A New Year on the Delta

After a wonderful, relaxing break, the second semester is underway in Tuluksak! The weeks before break were very busy with MAP testing and Christmas program preparations. My students were also busy allocating and wrapping gifts for members of the community that were in need of something warm this season. The counselor at our school received several boxes of new, child-sized winter coats  from a church in Anchorage for kids in the village who were without one. I reached out to my parent's church, United Methodist in Two Harbors, and the congregation there donated a whole bin full of winter boots and socks. The high schoolers decided who in the school and community could use the donated gear, and then wrapped them up and delivered them. 

They did a great job figuring out who would fit the boots and coats we had. 

I had been hoarding boxes and paper scraps in my room during the weeks leading up to break so we lots of wrapping material.

By the time we were finished, they were all expert wrappers!

Traveling in and out of the villages during winter is very challenging. You can plan all you want, but sometimes the weather just doesn't cooperate. 

I was lucky it was a relatively clear morning when two of my coworkers and I chartered out of the village. It was my first time flying in a bush plane during the winter, and before sunrise. The view was very different than when I flew into the village in August. 

Unfortunately, my luck ran out when I attempted to leave Bethel. My first flight was cancelled, and my rescheduled flight was delayed resulting in ten hours in the Bethel terminal!

The Bethel terminal is not your typical airport; its basically just a room with chairs, a couple vending machines, and no wifi. It was thankfully relatively empty during our wait so Birkie and I were able to take over a bench and nap together. We eventually made it to Anchorage around 11:30pm.

Birkie and I spent a couple days in Anchorage shopping, exploring dog parks and restaurants, and paying a visit to the vet, and then headed 120 miles south to Seward. 

Seward might be the most beautiful place I've ever been. I kind of chose it at random as a place to spend Christmas, but I'm really thankful I did. 

 This was the view from right in front of my B&B. Any direction you looked was just more mountains, ocean and beauty. 

The Front Row B&B is the nicest place I've stayed in Alaska. 

The fanciest dog bed.

Walking from the B&B to the harbor.

There is restaurant in Seward called Chinooks that is right on the water. While I was eating my delicious Halibut BLT there, this little sea otter was putting on a show for everyone in the restaurant! He was rolling around and splashing; it was pretty adorable. 

It was kind of strange being away from my family at Christmas so I was thankful for my friend Karisa putting me in touch with her friend Lara who lives in Seward. Lara was an awesome host who allowed me to tag along with her and her friend's Christmas celebrations that included a wonderful free Christmas dinner at a local restaurant. (Thanks Karisa and Lara!!)

The Seward Highway that connects Seward and Anchorage is an absolutely breathtaking route that snakes around mountains, ocean and marshes the whole way. It was very scenic, but also potentially treacherous. I was thankful to be traveling on clear day during the tourist off-season. 

When Birkie and I returned to Anchorage we spent the rest of our time playing outside in the bizarrely warm weather as much as possible. 

Chugach State Park right outside of town provide some great hiking trails. 

Our first attempt to leave Anchorage was unsuccessful. After our plane made it to Bethel, we circled around for about a half hour waiting for the weather to allow us to land, and eventually had to turn back to Anchorage. No one on our flight was really phased by this. After looking at the forecast I decided to spend two more nights in Anchorage and then try again. Our second attempt was successful!

Birkie was perfectly fine with extending our vacation.

I was so relieved to return to the village and find that the water and the generator were both running! My first week back at school in Tuluksak was the best week I've had here in terms of student behavior and engagement. We have a shop teacher in the high school this semester which is wonderful for the students because it gives them an opportunity to learn skills applicable to life in the village, and is wonderful for the teachers because it makes our class sizes smaller :) 

I shared with my mentor how great my students were this past week and she told me their behavior is typical for students in many schools out in the bush. Many teachers simply don't return after winter break because of the challenges of living in a village. My mentor informed me that in her experience, students spend the first semester testing new teachers because they fear they won't be around the whole year. While I can understand the reasons why a teacher might leave, it breaks my heart that the students here have developed these kinds of defense mechanisms. While I'm unsure what the future holds for me, the break renewed my commitment to my students and I'm looking forward to spending the rest of the semester with them.