A Saturday

I set my alarm for 8:00, with all the good intentions of getting up and working on my class. But my snooze alarm wins, and I don’t get up until 9. You know how hard it is to get up on a day you don’t have to work? It’s even harder when it’s still dark out. Like, still solid dark out. But at 9:00 I drag myself out of bed, wash my face, make some coffee, eat cereal and read my devotions, then drink the coffee and read a chapter in Lemony Snicket’s latest book, via the library app on my phone. I feed the dog, and then let him outside and back in, and he curls up on the couch and goes back to sleep. I start a load of laundry and then settle down to work on my homework.

9:52 AM

            At 11, I wake up Drew to see if he wants to go on a walk (he says to wait till the afternoon, and goes back to sleep). I want to get some Christmas presents mailed, so I go out to start the snow machine. The post office isn’t very far, but it’s nice to zip down there on a snow mobile instead of trudging through the snow, and in case we have any packages it’s easier than carrying them back. Since it’s only 1 degree out, I go out to warm it up before getting ready. As I pull on my coat and boots, some dogs are playing outside our house and a couple run up the steps to our door.  Churchill is wagging his tail by the door, so I let him out to play. They four of them wrestle near the bottom of our stairs. One tries to come to me but I tell him “Mosh” (like in a mash pit) which is Eskimo Dog speak for “Shoo!”

            Since we acquired a snow machine last February I have learned the delicate art of starting one in cold temperatures. First make sure the kill switch is up, then turn the choke to full. You have to turn the key several times before the engine finally catches (it also has a pull start, which I guess technically is better to use, but it’s nearly impossible for me to pull hard enough to do anything, so I rely on the electric start). Once it roars to life you put the choke to half and let it sit for a minute, or until the engine seems pretty stable, then turn the choke switch off. If you leave the choke on for too long you’ll flood the engine, and have to wait a while before starting it again. If you flip the choke too early, the engine will die. Like I said, it’s a delicate art. Then with the choke off, you have to listen for a minute to make sure the engine is going well (if it starts to die you put it to half choke again to rev it up), and then head back inside. By this time I’m fairly cold, especially my head and legs.

            While the snow machine warms up (you have to let it run a while before driving it, especially when it’s really cold) I get the rest of my gear on and my stuff together. I peek out the window to see the machine died. Drat. This time with hat and snow pants on as well, I head back outside, start it again (it goes much faster this time) and then go back inside. With a few more minutes to kill, I switch the laundry around and start a new load, then head out.

            The presents are small, so I just hold them on the seat in front of me between my knees as I drive down to the post office. On my way in I see one my students, and he hangs out with me for a few minutes while I check my box. He’s getting ready to go “other side” to check nets. The post-mistress isn’t at the desk so I ring the bell and wait. More people come in an out, and a kid and an older man sit down on the bench to wait to claim packages. The kid reaches a finger toward the doorbell, then pulls it away when he sees me looking. I raise my eyebrows at him (the nonverbal “yes”) and he rings it. After a while she walks in from outside and goes around the counter to help us. With my packages successfully mailed I head across the “street” to the store to pick up a few things. They don’t have the thing I actually want, but I grab some hot dog buns since they’re in, a small bag of chips, and a couple of ice teas. They don’t have any bags, so I put the teas in my jacket and hold the buns and chips on my lap as I drive home.

            Churchill is ready to go inside when I arrive home (his friends left) and he dashes inside as I open the door. My glasses fog over almost immediately, and I start peeling my layers off, now hot from walking around inside with so much clothing. I take the dry clothes out of the dryer, fix myself a little lunch, and go back to working on homework. I’m still in my pajamas.

            Around 2, I take a break from my reading. Drew wakes up. One of the neighbor girls knocks on our door, asking if she can go through our house to get to her side (their parents are out of town and they’re staying with someone else). Pastor Jason calls to give me the numbers of the hymns for tomorrow so I can run through them on the piano. I change the laundry, considering as I put the clothes in the dryer, the wisdom of whoever put the notice on the lint container: Change lint before every load.

            Our neighbor girl (the older one this time) knocks on the door and asks for my help with a quilt she’s making. She’s in my sewing class at school. I go over and help her figure out how to pin on the binding.

            Drew and I get bundled up to go for a walk with Churchill. He’s so excited to go out he can’t sit still and keeps yipping and running into the entryway. Drew makes him sit and wait for the okay, and finally he succeeds and is allowed outside. We bundle up and head out for a walk. We go over the bridge and up through town towards the rocks on the southwest edge of town. It’s right around 0 degrees, but I’m plenty warm except for between my mouth and forehead. A little too warm, actually, since we’re walking uphill. Both Drew and I are sadly out of shape. Sigh. Churchill enjoys himself running around and sniffing everything in sight. We climb up to the rocks and take some pictures. It’s a beautiful day: clear and calm, and the colorful houses stand out like Christmas decorations against the white snow and blue sky. When we get home my nose is frozen, but the rest of me is almost sweating.

            I change the laundry again and work some more on my class assignments. Now it’s after 4, and probably time to do some school work. I’ve got a small stack of grading to do, and some lesson plans to finish. We’re coming up on the end of the quarter, and I need to make sure I’m going to have all the necessary grades in. We’re also out of bread, so I should probably get some going in the bread maker. (Also notice I haven’t been folding the laundry, so there is now a GIANT pile of clean clothes on our bed!)

            I decide to make some bread, and while I’m waiting for the yeast to warm up, post pictures from our walk on facebook. The internet is slow, so it takes a while. Now it’s 5:00, and already almost dark outside. I work on some lesson plans and watch some of the special features from “Back to the Future,” which we watched last night. Drew makes some fajitas for supper. We eat. I finish reading my Lemony Snicket book, which has a melancholy ending. The bread is done. I’m almost done with laundry, though not with folding it.

            I’ve reached that point in the weekend when Saturday, my one day of the week where I can do whatever I want or need to, is ending. Tomorrow is Sunday, which has church and youth group and the added pressure of planning and grading needing to be done. And I’m frustrated, and annoyed, and the cheerful, productive mood I had this mornings is gone. It’s not that I don’t like my job; I do. Or at least, most of the time. It’s just that I don’t like doing my job all the time. I don’t like all the hours of work that go into preparing for my job. I want to do other things, or do nothing. Instead I feel like I’m working all the time. And it makes me irritable and impatient and angry. I don’t like feeling irritable and impatient and angry. Maybe I’m doing something wrong, or maybe I’m a bad Christian.

            When I was in school, I spent most of my free time doing homework or reading. And I was fine with that. I guess I’ve gotten over being fine with it.

            So now it’s about nine. I have most of my lesson plans done, but still have to figure out some of the preps for the week, and haven’t even started on grading. I still have homework for my class I should do. My neck is sore, and I have a headache. I want to do something fun, but I don’t know what I want to do. It’s hard to enjoy something when I know I have all this work to do tomorrow, and know that I’ll be unhappy tomorrow because I’ll be busy and tired and dreading Monday. I guess I can control how I think and feel, and should be happy anyways, but somehow that just makes me feel worse. 

            I read another chapter of my book for my class while laying on the floor, doing some Pilates stretches to try to make my neck and back feel better. It works, though I’m sure if anyone was watching I would look pretty ridiculous.

            Drew helps me fold and put away all the laundry. I tell him how I’m feeling, and he reminds me that I’m human, and I don’t have to get everything done or have it all together. I feel a little better. I put our comforter (the last of the laundry, yay!) in the dryer for a second round and make a chai tea. It’s just after 10:00. Drew and I play Ticket to Ride (an awesome train board game), and around 10:50 a couple of my students stop by and want to visit. Drew sends them away, as it’s almost 11 o’clock at night, and we keep playing. I win! I take our comforter out of the dryer and officially finish the laundry for the day. I’m feeling much better.

            I get ready for bed and say good night to Drew (who’s washing some dishes) and Churchill (who’s sleeping sprawled out on the couch). It’s 11:32 now, and I plan to read for a bit one of the books I got at the book fair and then go to sleep.

            Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end of this VEERRRY long post. I almost took out the bit about my little pity party, but in the end decided to leave it in there. It’s honest, if maybe a little irrational, and human. And maybe someone else feels the same way too. Or maybe not, and you can just see how crazy I am. :)

            Thanks for reading. I promise the next post will not be this long!

A view of Scammon Bay from up near the rocks.

Thanksgiving

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Last year at this time, Drew and I were both laid flat by food poisoning (probably from some raw cookie dough—alas, betrayed!), and were barely well enough by Thursday to eat a small portion of Thanksgiving Dinner. Still, it was a good weekend, and we were thankful for friends who helped us while we were sick and invited us to join them for dinner.

This year we avoided the food poisoning (yay!) and had a weekend full of activities. On Wednesday the whole village was invited up to school to eat a Thanksgiving meal, and our fabulous cooks prepared the works: turkey, potatoes, corn, cranberries, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and aqutak (Eskimo ice cream). Then that evening the school hosted Turkey Bingo (huge, HUGE Bingo game with prizes!). We went up for a little bit, played a few games, and then ducked out. It was fun!

Thursday I got up to watch the parade and finished making the desserts I was bringing to Thanksgiving dinner: pumpkin cheesecake, pecan pie, and blackberry aqutak. 

I got to skype with my family and some extended family in Nebraska. It was really good to talk with them, but a little sad too. Not gonna lie, it's hard being far away from people on holidays. 

Drew roasted a whole swan, which actually turned out pretty yummy. He brined it the night before, then stuffed it and roasted it for a few hours. We took our goodies up to our friends Allie & Mary's house and ate with them, Allie's family, and a couple other teachers. (There was turkey, too, as well as the usual side dishes.)

Friday and Saturday we helped out at the friends & family volleyball tournament as a fundraiser for Bible Camp. The school let us use the gym and we had 10 teams sign up. It was a long couple days, but people had a lot of fun. Saturday night there was a Singspiration at church with some people from other villages.

All in all, it's a been a good, if busy, weekend. Only 3 weeks until Christmas break!

Iqvaq (Berry Picking)

Over the past few months I’ve been able to go berry picking several times, each time for different berries. In late July one of my co-workers, Joann, who is from here, took me out to the Issurituli (stream) just outside of town past the school, and we picked some salmonberries. It was a beautiful sunny day, and it felt great to be outside in the fresh air. The tundra reminds me a little of Kansas, with the wide open spaces and big sky. Of course, we’re also on the edge of a mountain, and the ground is soft and squishy, but still, the resemblance is there.

The Issurituli

Salmonberries (aka Cloudberries)

Salmonberries and blueberries--pretty and delicious!

I went back with Joann again in August, and we picked blackberries (Alaska blackberries, aka crowberries, not to be confused with Downstates blackberries, which are totally different). One Friday evening I filled my whole bucket in just a couple hours! I am not a very fast picker, but I think I am getting better. Some people here can fill their buckets super fast.

Lowbush blueberries

Berry picking can be hard work. All the berries are “low bush,” which means they’re along the ground, so you have to walk, stoop, pick, walk, stoop, pick, and so on. The tundra is soft and uneven, so it can be tough to walk on. My legs definitely get a work out. It’s also really fun, though, and kind of satisfying. If you find a patch with lots of berries you can sit down for a minute to pick all around you. And it’s fun to go out with other people and talk while you pick.

Blackberries (aka crow
berries)

Maybe it’s because I come from farm country, but I am constantly amazed at the bounty of berries on the tundra. No one plants them, or tends them, but every year they pop up, with plenty to feed anyone who can get them. God’s earth is wonderful.

I’ve gone a few times up the hill behind my house to pick blackberries, which are everywhere. Sometimes I go with Michelle or Allie, or some kids who are hanging around, and sometimes I just go up by myself to get outside. You start walking up, and when you see berries you start to pick, slowly working your way up the hill. When you finally decide to go down, it’s always surprising how far up you got. And of course, you seem to find all the big berries as you’re walking down…

So what do people do with the berries? Mostly I think they’re used in aqutak (Eskimo Ice Cream), which is made with crisco, sugar, and sometimes mashed potatoes or white fish. A lot of people also make jam or jelly with the juice, or bake them into breads. People will pick gallons and gallons of berries (like 10-15 gallons!) to store in their freezers so they can use them all year long. Another snack that has become my favorite this year is eating fresh blackberries with milk and a little sugar (they’re not very sweet on their own). Yum!

Mashed potato aqutak

Blackberries with milk and sugar

Friday I went out with Joann again and a couple other teachers back to the Issurituli to pick tundra tea and lowbush cranberries. Again, these are different from downstates cranberries. Some people here also call them redberries, and I found out that they are actually the same as Swedish lingonberries! They're not very sweet, and the texture actually reminds me of apples. I picked about a quart, and I’m hoping that will be enough to make at least a little sauce to eat at Christmas.

Joann, Alexis, Me, Mary

Cranberries

All my cranberries

We’ve had a few flurries of snow and colder temperatures, and soon berry picking season will be over. It’s a little sad, because I really like going. I think people are manuking (fishing with a stick and hook) now though, so maybe I’ll get to try that. There’s always something to do out here!

Bible Camp

It is finally summer, and Drew and I just got back from a few weeks at Covenant Bible Camp in Unalakleet, AK. It was a great time being out in the woods, connecting with God, and meeting lots of awesome people.

Drew went out for leadership week on June 1st, and I went out a week later for the high school and middle school weeks. The camp is located about a half hour drive (a slow drive) outside of Unalakleet, which is on the Norton Sound. At the camp there's no cell service, no Internet, and electricity only certain times of the day, when the generator is on. No flush toilets, and showers are limited to staff on the weekends. Fortunately, this time of year it never gets dark, so electricity isn't really needed, and it was nice to disconnect from the outside world for a while. The camp is in the woods and on the edge of a river, surrounded by wooded mountains. It's a truly beautiful place. (Unfortunately, the mosquitoes love it as much as we do--I've never seen so many in my life!)





My first week there I worked in the kitchen, which was a good way to acclimate myself to the camp and get to know how things worked before jumping in as a counselor. It was a lot of work, cooking food for about 125 people every day, but we had good people and I had a lot of fun. Drew was the activities/recreation director, a.k.a., The King of Fun.

Me and some of the kitchen staff.

Drew getting ready for the Musk Ox Run (creative walker category).

My second week I was a counselor for a cabin of 9 middle school girls from all over Western Alaska. I had an awesome junior counselor who just graduated from high school and has been coming to camp for years, and I was so blessed to have someone who knew the camp and was great with the campers. The week was scattered with challenges, from late luggage to homesickness, but I enjoyed getting to know my campers and having fun with them. God provides, as he always does. Every time I felt like I just didn't have any more energy or couldn't give anything else, He filled me back up in one way or another. He is faithful.

Drew and me at Lookout Point near camp.

I am glad to be home again, and grateful for a nice long shower after a week without, but it was a good two weeks, and I'm looking forward to going next year.

Please be in prayer for the camp over the next week or so as they have their last two groups of campers. Pray for the staff to be energized and filled with God's love and wisdom, and pray for homesick campers (of whom there are a lot during these weeks), and that God will continue to work in the lives of all those involved, bringing healing and restoration.












For more pictures, click on this link.

Basketball

All right, so my goal of writing 10 blogs in 10 days didn't quite work out, but that's okay. I missed the last two days because our school has been hosting a basketball tournament called Kickoff Klassic.

We had boys and girls from 6 different schools arrive on Wednesday and games have been playing since noon that day. There were two games this afternoon, and the championship games are this evening.

Basketball is HUGE around here (and that's an understatement). Every day after lunch the students have free gym time where you can find nearly every student involved in some sort of pick-up game. The gym fills up quickly when Scammon Bay is playing, and things can get intense.

So how does hosting a tournament go in a small village? Well first of all, the other teams have to come from different towns (this is true not just of tournaments, but in regular season games as well), and since there aren't any hotels in Scammon Bay, all the teams and their coaches and chaperones sleep in the school. So right after school I have to clear out so the team that's staying in my room has a place to go.

The whole staff gets involved: some are helping with hospitality, others with keeping stats or making name tags or welcome signs, and almost everyone has to work at least twice during the games, taking entry fees or working crowd control (a.k.a., making sure little kids aren't running around). The city adult basketball teams got involved too, helping with stats and crowd control in the gym. Student council runs the student store, selling food and drinks and Scammon gear. And of course, we all love cheering on our students.

During the school day it's hard to get the kids to focus on work when they know there is basketball to watch, so we did some basketball-themed readings and activities, and used going to the game later as an incentive. Of course, we definitely went down to cheer when our own teams were playing. The games lasted until school ended, and then there was a two-hour-or-so break until the evening games started. The past couple days I was home for maybe an hour or two and then was back up at school until 10 or later. (You can see why blogging didn't take top priority.)

Both our girls and boys varsity teams are in the championship games tonight, so we'll head up there pretty soon to cheer them on. Hopefully they will be good games--most of the games these teams have played have been won by between ten and thirty points. Good for us, but not terribly exciting to watch. I think there's a dance tonight too, and then the teams will head home tomorrow (weather permitting).

And then life should settle down, a little. Or at least until the next basketball game.

 The varsity boys tip off against Bethel Thursday night.

Scammon Bay girls varsity playing Hooper Bay on Friday.

 

 The crowd in the commons during half time.

Daylight

Another question I get asked a lot is about the amount of sun (and lack thereof). Right now the days are pretty short. And this summer, especially those first few weeks of August, the days were super long. Needless to say, my internal clock is pretty much useless.

When I first arrived in August, it was really hard to go to bed at night, because it was still so bright out. In fact, I didn't actually see the town in darkness for close to a week, when I got up in the middle of the night and found that it actually did get dark!

 10:15 pm on Aug. 7

Then for a while the days were pretty "normal" length, or normal for winter down-states. But for a couple months now I've walked to school in the dark and walked home in dusk.

The weather app on my phone shows sunrise and sunset. On the solstice, they just barely fit on the same screen! (11:24 and 4:36)

When school is going, I have to get up early anyway, so it's not too strange to wake up in the dark. But over the break, when I didn't have to get up for anything, it was really hard not to just sleep all morning. Even if my clock said 10, or even 11 or 12, it was dark enough that my brain thought, "Nah, it's still early. Go back to sleep!"

11:30 am on Jan. 1

The picture above is about what it looks like most days here (it maybe gets a little brighter). We don't live far enough north for complete darkness, but because of how the town is situated on the side of the mountain, we haven't had direct sunlight in well over a month. There's daylight, but we can't actually see the sun, even if it's a clear day.

Still there is such beauty here, sunlight or no. I love looking out across the tundra: it's like a watercolor of rosy pink, blue, and white, stretching out forever. I have a great view from my classroom, actually, and some days it's hard not join my students in just staring out the window!

The good thing is, we add several minutes of daylight each day now, so by the end of the month we may actually see the sun. Woohoo!

Our Goose is Cooked!

....but first, it's shot, plucked, and gutted.

One of the benefits of living in rural Alaska is the food all around. And fall means bird hunting season. Drew got to go out a few times with some local men who took him goose hunting, and he came back with several! Some were a gift, some he shot. His first one he shot we took to an elder, as is the custom.

As excited as I was to try goose, imagine my surprise and disgust when I was sitting at home one evening, doing some school work or watching tv or something, and Drew comes home and says, "Here, take these."
He then hands me several dead geese, which he expects me to carry to the kitchen by their dead, muddy necks.
(Some shivering and face making ensued, but I did carry them.)

Then came the adventure in cleaning them. We talked to several people to get some advice, and after trying a few different methods our favorite was skinning. Most people don't like it because it takes all the fat (and thus, some of the flavor) off too, but it's by far easier than plucking (in my very inexperienced opinion, of course).  Then the fun part begins: when you have to make their entrails...their extrails. I'll skip the gory details, but after the first time it wasn't so bad. I even did a couple birds all by myself when Drew was out of town, thank you very much! Just turn on some tv, spread out the cardboard, and I'm good to go.

As it turns out, goose is quite delicious!

As an added bonus, I consider this excellent revenge on those annoying Canadian Geese that spent time at North Park.

Wind, Snow, and Ice

A lot of people have asked about the weather here: Is it cold? How much snow do you have? Is it windy?

Yes, Some, and Yes.

I joke. (More village vernacular for you!)

It started snowing in October, and we've had snow off-and-on since then. We had a warm spell in November, I think, about when it started to get really cold down-States. But "cold" has taken on a whole new meaning, in more ways than one.

First off, people here really, really like the cold and snow, mainly because it's easier to travel. Ironic, right? But when you're surrounded by rivers, lakes, and marshy tundra, it's much easier to travel when they're all frozen over. Snow machines, or "snow-go"s, are the preferred method of travel, and people got super excited when there was finally snow enough to use them. Kids love sliding on the icy streets and hills, riding in sleds pulled by snow machine or four wheeler, and in general just playing out in the snow. When we had a little warm spell (it got up into the 30s) the snow melted just enough to make everything covered in slippery, wet, ice. Not fun.

Secondly, even though it's cold and has been cold longer, I feel like I'm less cold here than I usually am in Kansas during the winter. In Kansas, when I went somewhere, I would generally wear jeans, shoes or boots, and a coat. I would sit in the car and freeze until it warmed up, then get out again and go into a building that may or may not be warm. Here, if I'm going up to school or am going to be out for a while, I might put on my snow pants, heavy coat, hat, mittens, boots, and since I'm walking I'm usually sweating by the time I get to school. And if I get a ride with someone, it's cold (the wind is awful when you're riding a four-wheeler), but I'm there in just a couple minutes. Plus, our house and the school, at least, are usually plenty warm.

And finally, you really do just get used to it. When it warmed up to the mid-30s I was amazed by how warm it actually felt!

The wind is a different story. It's not always windy, but it can get super windy. Back in October I walked to school one morning and it was so windy the snow was blowing horizontally and I almost got knocked over several times (it doesn't help when you're trying to walk in slippery snow). The school is up the hill a ways, so part of the way is blocked by the mountain, but when I got into the open I had to stop and catch my breath before plowing my way across the yard. The whole time I kept thinking, "This is insane. I can't believe I'm really walking to school in this. This is really happening." And they tell me that wasn't even a big storm! The last couple days we had really strong winds that blew snow drifts around the front of our house. It's hard to tell how much snow we actually have because the wind blows it around. The planes couldn't get in while it was blowing so hard, but it's finally calmed down today so a couple planes just landed.

Tomorrow school starts up again, and I'm back to walking in the snow in the early morning. We bought a snow machine though, and it should be on its way soon, so I have that to look forward to. Soon Drew and I might get to see what all the fuss is about!

Winston Churchill

For the longest time now, Drew has wanted a dog. I've been hesitant, first of all because we lived in small apartments, and second of all because pets are a lot of work. When we moved to Alaska, Drew was even more insistent about getting a dog, and after a while I couldn't really come up with a good excuse.
There are dogs everywhere in the village; a lot of families own one or two, and then there are a lot of stray dogs that just wander around. (No vet in town=not much population control, if you know what I mean.) In September I found out another teacher's dog had had 9 puppies and she was trying to get rid of them, so Drew and I went over and picked one out.

Drew and 4-week-old Churchill

He was super tiny then, but very noisy. We had to wait a few more weeks until he was weaned, and we got him about a week before Halloween. His name is Winston Churchill--we call him Churchill or Church.

Church and his moose toy.

Now he weighs over 30 pounds and he'll get a little bigger still. He's a true "village mutt". We're working on training him, but he's mischief, as they say here. He likes to try to steal things off the table or Drew's desk, and he still hasn't quite figured out how to only use the bathroom outside. But he loves to play and cuddle and he's not quite as bitey as he was when he was little. He's part of our little family now and we love him.

Curled up on the couch for a nap.

Holidays in Scammon Bay

There are a lot of events, stories, and people I could write about, but since we're still on Christmas break, I thought I'd share what Drew and I have done over the past couple weeks. If this is too long to read, here's a summary: Christmas in Hawaii school program, church services, spending time with neighbors, video calling family, and a quick trip to Anchorage.

On Tuesday evening of the last week of school we had our school Christmas program. The theme was "Christmas in Hawaii" and students made palm trees and other decorations to make the gym look fun and festive. Each elementary grade performed a song/dance/skit, and I had a group of 8th graders do a little reading skit, and then the high school guitar and choir classes performed a couple songs. To top of the night, Santa (who looks a lot like Drew for no apparent reason) showed up! The little kids were super excited, and Santa was a good sport as he had over 100 kids come and sit on his lap for a picture.

On Christmas Eve afternoon we skyped--sorry Google hang-out-ed--with Drew's family in Washington and California and opened our gifts. It was really fun to talk with them, and especially to see our little niece and nephew.

In the evening we had Christmas Eve service at church, which was filled to the brim! I played the viola and we had several guitarists as well. Drew had been taking the youth through Advent the previous four weeks, lighting candles and talking about the message each represents, so during the service he got up several times to read just a little bit about each candle as one of our youth came up to light it. They haven't really done Advent candles here, or at least in a long time, but it went over really well. A lot of families or groups of people sang special songs, and Pastor Jason preached. It was different from many Christmas Eve services I've been to, but just as warm and joyful.

After service Drew and I continued our tradition of Christmas Eve Chinese food with frozen egg rolls we bought at the store (no Chinese restaurants in Scammon Bay!) and some home made steamed rolls. Our neighbors invited us over to hang out with them and their family, so we spent some time over there eating treats and tracking Santa online with their little grandkids. It was really wonderful to be with a family on Christmas Eve, even if it wasn't our families.

Christmas morning we skyped with my family to open presents and talked with them. The wonders of modern technology, where you can see people's reactions to your gifts hundreds of miles away!

Some other neighbors invited us over for Christmas dinner so we went over there about 5. We brought some of our own culture: Swedish meatballs, rice pudding, and peppakaker. They really enjoyed it all.

The day after Christmas we flew out to Anchorage to do some shopping and take a mini vacation. We got stuck in Bethel overnight, but fortunately the associate pastor of the Covenant church there let us stay with him and his family. We eventually made it to Anchorage and a had a great time relaxing, seeing movies, and stocking up for the next few months.

We got back to Scammon on New Year's Eve, and it was good to be home. We had a late church service and at midnight the town shot off fireworks down at the airport, and everyone went outside to shoot their guns in the air.

Now these last few days of break are just working on projects around here and getting ready for school on Monday! It's been a well-needed break, and a nice relaxing one too. Here's to the next semester!

A Snowy Sunday Morning

There's nothing like being curled up on the couch on a snowy Sunday morning with a good cup of coffee (Yes, I said snowy. It's not currently snowing, but there's a light dusting on the ground from yesterday). One nice thing about our church here is that it doesn't start until 11, and it takes about 3 minutes to walk there. And we could leave at 11 and still be on time! It's really good to get to sleep in two days a week.

Teaching here is good and exhausting. Since it's my first year there's the normal figuring out of the curriculum, grading, how to teach certain topics, getting to know the school, and keeping the kids engaged in what we're learning, in addition to the challenges of teaching in the Bush. Fortunately, I have an awesome staff to work with, and everyone is helpful and supportive. Not going to lie-- there have been days that have ended in tears, but God is good, and I've been able to go back the next day. Most of the time I really enjoy my students and what I'm teaching. Each day is different, and best of all--No more boring Spanish videos!!

Outside of school we've been getting to know people through church and just walking around town. Drew has gone hunting and brought back several geese (which we've then had to clean and cut up, but more on that in another post). I've been playing the viola in church, which is fun, and going to craft night up at the school. A couple weeks ago I went and sang with a group that gets together and sings every week or so, and we sang some hymns and gospel songs, and (I listened mostly) some Y'upik (the native language) songs.

It's a beautiful country up here. We're about a mile from the Bering Sea, right between a river and a small mountain. Out our front window, past the town, is just miles and miles of marsh and tundra, thousands of tiny lakes and bogs. There aren't really any trees around here, but there are some bushes and tall grasses that have changed color with the Fall. The days get shorter very quickly. Already the sun doesn't come up till 9:30 am and sets around 8:00 pm. It's been in the low 30s this week (those are the highs) and windy. The wind is almost strong enough to knock you over if you're not careful!

There's a lot to tell about, but I should close this for now. I hope to start writing more often, so check back soon! Thank you all for your prayers and support. We appreciate them more than you know!

First Quarter

 A picture of my classroom.

Well, I have completed my first quarter as a Spanish teacher (for those of you not in Olathe, a quarter is about 9 weeks; half of a semester). It hasn't always been easy, but it has been mostly fun. Every day we start by going over the calendar, and I ask the students for the date and the day of the week.  Then we watch a video (usually about 15 minutes, though sometimes I skip parts), and afterwards play a game or do a worksheet.
The kids have been pretty good, though sometimes I have to take away a star or two (their reward system to earn a "fun day"). I'm slowly starting to learn all 500 or so names. I can usually remember at least several per class, and today I saw a few kids at the Book Fair and actually knew their names!

(Side note: the Book Fair is this week, and I am soooooo excited. I love the Book Fair!)

Some days are rough though. I've got several classes that are challenging, sometimes just to get kids to stay in their chairs. I have several kids per day (sometimes per class) asking to go to the nurse, to the bathroom, to get a drink, to get a band-aid....honestly it wears you down, especially when 83% of the time they're really just bored.

In the realm outside of school, life is going pretty well. Drew and I have been married for almost 4 months now. Crazy. He's enjoying youth, and I'm helping him out for game nights and on the second Sunday of each month. My friend Bekah just sent me the next Percy Jackson book, which I've already finished. :)

It's a short week this week, due to Parent/Teacher conferences, so Drew and I are planning to do something fun on one of my days off. Oh yeah, and I have to be there for a couple hours of P/T conferences... wish me luck!

First Days

 
As I was looking over my blog, which I haven't changed in a while, I noticed how fitting the verse at the top was yet again. I started a blog when I studied abroad in Costa Rica, as a way of updating friends and family of my adventures. And now I'm teaching Spanish, a very new venture, which deems it quite appropriate to have the words "Be strong and courageous" in Spanish and English posted at the top. It's always a little intimidating to start a new job, and teaching is no different. Your first class comes in, they find a seat, you shut the door, take a deep breath... and turn around to see 19 faces, waiting for you to start. Watching to see what you'll do and how you'll do it. I'll freely admit, my heart was pounding more than just a little those first several times, and every time a new class comes in I'm always just a little nervous to see how they'll respond.

Thankfully I start my day with the oldest group: the 5th graders, the grade closest to my certification. I think I'll like them (I think I'll like all my grades, but of course for different reasons). The 5th graders already know a lot of Spanish, they know how to behave in a classroom (mostly), and they laugh at my jokes (sometimes).

Kindergarten will probably be the hardest class, at least at first, because they're still learning how to be in a classroom (a couple of them like to run up to the board and play with things, or spin in circles while we're trying to do an activity). Two of the K classes are small, and one has several paras, which is kind of nice, but the other two classes have 23 or so. That is a lot of very small children to look after all at once. I have a re-found respect for kindergarten teachers.

The first couple days have passed by mostly in a blur. I've introduced myself 16 times now, and have ten more to go this coming week.  I've given 16 "tours" of my classroom, and have heard 333 names. I have taught 3 lessons, and have three more tomorrow.  The nice thing is, the day goes by pretty fast, since it's in half-hour increments, though by the end of the day I'm exhausted. I'm sure, however, that once the introductions and set-ups are over, everything will run much more smoothly and will (hopefully!) be less tiring.

I am mostly having fun, and everyone at the school has been very nice and helpful. Tomorrow starts a full week, so perhaps I'll update on that sometime next weekend.
Until then, ¡Dios te compaña!

Drumroll please...

Tomorrow I have my first official day at my new job.

I will be teaching Spanish at an elementary school. What's my degree in, you may ask? English and Secondary Education. Confused? It's okay.

I never thought I'd end up teaching at an elementary school, let alone teaching Spanish at an elementary school. I heard about the job through one of my former Spanish teachers, and after applying and a couple interviews, the job was mine! It really has been a blessing: since I'm still waiting on stuff to apply for my Kansas teaching license, I wouldn't be able to start subbing right away, and since this job is full time, it includes benefits (which we may or may not need).

Even though it may not be my dream job, I really am excited to start. This is my first ever full-time job. It's only 10-15 minutes away from our apartment. And it's teaching Spanish, a language I love almost as much as English. Tonight was the "sneak-a-peek" for kids and their families, where they get to come in and meet their teachers. Nobody really came to my room, which was fine, but I got to hear some of the things kids were saying in the hallway, and some of it was hilarious. And they are so tiny! I remember my first day of mini-teaching 6th grade: I walked into the classroom and my first thought was, "They are so little." Now I'm teaching kindergarteners, some of whom barely seem big enough to be out of diapers. This will definitely be a change from working with Sophomores and Seniors for ten weeks in Chicago.

But as another teacher pointed out to me, kids are kids. I'm sure that once I figure out where everything is and what is supposed to happen each day, it will be fun. I've met most of the people in the building (though don't ask me to remember their names yet!) and everyone has been really nice.

Tomorrow is a "prep" day since it's just a half day for students. And then Thursday the real test begins. A Day.

Here we go.

Try, try again.

Okay, so I may be one of the worst bloggers ever... a lot has happened in the past few months. :) Let me fill you in:
1. I completed my student teaching experience. It was really hard and overwhelming sometimes, but I like the students I was working with (in general) and my cooperating teacher was great. I learned a lot, and I'm very grateful for the chance to teach there.

2. I graduated from North Park University. A bittersweet day to be sure, but very exciting too. My official degree is a Bachelor of Arts in English: Creative Writing, and a Secondary Education Certificate. Woohoo!

3. I moved back home (for a short time) and started working at the church I grew up with as the part-time, temporary admin for the Blue Valley site. That has been an amazing blessing. My then-fiancé got the job as the youth pastor for the Blue Valley site, and then the site pastor called me and asked if I was interested in being their admin for the summer. My job is to help with the transition from the previous admin to a different full-time admin, and to be kind of a go-for (running bulletins and offering, picking up this or that, filling out this form, ordering that book, etc.) It's actually a lot of fun. :)

4. Oh, and I got married! ;) Almost two weeks ago, Drew and I got married at Lakewood Middle School. Why in a middle school you ask? Well, because it's the place that our church (Hillcrest Blue Valley, the aforementioned site) has been meeting for the past several years. It's the church where Drew is now the youth pastor, and where we will be attending for as long as God calls us here. So we though, what they hey? Let's do it! It turned out way better than even I had thought: we had an amazing group of people to help us set up, and over 200 people came to help us celebrate on the 16th. We had a blast! Then Drew and I left for a week up in Maine, where we saw some moose, went camping and hiking in Acadia National Park, rode on a sailboat, saw a lumberjack show, walked around downtown Portland, played on the beach, and basically had a fantastic time.

5. Now we're settling into our new apartment, getting back into the swing of things. We love our apartment and it was a blessing to find, but it lacks storage space, so we're having to get very creative with finding places to put all our stuff. We're back working at church, and VBS at Blue Valley starts in a little over a week. I'm still looking for a job for the fall, though I do have a substitute position if nothing else comes through.

Now that school is over and the wedding is over and I have a little more free time (for now, ha!) I'm going to try to start writing this blog again. I know this is the 3rd or 4th time I've tried to pick it up since leaving Costa Rica, but I really like blogging, and I need to keep writing.

Well, that's all for now. Be back soon!

On Tuesday I start student teaching. I'm excited and a little nervous, which I suppose is expected. I finished mini-teaching (which is a mini version of student teaching) a week ago, and it was a good experience in which I learned a lot. Part of me feels ready to teach, to actually try out what I've been learning for the past three years. Part of me feels completely unprepared and terrified to go interact with high schoolers all day. To be called by my last name and call teachers by their first names. To come up with lesson plans and grade things and assign homework and talk basically all day. And then come home for a couple hours before going to class again. Lord help!

But I am excited, really. A lot of exciting things are happening. I'm getting married in four months minus 3 days(!). My husband-to-be has a job already lined up, in my hometown area. Wedding plans are coming along (that's a difficult question to answer, by the way. When people ask how are wedding plans coming, I usually answer "They're coming," because it's a difficult thing to really pin down...). I LOVE my creative writing senior seminar class; it's a great group of people and I'm getting to write fiction again. I have a great roommate and friends to play games and watch movies with (yes we are very cool).

And in two days I get to practice being a real teacher! Here we go!

Applying for Jobs

I really hate calling places I've applied to. I'm not much of a phone person at all, really, and unless I know someone well I don't like to call them. So I especially dislike calling places where I turned in a job application. It's kind of stupid, I know. They don't know me, I don't know them... the worst they can do is say "No we're not hiring any more"...businesses really want you to call them... it shows initiative... Still, whenever I call places to ask about my application, I usually get the sense that they're really annoyed with me for calling, and that I should know that they are still in the process of going through applications, or that they just hired a bunch of people and aren't accepting any more applications.

But this is what you're supposed to do, (for the aforementioned reasons) so I sit there and stare at the number, and stare at my phone, and stare at the number a bit more, then unlock my phone because it went to sleep, dial in the number, stare at it a little, wonder if it's absolutely necessary for me to call, look back at the number, try to think of anything else I need to do at the moment, check the phone again, and press send before I can change my mind. Then I pace back and forth while it rings, my heart pounding, afraid of that little voice on the other end of the line (I think I may have a problem).

And I did it! I finally called them. One job was a bust (they just hired a bunch of people), and the other one I have to call tomorrow afternoon when the manager is in. But at least I have my foot in the door. Then there's this Italian place I applied to. They actually called me (which, in my opinion, is how it should be) and I went in for an "interview," but I don't know if that will work out. They haven't even opened yet, and I can only work through mid-August, so the odds of them hiring me for a month and a half are pretty slim. But we'll see.

So that's a slice of my summer so far. I do actually already have a part-time job: I'm a nanny for a family from church. They have two kids, a boy and a girl, and I'm there two days a week from 8:45 to about 3:30. I really like it so far, and I may write more about that in the future. So I'm definitely thankful for that job (and I'd be kind of okay with not getting another job for the summer since I'm staying plenty busy with other stuff).

In other pieces of my summer, I'm busy getting ready for VBS next week, hanging out with Drew, working on various projects that I don't have time for during the school year, and coordinating car usage of our two vehicles between four drivers. But now I need to get going with my chores... so long for now!

Update

I have not been very good about updating this blog. There were several times I thought of posting, but then I had something else to do, so it never happened. So an overview of highlights:

~Drew and I drove down to my house for Spring Break. We had a lot of fun hanging out with my family and such. Drew taught Katelyn and me how to drive stick out at the farm--that was fun. :)

~For Easter Drew and I flew out to Washington to see his family. We went up in the Space Needle and went to a Mariner's game on Friday, then Saturday I met a bunch of people in his mom's family. Sunday was church, then dinner with the Lindbergs and another family from their church.

~Teacher aiding has been going really well. Sometimes it's boring, especially if I'm just sitting there and the class isn't doing much, but most of the time it's really fun. I'm trying to get all my required hours in by the end of the semester, so I'm running over to the school every spare hour.

~The rest of my classes have been good as well. I have a lot of papers to write and a few tests to study for, and I'm getting to the point where I'm just ready to be done.

~We're starting to pack stuff up in the Fort (our apartment), which is kind of sad. Soon it will get emptier and emptier as we sort through who owns what and cart things off to storage or home. I'm kind of wondering what we're going to sit on once all our furniture is gone and what we're going to eat off when all our dishes are packed away... we might have to get a little creative. :)

I've probably forgotten stuff to tell about, but that's all for now. I may post between now and the end of the semester, but probably only if I'm really trying to avoid writing a paper.

Until then!

A Poem I Wrote About Costa Rica

Pura Vida

By Holly Melgren

July

I live in a valley surrounded by mountains

but I can't often see them

because of the clouds.

These same clouds hide my wide-open

skies

and bring more rain than I knew existed.

I live in a city full of smoky loud cars,

and odd signs from two different worlds.

I stay in a nice house with

strangers I can't always understand

and who I hope I'm not offending.

I eat strange, delicious food,

and spend lots of time in my dictionary.

I wonder what God was thinking

in bringing me here--

or was it my idea?

November

I live in a valley surrounded by mountains

and I've seen them light up

like a hill full of stars.

I've seen them wear

clouds like a scarf

and stand tall and proud

on a clear blue morning.

I've been soaked by rain

and more so by sun.

I can give directions using

only landmarks, and have

a love-hate relationship

with rice and beans.

I've learned that you don't have to understand

everything that is said

to know you are loved.

And that you don't have to know

what God is up to

to know that He's still there.

Teacher Aiding

Here's some exciting news: I have officially started Teacher Aiding!

For those of you who don't know what that means, allow me to explain. As part of the education program here at North Park we have three "clinical" experiences. The first is called Teacher Aiding, where basically we go and observe. Sometimes the teacher has us work with small groups or one-on-one with students, and they may even let us teach something, but the goal is to just get in the classroom and start to get familiar with how it works. This is what I'm doing now.

The second part is called Mini Teaching, and that's where you teach for one hour every day for about 7 weeks or so; you're in charge of the lesson plan, teaching, grading, everything for that one class. Then the third part is Student Teaching, when you teach all day, every school day, for 10 weeks. My plan is to do Mini Teaching and Student Teaching next Spring.

So anyways, I'm now Teacher Aiding several days a week. I've only been twice so far, but I've really liked it. My cooperating teacher (the high school teacher I'm working with) is great; she seems like a good teacher and I think the students really like her. I've sat in on a regular Sophomore English class and two AP lit classes that are a mix of juniors and seniors. It's really weird to be back in high school again; it's even weirder to be known as Miss Melgren. So far I haven't done anything but observe, but she wants me to help with small group work when they get to that, and I'll be helping some of the sophomores write papers when they finish the book they're reading (Catcher in the Rye).

Well that's about all for now. Happy March!