Time, Please Slow Down!!

March 19, 2020

I can't believe it's already been almost three months since we arrived in Alaska. Time has absolutely flown. The past few weeks have been crazy, but I also feel like my life is so much calmer than if I was home. I am sleeping for the first time since middle school and I don't feel the constant weight of life on my shoulders. Jenny and I finished up basketball with the girls which was absolutely a blast. It was so fun watching them improve so much and get into shape. We had an amazing group of kids and I am so sad it's over. Our girls didn't win a game against the boys, but they worked hard and had fun so that's all that matters.

Two weekends ago, we were able to see our friend Andrew and fly to Togiak, Alaska where our other friend Arlette is working. Togiak is another village southwest of Koliganek. It's about an hour flight away. The village is much bigger and has two stores and a restaurant. Yes, you read that right!! We had actual food that we didn't cook. It was fried and everything! We left on Friday evening and were back by Saturday afternoon, so it was a very quick trip. The principal of the school, Tobe, picked us up at the airstrip and drove us around to see the village. Togiak has a little more than 800 people, so it's HUGE haha! The whole village has the same population number as my middle school, but that means it's about four times the size of Koliganek. We got to shop at one of the stores and take home some groceries. It was so nice to see our friends and we are very lucky to have gotten to visit another village. The teachers were so nice and we even got to meet some of the students because they had Saturday school after missing a couple days.

This week, I made moose burgers!! If you know me, you know this is a pretty big deal. I haven't eaten a hamburger since I was maybe 4 and I don't eat red meat really at all. One of the women who works with the migrant students at our school gave us a bunch of moose meat and so I decided we had to make burgers this week. I cooked some turkey bacon and added it to the moose meat along with a bunch of spices and some Worcestershire sauce. Then I cooked them on a skillet and added some sautéed onions, avocado, and a fried egg on top. They were AMAZING!!! It's so silly, but I am very proud of myself. The coolest part is that it's so sustainable since the lady's husband killed, skinned, cut up, and froze the moose meat. We are spoiled now!!

Time is going a lot quicker than we want it to be. It is time to start thinking about going home and I am so sad!!! The students ask everyday if we can stay here and if we are going to visit. We can't stay, but we are going to try so hard to visit. I think Jenny and I are both excited to see family and friends in May, but we are honestly dreading having to leave this community.

Thank you everyone for still checking in. We love and miss you.

Haley

One of The Lucky Seven

February 20, 2020

Hello Haley followers!! My name is Arlette Martinez, I am one of the lucky seven to be here in Alaska. I started the journey a little later than all my other friends and had the longest flight as well. YIKES! I have now also been in Alaska for a month along with my colleagues. Although I did not get to fully quarantine with them, I was fortunate enough to get together with them before we all went our separate ways. When I arrived in Togiak, we were in RED. Funny (not so funny) story about the first day I arrived: My roommate and the principal were awesome enough to host a socially distanced movie night in the library where I enjoyed yummy chicken fingers and french fries from HAPPY’S and watched Gemini Man. SUPER COOL! I enjoyed it sooooo much I was just beyond excited to see what was yet to come. As soon as I got home, I had the best gift yet!! Silly me left my bedroom door closed without even knowing my roommate’s cat managed to make her way in my bedroom. So she was stuck in there the whole time we were gone. Well guys I froze my butt off the first night in Togiak because my roommate’s cat peed on my bed. I am not even going to lie to you; I really was not upset or mad. I have a cat back home, so I totally understood the situation. But, my friends if you don’t learn anything from my post just know to always make sure the cat is not in your room before you close the door.

After three weeks in Red, we have finally gone YELLOW and today was my first day meeting the students! Update: We are heading back to GREEN on Monday!! I haven’t been fortunate of doing much due to the high number of cases here, but I can I am excited to see what the rest of my time here will bring. WISH US LUCK!! BTW Valentine’s Day is over so chocolate is 50% off, I’m sure Haley would love some sweets! We all would. P.S.

Xoxoxoxo, Arlette Martinez

P.S. Check out the videos that Arlette has made of her trip so far!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqMaSFJ1p65E6jee-F-xlrw

One Month in Alaska?!

February 7, 2020

Hello Readers! My name is Katelyn and I am one of the interns who is joining Haley on this amazing journey. She has asked all of us to share a little about our experiences while in Alaska and I’m excited to tell you about the amazing time I have had here so far.

February 3 marked one month in Alaska and what an amazing month it has been! We started off this journey quarantining together in Dillingham. Although quarantine isn’t fun, we all made the best of it. We went on walks together, watched movies and had game nights. All seven of us come from all across the United States and it has been amazing to get to know everyone.
On February 17, I journeyed out to Manokotak, the village I will be working in the for the few months. I got to ride on a charter plane, which was a first for me. Manokotak is only about ten minutes away from Dillingham so it was a short ride. Once we got there, I was greeted by the school principal and his daughter. They helped me move my stuff into my new house and left me to settle in. The next day, I started work at the school. I got to meet the amazing members of the staff and some members of the community. They have all been very kind and welcomed me with open arms. I was even given the Yupik name of Siss’aq, meaning sister, and gifted a Kuspuk, a traditional Yupik sweater.

One thing that I have loved about this journey is all of the new things that I have got to try. So far, I have got to ride a snow mobile for the first time and try cross country skiing. I’ve also got to try many interesting foods. While in Dillingham I got to try moose on two separate occasions. After moving to Manokotak I’ve also got to try ptarmigan and lynx. I can’t wait to see what else this journey has in store for not only me, but for the rest of the interns as well. Thank you for reading! Stay safe and keep coming back for post from the other interns.

Take care,

Katelyn

The First Week of School!

January 24, 2020

Here's a little video I made about the first few weeks of living in Alaska. Could it get any prettier?!

Week one has been crazy! Jenny and I arrived in Koliganek a week ago Saturday and had our first day of school last Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Yes, they have school on that day in Alaska! Anyways, it was a short week because our school has half days on Wednesday's and we didn't have school on Friday because of an in-service. We had an online conference on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We were very grateful to be able to attend. It was a professional development conference for Alaskan teachers and one of the key note speakers was Jo Boaler!!! This name most likely means nothing to you, but to me and Jenny, it means a lot. We studied her book, Math Mindsets in our math class for elementary teachers in college. Shoutout to our professor Dr. Wells for introducing her to us. She is a big proponent of a growth mindset- teaching your students that they can do anything and not labeling them. This gives them the perception that they are stuck in one spot. We don't want this as educators, or even as parents or friends. We want to encourage others that they can achieve anything!

Other than that, this week was mostly getting to know our students and teachers. We are so lucky to be here! Everyone has been so kind to us. They have welcomed us to their school and their community and they have been asking lots of questions. The students want to know what North Carolina is like and if I have ever seen this much snow. We got 19 inches in Boone a few years ago, but that still does not compare to the amount of snow here. Even though we are still in the US, it sometimes feels like we are in another country here in Alaska. Most things are the same, but there are a few cultural things about us that are very different. One thing we learned is that the locals are taught to raise their eyebrows when the answer is yes to a question they were asked. So if you ask a student, "Was lunch good today?", they might not say anything, they might just raise their eyebrows. You have to pay really close attention when you are talking to students, or you might miss it! Unfortunately, we haven't tried any new foods since arriving in Koliganek. We have been eating the food we ordered in December and it's probably going to go a lot quicker than I originally thought. A cool thing that happened this week is that Jenny and I became the new girl's basketball coaches for the school!! They didn't have anyone who wanted to do it during Covid, so we jumped at the idea of spending more time with the kids and playing a sport we both love. I have played, but never coached, so we will see how it goes!

The sun finally came out on Saturday and Sunday so we got to explore for the first time since arriving. It is a very small village with only 200 people so it's not too difficult to find your way around. Some people were out riding their Snow Go's or ATVs or walking their dogs. We have the most gorgeous view of Mount Koliganek when the sun is out so we get very excited when it's pretty. So far we have visited the post office to send letters and Jenny has been to the local store. There are essentials there like peanut butter and brownie mix, but it definitely costs a lot more than your local Walmart. Everything here is way more expensive than the lower 48 because you are paying for the shipping and the convenience of everything being right there.

Thank you everyone for checking in and continuing to encourage us each and everyday! We miss you all!

Send candy please!

Haley