving it because the landing strip is just barely above sea level.

 

When we have ribs in Kaktovik it puts the Flintstones to shame.

Someone's fire area.

That long thing on the porch is baleen. It is all over up here from previous whale hunts. Leroy (maintenance at the school) has several pieces with beautiful art etched onto it.

The building in the very center of the picture is one of the two stores. Definitely the one that has more character. The other is a basic general store.

She had to show us her puppy. :)

Sorry, couldn't resist a picture of the post office sign.