So
I'm still not blogging consistently, and I still haven't done a
picture post. Sorry for the delays everybody, when I have some time
to sit down and work at this, I will! What an eventful week!
Monday
rolls around like every other Monday. Everyone is groggy and still
coming down off the weekend (and wishing for one more day). Needless
to say I was among this group. But the fun didn't stop there. I
walked into the office and break room to take off my gear and grab my
first cup of coffee. Ginger walked in and asked if I was OK with
whatever was on the bulletin board at the desk in the office, and I
sleepily replied that I was, before saying “Wait, what?”. I came
out of the room to find that the high school side's math teacher was
out sick for the day, and I was first in line to sub for him. Now,
I'm a secondary social studies teacher, and besides being a teaching
aide in a bunch of different (and non-social studies) classes, as
well as a sub for science classes 2 days, I thought why not? No, I'll
never be a math teacher, but I won't pass up this opportunity either.
So my Monday changed from a teacher's aide to a math sub, and it was
fun. Every teacher here develops a weekly 'sub folder' just in case
they're sick or out for whatever reason, so that the kids still get
some form of instruction for the day. I spent the day working through
the packets with each of the classes, which was fun in some ways
because I actually remembered a bit more than I thought I knew from
high school. It was quite the adventure of a day.
Tuesday
I got to return to my regular schedule during the day, but in that
schedule, I got to learn a bit more about Inupiaq culture. In one of
my sections of the day, the kids got to sit and see a video made in
one of the other villages, Koyuk, about their culture and heritage,
interviewing elders from the villages for first hand information
about the traditional ways of life, and how their living arrangements
have changed. One thing that is really cool is that this culture has
survived for more than 1,000 years living off of the land and the
sea, migrating around the peninsula, but still surviving year round.
A lot of the skills and techniques and even some technologies that
they employ in their day to day lives has been honed and perfected
over centuries of use. It was also really interesting because the
elders that were interviewed for the movie were alive and attending
school during some pivotal moments in their history. For example,
many of them grew up in a time when whites were still only just
coming to Alaska, so they remember the school houses where they
learned English and other foreign ideas. A very sad byproduct of this
however, is that some do not remember parts of their own language
because teachers in that day forbade the use of it. Still, it's a
culture that is alive and still thriving, and it's always fun to
learn about things that are totally new to me. Another cool thing was
that one of the aides, who I know as 'Bid', showed me a short book
that is a collection of native stories and legends that was compiled
by one of the former teachers here. Basically, this teacher went
around and listened to oral interpretations of these stories, and
tried to put them to paper, in order to preserve them in some way. It
was really cool to read some of the stories, and I'm hoping to finish
the book at some point.
Tuesday
night was one of the greatest nights so far, because of one event.
THE. NORTHERN. LIGHTS. Oh man it was excellent. Tuesday nights are
guys game nights, so Steve, John, Greg and I were setting up a game
waiting for Andy to get to the house. Andy busted down the door and
says “Guys! The northern lights are out tonight!!” I quickly
scrambled to my feet, because I've never seen these before, and this
was the perfect opportunity. Angie, Steve's wife, grabbed her camera
and followed us out. Now, a few things. First, light pollution here
is actually worse than I thought it would be. I thought that it would
be quite minimal, but the street and house lights are just enough to
hinder star gazing. Second, ice covers all walkable ground. It might
be this way every year, but because of the polar vortex a lot of snow
melted and then froze again, so the ground can be hazardous to walk
on. Angie, Andy, and I set out to find an area where the lights
wouldn't ruin our eyes for looking at the Auroras. Angie joked that
Andy and I had better be careful because neither of us have insurance
under the school because we're only interns, to which we laughed. No
sooner had she finished her sentence that I heard a “wuuhhhh”
*thump*, and Angie was on the ground. Luckily she caught herself with
her elbow and wasn't badly hurt, so we continued on. The northern
lights is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. What happens is
the Sun shoots off Solar flares into space, and those collide with
the Earth, and get broken up in the Earth's electromagnetic field.
Depending on what gasses are present in the atmosphere at the time,
the colors can change, but that night it was a solid green color. I
took some great pictures (I think), and it was truly mesmerizing to
see the lights shift and move, ebb and flow from one direction to
another, the waves and the spires moving around slowly. It's
definitely a highlight of my experience here (get it? High-light.
Sorry, I'm done).
Wednesday
was another special day, because I actually got to be a Social
Studies teacher! So Angie's fall while looking at the northern lights
left her in worse shape than she thought. She hit her elbow hard, but
the morning after, she felt it in her shoulder, back, and neck as
well. The pain was pretty bad, so she took the day and handed the
reins to me. This was also a good experience because the following
Monday through Wednesday I'll be her sub while she goes to Anchorage
for a workshop. It was a fun and exciting day, learning each of the
different classes I'd soon be teaching, and seeing where they were at
in History. The World History classes were watching a video on the
Atomic Bomb (which is one of my favorite things ever), so it was fun
to watch with them, and interject where I knew some extra
information. I will say that it's hard to plan for a day, because
it's unlike anything down in the lower 48. The content is about the
same here, but the pacing is different, mainly because classes only
last an hour, so figuring out which topics and content to group
together for each day, can really be challenging. Thursday was
similar to Wednesday except that Angie made it back to school, so I
got to observe her teaching each class, picking up on her strategies
and methods for instruction. The special thing about Thursday was
that it was Friday last week. Friday was a day off, and an extra day
to relax and enjoy a weekend, which was spectacular.
Saturday
I got to go to a tea party. Let me elaborate. Zoey is the daughter of
Liz and Nathan, two employees of the school here. She actually made
invitations for tea time at two on Saturday, for tea and cookies.
Have you ever seen the poster on the internet that says “No matter
how tough you are, when a 3 year old hands you a toy phone, you
answer it”? Yeah, same scenario. It doesn't matter who you are,
when a little girl invites you to tea, you'd best plan to be there 5
minutes early. It was actually really fun because Zoey also invited a
couple of the other teachers, and Angie and Steve's daughter Kaitlyn,
and we all got to drink tea, eat cookies, and just hang out and have
fun. It was definitely nice to just relax that way on Saturday. That
and I'm always up for tea and cookies. But mostly cookies.
Sunday
was yet another day of taking it easy and enjoying the relaxation of
the weekend. One fun thing that we did was Breakfast for Dinner.
Nathan and Liz invited a handful of us over for dinner, and we had
waffles, pancakes, homemade maple syrup, skillet potatoes, and of
course, Tang. It was delicious, and a nice mix up from my oatmeal and
granola bar breakfasts. Again, I can't stress enough how great the
teaching staff comradery is here. It's great that people want to get
together after school and hang out, or do things like group dinners,
or board games, or whatever. It definitely makes it a fun time. I'd
have to say that if I was offered a job in the district this upcoming
year, it'd need to be in Brevig, because I've be spoiled here. I'm
sure the other schools also have warm and inviting teachers, but I've
come to know this group, which has been a very fun experience.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Ice Fishing, Substitute Karma, and how Rock Band rekindled a love for old school Rock & Roll
This whole past week as been really cold! With the wind chill, it
usually feels like -30 to even -40 degrees each day, usually being
around -18 or so for the real temperature. Also, winds here are blowing
at 30 mph, which, without trees and taller buildings, rips across the
landscape with a great force. I hear it howling against the house and
windows, and definitely have to fight it during my walks to the school
each morning. I enjoy listening to the sound as I go to sleep.
Multiple nights this week, myself along with many of the other teachers got together for group nights of playing Rock Band, which was a whole lot of fun. We had guitars for bass and lead guitar, drums, a mike, and even a Yamaha keyboard for songs that offered that option. It was a pretty big setup and a huge success in my opinion. It was a whole lot of fun to play the different instruments (except singing, because if you know me, I don't sing in public), and we had a really fun time jamming out to a whole bunch of different songs. I totally didn't realize some songs and artists that I've known for years, but never really listened to. I grew up with a lot of my parents music, and so I'd not recognize a song until we played it, and it would all come back to me. I definitely have a few bands to look into for music when I have time now.
Side note, Eric Church's album "The Outsiders" came out, and I was able to download it here. Rocking my world once again, there is more than one favorite on there already. I love my Country music.
So Monday was an average school day, everyone was shaking off the weekend in order to gear up for a brand new week. However after school, Andy, the other intern, told me that one of his students, Rickie was taking him out for ice fishing, and that it was open for me to join as well. Naturally, I accepted. We set out from the school with a bunch of other guys, mostly some of my middle school students, to grab hooks and lines to fish with before heading out. I have to say, it's quite a thrill to know that you're standing on the frozen ocean, a couple hundred feet from the shoreline. We walked up to one of the first sites with holes dug into the ice, and were shown how to fish. Basically, you're holding a wooden plank, that has two 'V' shaped cuts out of the top and bottom of the board. The fishing line is wrapped lengthwise on the board, securing in the 'V' shaped hole. You unravel the line until it touches the ocean floor, then wrap 3 times to pick the hook off the bottom. Then you stand at your hole, teasing the line every so often in order to lure fish, and make sure that the hole doesn't harden up. I wasn't able to catch anything that day and had to leave because of the cold (I hadn't brought my bibs or baklava), but what an awesome experience! I haven't ever truly gone fishing, much less ice fishing! Some of the kids are actually really good at it, and can catch dozens of fish in one day. Even without casting my own line, it was definitely a great time watching each of the young boys pull up one of their catches from the ice below.
Tuesday as I was getting ready for my day, I got a phone call from the school and it was Ginger. I learned that the Science and Shop teacher John L., wasn't feeling well that day, and needed a sub. I thought, 'Hey, why not!' This is what I'm here for, if anything else to be as helpful as possible in whatever situation presents itself. So I went in for the day and looked desperately for a sub folder or a lesson plan, or something. As it turns out, whenever John goes out (which as it turns out is not uncommon), the students use the class time to finish any of their readings or back work, or future assignments. So while students worked, some asked questions about home and about me, and I in turn asked some questions about them, so it was fun to actually meet and talk with some of the kids that I would normally not see too often during the day. One class I did actually teach, and we covered the different types of bone, bone marrow, as well as the 3 types of joints found in the human body. It was a lot of fun, especially because I'm still a Social Studies guy. The second half of the day, instead of Shop classes, I traded schedules with on of the aides, James (who knew all about the Shop classes), and got to work in some of his groups. It was also cool to be able to sit down with 3 boys I already interact with during the day, and help them read through a corrective reading activity, and then have them try to answer questions. Wednesday was almost an exact repeat of Tuesday, so I got to do almost the same thing all over again. Now I did have some difficulties here and there, but I expected that. I was in High School once too, and I remember full well the torture we put subs through. Switching seats, changing names, lying about how class time was used, etc. If anything that's the karma of education coming back to get me. All things considered, a great new experience for me to enjoy.
I'm also starting to see some development to my role here. The kids I'm working with, are making progress in some of their areas, and I'm starting to notice and give feedback too. Hopefully now we can continue to improve on a more academic note. Another thing is that it also helps that I'm getting tons of feedback from fellow teachers on ways that I can really improve my style of teaching, and different strategies that they have found to be effective up here. Some portion of the tactics and strategies that are praised down in the lower 48, hold no power up here, and so trying to fight and make them work will only result in wasted time and energy. Luckily, many of the teachers are there for my benefit when it comes to explaining things, and even providing some materials and books I can read through for help (I've got a lot of reading to do). The biggest thing now that I've settled into a rhythm and a schedule, is to try and take some larger steps with the kids that I'm working with. We know each other and see each other everyday, so now it's time to work on ways that they can get back into the grove, or continue and improve their academics. I'm definitely anxious to get started, and will probably need a lot more help as we go along. Exciting times ahead for sure!
Also, Andy and my COD finally came in, so we now have all of our food! My half (the much larger half) cost me a total of $170, but now my breakfasts and lunches are covered, as well as a couple dinners, so I did well for myself (although I certainly haven't been starving so far). I can't imagine what a COD for a full time teacher must look like. You have to budget and purchase enough food for the first half, or even the entire year, and it's all gotta be non-perishable or freezer friendly. Plus, shipping is close to $1 per pound, and there's the waiting period. Our food came in Thursday, but we ordered it January 26th. Fresh food is possible, but difficult. A lot of the teachers use companies that ship out of Washington, and the prices are expensive, but worth it if you can't live without good produce. Meats are also obtainable, even from some of the stores close by, like in Nome. Unless you decide to get your meat by other means. Bullets are still cheaper than beef, and much of the wildlife here is quite hospitable. Caribou, Moose, and Muskox are easy to find during their seasons (although recently Muskox have gone back under protection, so hunting them requires a special lottery sustenance ticket). Plus, if not by land than by sea, marine life of all kinds are found. Seals, Walrus, Whale, Salmon, and other fish can be caught and are edible. One type of food (that I may or may not try) is Ushuk (spelling?), which is fermented Walrus meat. It's done by burying the meat in the ground. If it passes the nose test, I might just try a bite! The land is also hospitable to many fresh berries in the summer months, but I'm not sure about growing crops during the short warm season. That being said, I think there is a great profit to be made for anyone who could build a greenhouse up here in the bush to grow and sell fresh fruits and veggies. That might just be my back-up plan.
After school on Friday was another Intern support meeting, and another great time to collaborate with some of the other teachers, get some feedback and advice, and some guidance where needed. This Friday, Ginger had a few points of interest that other teachers covered, in order to help us continue to do well during school. It was great to have some things explained in greater detail, and in a tangible way that I could really grasp. Some things were pretty much common sense: being into school on time, being flexible to pick up slack where needed, maintaining professionalism inside and outside of school, and filling our free time responsibly. Because of the community culture here, how we act outside of school is just as important, if not more important than anything we do inside of the school. Being a shut-in or a hermit just won't do. That being said, it's pretty easy to do. Lots of people tend to be out and about while the suns up, and you can almost always count on visitors at least 2-3 times a week. And frankly, its fun to hang out and interact outside of school. I definitely am enjoying all of it.
Friday night was another Girls basketball game at home, while the Boys set out for another village, and the little dribblers when to one of the closer villages, Wales. From what I heard, each of our teams did great this weekend and played great games. I again got to work on concessions, and had a fun time making and selling pizza, pretzels, chips, soda, and of course, slushies. It's a great way to see some of the kids in school, but not 'in school', and it's also another time to meet some of the other community members that I wouldn't normally see at any other time. It was a great way to end a full week.
I'm not quite homesick because of the wonderful time I'm having so far, but I will say that I can't wait to see everyone again, and share all of my stories! Love you all.
Sean
Multiple nights this week, myself along with many of the other teachers got together for group nights of playing Rock Band, which was a whole lot of fun. We had guitars for bass and lead guitar, drums, a mike, and even a Yamaha keyboard for songs that offered that option. It was a pretty big setup and a huge success in my opinion. It was a whole lot of fun to play the different instruments (except singing, because if you know me, I don't sing in public), and we had a really fun time jamming out to a whole bunch of different songs. I totally didn't realize some songs and artists that I've known for years, but never really listened to. I grew up with a lot of my parents music, and so I'd not recognize a song until we played it, and it would all come back to me. I definitely have a few bands to look into for music when I have time now.
Side note, Eric Church's album "The Outsiders" came out, and I was able to download it here. Rocking my world once again, there is more than one favorite on there already. I love my Country music.
So Monday was an average school day, everyone was shaking off the weekend in order to gear up for a brand new week. However after school, Andy, the other intern, told me that one of his students, Rickie was taking him out for ice fishing, and that it was open for me to join as well. Naturally, I accepted. We set out from the school with a bunch of other guys, mostly some of my middle school students, to grab hooks and lines to fish with before heading out. I have to say, it's quite a thrill to know that you're standing on the frozen ocean, a couple hundred feet from the shoreline. We walked up to one of the first sites with holes dug into the ice, and were shown how to fish. Basically, you're holding a wooden plank, that has two 'V' shaped cuts out of the top and bottom of the board. The fishing line is wrapped lengthwise on the board, securing in the 'V' shaped hole. You unravel the line until it touches the ocean floor, then wrap 3 times to pick the hook off the bottom. Then you stand at your hole, teasing the line every so often in order to lure fish, and make sure that the hole doesn't harden up. I wasn't able to catch anything that day and had to leave because of the cold (I hadn't brought my bibs or baklava), but what an awesome experience! I haven't ever truly gone fishing, much less ice fishing! Some of the kids are actually really good at it, and can catch dozens of fish in one day. Even without casting my own line, it was definitely a great time watching each of the young boys pull up one of their catches from the ice below.
Tuesday as I was getting ready for my day, I got a phone call from the school and it was Ginger. I learned that the Science and Shop teacher John L., wasn't feeling well that day, and needed a sub. I thought, 'Hey, why not!' This is what I'm here for, if anything else to be as helpful as possible in whatever situation presents itself. So I went in for the day and looked desperately for a sub folder or a lesson plan, or something. As it turns out, whenever John goes out (which as it turns out is not uncommon), the students use the class time to finish any of their readings or back work, or future assignments. So while students worked, some asked questions about home and about me, and I in turn asked some questions about them, so it was fun to actually meet and talk with some of the kids that I would normally not see too often during the day. One class I did actually teach, and we covered the different types of bone, bone marrow, as well as the 3 types of joints found in the human body. It was a lot of fun, especially because I'm still a Social Studies guy. The second half of the day, instead of Shop classes, I traded schedules with on of the aides, James (who knew all about the Shop classes), and got to work in some of his groups. It was also cool to be able to sit down with 3 boys I already interact with during the day, and help them read through a corrective reading activity, and then have them try to answer questions. Wednesday was almost an exact repeat of Tuesday, so I got to do almost the same thing all over again. Now I did have some difficulties here and there, but I expected that. I was in High School once too, and I remember full well the torture we put subs through. Switching seats, changing names, lying about how class time was used, etc. If anything that's the karma of education coming back to get me. All things considered, a great new experience for me to enjoy.
I'm also starting to see some development to my role here. The kids I'm working with, are making progress in some of their areas, and I'm starting to notice and give feedback too. Hopefully now we can continue to improve on a more academic note. Another thing is that it also helps that I'm getting tons of feedback from fellow teachers on ways that I can really improve my style of teaching, and different strategies that they have found to be effective up here. Some portion of the tactics and strategies that are praised down in the lower 48, hold no power up here, and so trying to fight and make them work will only result in wasted time and energy. Luckily, many of the teachers are there for my benefit when it comes to explaining things, and even providing some materials and books I can read through for help (I've got a lot of reading to do). The biggest thing now that I've settled into a rhythm and a schedule, is to try and take some larger steps with the kids that I'm working with. We know each other and see each other everyday, so now it's time to work on ways that they can get back into the grove, or continue and improve their academics. I'm definitely anxious to get started, and will probably need a lot more help as we go along. Exciting times ahead for sure!
Also, Andy and my COD finally came in, so we now have all of our food! My half (the much larger half) cost me a total of $170, but now my breakfasts and lunches are covered, as well as a couple dinners, so I did well for myself (although I certainly haven't been starving so far). I can't imagine what a COD for a full time teacher must look like. You have to budget and purchase enough food for the first half, or even the entire year, and it's all gotta be non-perishable or freezer friendly. Plus, shipping is close to $1 per pound, and there's the waiting period. Our food came in Thursday, but we ordered it January 26th. Fresh food is possible, but difficult. A lot of the teachers use companies that ship out of Washington, and the prices are expensive, but worth it if you can't live without good produce. Meats are also obtainable, even from some of the stores close by, like in Nome. Unless you decide to get your meat by other means. Bullets are still cheaper than beef, and much of the wildlife here is quite hospitable. Caribou, Moose, and Muskox are easy to find during their seasons (although recently Muskox have gone back under protection, so hunting them requires a special lottery sustenance ticket). Plus, if not by land than by sea, marine life of all kinds are found. Seals, Walrus, Whale, Salmon, and other fish can be caught and are edible. One type of food (that I may or may not try) is Ushuk (spelling?), which is fermented Walrus meat. It's done by burying the meat in the ground. If it passes the nose test, I might just try a bite! The land is also hospitable to many fresh berries in the summer months, but I'm not sure about growing crops during the short warm season. That being said, I think there is a great profit to be made for anyone who could build a greenhouse up here in the bush to grow and sell fresh fruits and veggies. That might just be my back-up plan.
After school on Friday was another Intern support meeting, and another great time to collaborate with some of the other teachers, get some feedback and advice, and some guidance where needed. This Friday, Ginger had a few points of interest that other teachers covered, in order to help us continue to do well during school. It was great to have some things explained in greater detail, and in a tangible way that I could really grasp. Some things were pretty much common sense: being into school on time, being flexible to pick up slack where needed, maintaining professionalism inside and outside of school, and filling our free time responsibly. Because of the community culture here, how we act outside of school is just as important, if not more important than anything we do inside of the school. Being a shut-in or a hermit just won't do. That being said, it's pretty easy to do. Lots of people tend to be out and about while the suns up, and you can almost always count on visitors at least 2-3 times a week. And frankly, its fun to hang out and interact outside of school. I definitely am enjoying all of it.
Friday night was another Girls basketball game at home, while the Boys set out for another village, and the little dribblers when to one of the closer villages, Wales. From what I heard, each of our teams did great this weekend and played great games. I again got to work on concessions, and had a fun time making and selling pizza, pretzels, chips, soda, and of course, slushies. It's a great way to see some of the kids in school, but not 'in school', and it's also another time to meet some of the other community members that I wouldn't normally see at any other time. It was a great way to end a full week.
I'm not quite homesick because of the wonderful time I'm having so far, but I will say that I can't wait to see everyone again, and share all of my stories! Love you all.
Sean
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
First Full Week
I don't intend to post for every single thing that happens to me, simply because it gets repetitive. However, new or different experiences will be blogged about.
So this past week was my first full week of school in Brevig. Pretty insane to think about! I've been gone from home for about 2 weeks now, and I gotta say, I'm a little homesick. It's great to call home and skype, but it will never compare to being with people (which is what I thrive off of). The best thing about Brevig is definitely the composition of faculty that we have. I'm able to hang out with a lot of people, sometimes together and sometimes separately, which is great news for someone who needs quality time. One other thing that I've noticed in my first week, is the warmth from the community as well. During the school day, things can get very challenging to handle. Some behavioral issues can be very difficult to deal with, and it's hard on all of us sometimes. At the same time, outside of the building everyone is very nice and friendly, even the kids that may have been difficult hours earlier, are totally different. They love to talk and come over the house to visit, and usually it's kind of hard to get them to leave after a while (which, if I'm going to have a problem, it might as well be too many visitors). It's quite strange to go from one extreme to another. For me, I've really had to adapt to this 'flip flop' mentality, where you wipe the record clean at the end of every school day. Oddly enough it's kinda giving me a different outlook on the grace and mercy we find in Christ, which even surprised me when I realized it. Ponder that for a bit.
So my first week of school, was a continuation of getting into the groove of our schedules, learning more names, and getting through another week. Last week was a lot of time trying to brainstorm new things to do in order to deal with some behavior issues that we come across during the day. Half of the time, it's a true lack of applicability of content for some students; the other problems are more domestic. In New York I had somewhat of a difficult time at the end of my student teaching with a few kids that didn't see a point in education. Let's just say if I wasn't convinced they had a right to feel that way then, I'm even more so now. Yet another problem with the Common Core standards, is the very name. Who's opinion of 'common'? What groups have these assessments and standards been normed on? I guarantee it wasn't the Native Inupiaq populations of Northern Alaska. It wouldn't be unreasonable to suggest that some students are never going to need to know half of the common core's standards, and they know it. Many students plan on taking up trades, sustenance based living or crafts and utensils to sell. And those businesses are all good, and many of these kids will be successful, just as their parents have been. College is the dream of a few students. But instead of trudging through these standards, frustration can set in. One benefit I'm gaining from this experience is finding new ways to explain applicability and relevance in a lot of our content, which stands somewhat of a chance here, and should be most effective back home in NY.
During the week we had another chance to go out 4-wheeling, this time towards the neighboring village of Teller. What was truly exciting was that we drove over a lot of frozen lakes and ponds, on ice. Talk about an experience. We learned earlier that 18 inches of ice can hold a diesel truck, and 4-wheelers and snow machines travel across the ocean bay between the villages all of the time, so fresh water lakes and ponds have even thicker ice. It was a fun ride, but very cold because I forgot my gater and bibs. The entire ride I recalled the conversations I've had with all of my nursing major friends about frostbite and people losing the tips of their noses to the cold, and I was pretty upset with myself. We reached our destination and shut off the 4-wheelers to just sit and take in the beauty of the area. Tundra might be dry and open and desolate, but there's a beauty to it that isn't common anywhere in New York. We ran into trouble when one of the 4-wheelers wouldn't start anymore (the one I was riding), and so we had to tow it with the second one all the way back to the village. Another interesting and wonderful experience.
This past week we also had the school board, superintendent, and many of the district office personnel (including Ted and Jay) come to inspect the school and then hold a meeting in the gym. It was really interesting to see the proceedings of the meeting and even the politics throughout. There were a handful of proposals and comments made by board members and community members alike. The meeting lasted for a good 4-5 hours until 10:00 or so. The weather that night was so bad that they all had to stay at the school because the planes wouldn't land to take them back to Unalakleet, which made for an interesting night and following day. I also got to teach portions of one of the classes that I've been observing for a while, helping them learn their vocabulary words that they'd be using in their readings and quizzed on. I've learned that baby steps are key here, and that you can never take enough time on things. I invented a form of Battleship to play as a review game for the kids, and had very high hopes for it. It flopped, horribly. Even still, it was fun for me and I plan to use it in the future.
After school on Friday, we got together with some of the faculty and got to voice our questions and comments and concerns to our peers, and give/get some feedback on our thoughts thus far and our experience. It was great to get to ask a lot of different questions and hear some reflections from the people I've been working with so far. It's all to be expected as a brand new face and person to the school. Slowly, I'll learn how to work my way through the day and adapt to the different styles of the school. Later on Friday night was my first sporting event, a home girls basketball game against Shishmaref. I got to work concessions for the game, which involved cold drinks and candy for a large portion of the village. We sold a total of $418. Basketball is huge in each of these villages, and it's a deep seated part of the culture and social life here. It's second to no other sport of activity. We lost both games that were played Friday and Saturday, but it was still a lively and fun weekend for everyone.
This week, I've had more muskox, and also tried wild salmon and moose as well. The muskox tastes exactly like beef does, possibly a little bit tougher. I guess I was expecting more of a game taste like venison. Most Eskimos tend to not eat it, but will eat beef, and that leaves me confused. Maybe there's a larger contrast that I'm just not seeing. Now, I'm not a seafood person to begin with, and usually stop at Fish and Chips. But the Salmon was good and very tasty without been too overpowering. Later in the week, we had a dinner of Moose back straps, potatoes and onions with minced garlic, with broccoli that was cooked in olive oil and more garlic. It was fantastic. Moose also doesn't taste very gamey, which makes me think that venison might be the odd one out. It had it's own flavor, but also not unlike beef. It was good enough to take some for lunch today!
I miss everyone a ton, so keep in touch! I'm potentially free to skype or facetime depending on the day. Email works too, hardysean1@gmail.com.
If you're sending a package, please let me know the day you ship it, so I can learn how long it takes to get here. It would be bad if packages were arriving here in April when I'm not here!!
Sean
During the week we had another chance to go out 4-wheeling, this time towards the neighboring village of Teller. What was truly exciting was that we drove over a lot of frozen lakes and ponds, on ice. Talk about an experience. We learned earlier that 18 inches of ice can hold a diesel truck, and 4-wheelers and snow machines travel across the ocean bay between the villages all of the time, so fresh water lakes and ponds have even thicker ice. It was a fun ride, but very cold because I forgot my gater and bibs. The entire ride I recalled the conversations I've had with all of my nursing major friends about frostbite and people losing the tips of their noses to the cold, and I was pretty upset with myself. We reached our destination and shut off the 4-wheelers to just sit and take in the beauty of the area. Tundra might be dry and open and desolate, but there's a beauty to it that isn't common anywhere in New York. We ran into trouble when one of the 4-wheelers wouldn't start anymore (the one I was riding), and so we had to tow it with the second one all the way back to the village. Another interesting and wonderful experience.
This past week we also had the school board, superintendent, and many of the district office personnel (including Ted and Jay) come to inspect the school and then hold a meeting in the gym. It was really interesting to see the proceedings of the meeting and even the politics throughout. There were a handful of proposals and comments made by board members and community members alike. The meeting lasted for a good 4-5 hours until 10:00 or so. The weather that night was so bad that they all had to stay at the school because the planes wouldn't land to take them back to Unalakleet, which made for an interesting night and following day. I also got to teach portions of one of the classes that I've been observing for a while, helping them learn their vocabulary words that they'd be using in their readings and quizzed on. I've learned that baby steps are key here, and that you can never take enough time on things. I invented a form of Battleship to play as a review game for the kids, and had very high hopes for it. It flopped, horribly. Even still, it was fun for me and I plan to use it in the future.
After school on Friday, we got together with some of the faculty and got to voice our questions and comments and concerns to our peers, and give/get some feedback on our thoughts thus far and our experience. It was great to get to ask a lot of different questions and hear some reflections from the people I've been working with so far. It's all to be expected as a brand new face and person to the school. Slowly, I'll learn how to work my way through the day and adapt to the different styles of the school. Later on Friday night was my first sporting event, a home girls basketball game against Shishmaref. I got to work concessions for the game, which involved cold drinks and candy for a large portion of the village. We sold a total of $418. Basketball is huge in each of these villages, and it's a deep seated part of the culture and social life here. It's second to no other sport of activity. We lost both games that were played Friday and Saturday, but it was still a lively and fun weekend for everyone.
This week, I've had more muskox, and also tried wild salmon and moose as well. The muskox tastes exactly like beef does, possibly a little bit tougher. I guess I was expecting more of a game taste like venison. Most Eskimos tend to not eat it, but will eat beef, and that leaves me confused. Maybe there's a larger contrast that I'm just not seeing. Now, I'm not a seafood person to begin with, and usually stop at Fish and Chips. But the Salmon was good and very tasty without been too overpowering. Later in the week, we had a dinner of Moose back straps, potatoes and onions with minced garlic, with broccoli that was cooked in olive oil and more garlic. It was fantastic. Moose also doesn't taste very gamey, which makes me think that venison might be the odd one out. It had it's own flavor, but also not unlike beef. It was good enough to take some for lunch today!
I miss everyone a ton, so keep in touch! I'm potentially free to skype or facetime depending on the day. Email works too, hardysean1@gmail.com.
If you're sending a package, please let me know the day you ship it, so I can learn how long it takes to get here. It would be bad if packages were arriving here in April when I'm not here!!
Sean
Monday, February 3, 2014
4-wheeling, Games, and the (not so) Superbowl
My first Friday in Brevig Mission and even with only 2 days of work under my belt, I were happy to see the weekend. It's been a lot to take in over the past couple days, and getting acclimated is taking some time. During school, I joined one period of Dodgeball in the gym. Unlike some of the versions I played, this game starts with 5 balls in the middle, anything below the waist counts even if it hits the floor or wall first, and if you go out, you cross the gym to the other wall. In order to get back in, you have to catch a ball that a team mate throws across to you, and if you get a ball a different way, you can get players on the other team out. Talk about confusing! It made for a fantastic high paced game, which was nice to move around and actually work up a sweat; we played 6 games total, and I was wearing flannel and jeans.
After school we met in the teachers lounge for a surprise: food. We had 3 people stay in the village for a few days, teaching the kids about resume building and job interviewing, and they had to stay longer than expected because of poor flight conditions. They sent back with them a box full of different foods, so we as a staff took turns picking things to take home. I got a bag of grapes, an apple, and 6 bananas. If you know me, you probably know how much I love fruit, and being here in Brevig it's really hard to find fresh fruits; I was ecstatic. You resign yourself to the fact that if it doesn't have a shelf life of more than 7 days (before opening), then it usually isn't obtainable.
After school, Greg stopped by the house and offered to take Andy and I 4-wheeling along with one of the other teachers, Emily. It was an excellent opportunity to get out of the house and get out of town for a short time. One of the benefits to Brevig Mission is the freedom that we enjoy here. In other villages it isn't uncommon to find restrictions for leaving village limits, or going outside, or even using specific roads. Brevig is a lot different in that respect. We gassed up both ATVs and headed for the edge of town, just before dusk. It was a fantastic ride. One thing that really took me back, was the size of Alaskan mountains. The state itself is huge (roughly 2/3 of the entire country), but the mountains are just as big. The terrain is another fascinating part about where I am. Brevig Mission is situated around treeless tundra and mountains. Flat plains with small hills, mountains, small bushes and shrubs, and snow. As we were traveling out of town on a few of the trails, the town kept getting smaller, but the mountains were just as big and still very far away. I couldn't believe how huge they actually were. I saw a lot of great scenery while we were out, because of how flat and open it is, you can see for miles. We headed back before nightfall.
The rest of Friday night was spent at Steve and Angie's house, one of the teachers. They invited us over for dinner, and a board game. Like I've said previously, You can either be an outdoors person up here, or an indoors person. Sometimes it helps to be both. When being outside isn't an option, entertaining yourself is the only way to stay sane, and besides music and movies, games are another great alternative. We all evening and called it quits just short of midnight. Overall, and excellent day.
Saturday was and excellent slow day to relax and not do much of anything. I slept in until 9:00 which felt great, and then spent my afternoon video chatting with loved ones from home (p.s. if you consider yourself a loved one or want to skype/facetime, shoot me an e-mail or message to set something up). After that, I headed to the school for a pick-up game of tennis in the gym. I haven't played in forever, and the gym is too small to be a true to size court, but it felt good to get moving around and be active. Just like Friday, the evening was spent at one of our friends houses for dinner and a board game. Another great part about Saturdays is that I can stay out later, and not feel guilty. Church here doesn't start until 7:30 P.M. on Sunday.
Sunday morning I used the bananas that I had scored Friday to make banana bread muffins, to bring to the small superbowl party we were having. It was fun to bake in the kitchen again, and they turned out well. The party consisted of Andy and Scott, the teacher he is living with, myself, and Brooke and Emily, two other teachers. What a poor game this year was! Before I go on, understand this: I don't follow football regularly. I watched half of the Bills games this year, and kept up a little bit, but not much. Most superbowls are watched because of friends, food, and funny commercials. Every year, I arbitrarily pick one team to root for, for no statistical reason whatsoever. This year, I chose the Broncos. Even if I wasn't rooting for the Broncos, who (besides Seahawks fans and anyone who hates the Broncos) wants to watch a couple hours of one team completely decimating another, with no hope for recovery. The Broncos didn't show up to play, much less win. It wouldn't be an excellent game if it was a closer one. I digress.
Conversations and a movie took place after the game, and I wound up skipping church. Until then, I'll have to check out Pearce's podcasts for this week's sermon (which I planed to do anyways). I'm not opposed to a Lutheran service or anything, but if I don't like it or can't engage myself, then podcasts will be my only 'church' out here. Its not the preferred choice, but it might have to do.
This week brings the first full week of school for me, and a more steady rhythm to get into in terms of work and play. Hopefully our food from Anchorage will arrive soon enough, so that I can plan my meals more regularly. Till then!!
-Sean
After school we met in the teachers lounge for a surprise: food. We had 3 people stay in the village for a few days, teaching the kids about resume building and job interviewing, and they had to stay longer than expected because of poor flight conditions. They sent back with them a box full of different foods, so we as a staff took turns picking things to take home. I got a bag of grapes, an apple, and 6 bananas. If you know me, you probably know how much I love fruit, and being here in Brevig it's really hard to find fresh fruits; I was ecstatic. You resign yourself to the fact that if it doesn't have a shelf life of more than 7 days (before opening), then it usually isn't obtainable.
After school, Greg stopped by the house and offered to take Andy and I 4-wheeling along with one of the other teachers, Emily. It was an excellent opportunity to get out of the house and get out of town for a short time. One of the benefits to Brevig Mission is the freedom that we enjoy here. In other villages it isn't uncommon to find restrictions for leaving village limits, or going outside, or even using specific roads. Brevig is a lot different in that respect. We gassed up both ATVs and headed for the edge of town, just before dusk. It was a fantastic ride. One thing that really took me back, was the size of Alaskan mountains. The state itself is huge (roughly 2/3 of the entire country), but the mountains are just as big. The terrain is another fascinating part about where I am. Brevig Mission is situated around treeless tundra and mountains. Flat plains with small hills, mountains, small bushes and shrubs, and snow. As we were traveling out of town on a few of the trails, the town kept getting smaller, but the mountains were just as big and still very far away. I couldn't believe how huge they actually were. I saw a lot of great scenery while we were out, because of how flat and open it is, you can see for miles. We headed back before nightfall.
The rest of Friday night was spent at Steve and Angie's house, one of the teachers. They invited us over for dinner, and a board game. Like I've said previously, You can either be an outdoors person up here, or an indoors person. Sometimes it helps to be both. When being outside isn't an option, entertaining yourself is the only way to stay sane, and besides music and movies, games are another great alternative. We all evening and called it quits just short of midnight. Overall, and excellent day.
Saturday was and excellent slow day to relax and not do much of anything. I slept in until 9:00 which felt great, and then spent my afternoon video chatting with loved ones from home (p.s. if you consider yourself a loved one or want to skype/facetime, shoot me an e-mail or message to set something up). After that, I headed to the school for a pick-up game of tennis in the gym. I haven't played in forever, and the gym is too small to be a true to size court, but it felt good to get moving around and be active. Just like Friday, the evening was spent at one of our friends houses for dinner and a board game. Another great part about Saturdays is that I can stay out later, and not feel guilty. Church here doesn't start until 7:30 P.M. on Sunday.
Sunday morning I used the bananas that I had scored Friday to make banana bread muffins, to bring to the small superbowl party we were having. It was fun to bake in the kitchen again, and they turned out well. The party consisted of Andy and Scott, the teacher he is living with, myself, and Brooke and Emily, two other teachers. What a poor game this year was! Before I go on, understand this: I don't follow football regularly. I watched half of the Bills games this year, and kept up a little bit, but not much. Most superbowls are watched because of friends, food, and funny commercials. Every year, I arbitrarily pick one team to root for, for no statistical reason whatsoever. This year, I chose the Broncos. Even if I wasn't rooting for the Broncos, who (besides Seahawks fans and anyone who hates the Broncos) wants to watch a couple hours of one team completely decimating another, with no hope for recovery. The Broncos didn't show up to play, much less win. It wouldn't be an excellent game if it was a closer one. I digress.
Conversations and a movie took place after the game, and I wound up skipping church. Until then, I'll have to check out Pearce's podcasts for this week's sermon (which I planed to do anyways). I'm not opposed to a Lutheran service or anything, but if I don't like it or can't engage myself, then podcasts will be my only 'church' out here. Its not the preferred choice, but it might have to do.
This week brings the first full week of school for me, and a more steady rhythm to get into in terms of work and play. Hopefully our food from Anchorage will arrive soon enough, so that I can plan my meals more regularly. Till then!!
-Sean
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