Memories

I am offically in Anchorage and will be headed home on Saturday arriving on Sunday. I decided to add some pictures of my last week in Quinhagak since it truly was so memorable.

Steam anyone??

My brand new blanket from Marsha!

Staff 2o10-2011

Al and I on the last day of school!

The beautiful sky

Steph at the bbq

The sea now that it's unfrozen

principal Eric

Cookout!!

The Way I See It

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose.

You're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. ---Dr. Seuss

I am overwhelemd with feelings as today is my last and final day in Quinhagak, Alaska. In the beginning I knew this day would come, didn't think so soon, and I knew this day would be a tough one for me. It's so funny to look bad at the past year and see what myself, my friends, my students, the community, and this village has accomplished in only a year. I remember flying into Bethel on August 1st, 2010 a mess and afraid for the journey that was about to come---I then spent the next week doing the same. I am here to tell you that the way I see it with determination and a positive attitude, you can accomplish anything. I am not only leaving a year older, but with a new perspective on culuture and trying new experiences. I am leaving with a new family.

Our last day started off with an assembly for perfect attendance and awards. I played a few games with my students before hand and it was good closure. After the assembly, we all watched a movie and hung out which was nice. For lunch the entire school headed down to the beach for a final bbq. It was awesome--we had hotdogs, hamburgers, and smores. The tide was up so we got to run into the Sea and the kids had a great time. This was a great way to end the year.

The last week in Quinhagak could not have been any better. I stayed up late every night visiting with friends. I even took two steams during the week! That is half of the amount of steams I took for the year! Karen even let me drive her four wheeler around town. Getting on the plane and realizing I will not be coming back to the place I called home for the last year was tough. I once again was a crying mess as I flew over Quinhagak towards Bethel. I am so thankful for the experience and opportunity to teach in Quinhagak for the past year. It truly was a remarkable experience and one that will impact my life forever.

From here I will be headed to Anchorage for a class and then back home next Saturday. I am excited for the summer and look forward to being at home with friends and family and also telling stories from this past year in Quinhagak.

The fourwheeler incident

So after taking a steam, which by the way I was reading a fellow teacher's blog and she accounts her first steam (she explains it very nicely) so if you are clueless on what a steam is I would check her blog out it really helps explain this cultural tradition. Tundra Education

After the steam Karen said she would take us home and that I could drive us. I was pumped because I have only driven the four wheeler one time. In the beginning Karen wouldn't tell me how to start the four wheeler or anything so I was struggling. Everyone decided to stay off of the four wheeler until I figured out how to reverse it. After much jerking about I got it to go forward and we were in business. Karen was riding on front. I was driving and Rachel and Allison were sitting on the back. A few times Karen would yell for me to gear up and I did not understand what she meant. I apparently had my hand on the throttle at the same time which is a no no so the girls went a flying. Several times I wasn't sure if they were going to make it all the way home without falling off. Karen was snapping some pictures of us all and we were laughing the entire way home.

Once I got comfortable with driving, we made it to a womping 15mph and we were cruising. The wind the blowing in my hair and it was quite the experience. Once we were near home, Karen said that there was someone behind me and that I needed to slow down. I stopped and the car passed behind us and stopped. It was the VPO (Village Police Officer) he was pulling me over to tell me that Karen could not be on the front of the four wheeler.I may be the first person to get pulled over on a four wheeler in Quinhagak, Alaska. That experience seriously was so funny though and my tummy was hurting I was laughing so hard. The girls were hysterically laughing because no one ever gets pulled over in Quinhagak!

The next day they were trying to play pranks on me and tell me the VPO was coming to speak with me. I knew they were joking but they got quite the laugh outta it all. This week is truly turning out to be a memorable one, and I think it's a great ending to my time here in Quinhagak.

The last weeks in Quinhagak through pictures

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks in Quinhagak. Some came from Rachel's blog, so thank you Rachel for sharing some pictures!

flag ceremony in Quinhagak

My prom date and I

The ladies at prom

taking my last steam

Rachel trying to saw a story knife

Completed story knife

Steph and I at prom

The grand march

The river now that it's getting warmer

Graduation!

Sunday Church

doing hair for prom!

Live.Laugh.Love

Live.Laugh.Love

This is a very popular saying, and one that I truly enjoy! I like it so much that I even have a tattoo of it (I am a mess) but when I was trying to think of a quote or phrase that summed up what I am feeling these days as I prepare to leave, I felt this was a great one for me.

Live: As we go through our lives, we must live life to the fullest--We need to find that thing that makes us happy and do it. When deciding to come to Alaska or not I was afraid and had many decisions to make. I wanted to live life to the fullest and experience new things. I knew that following the same rountines and continuing to do what I was doing would not make me happy. I wanted to grow as a person and an indiviual. I can honestly say that looking back all of those things were accomplished. I lived life this past year taking on new experiences, stepping out of comfort zone, and pushing myself both personally and professionally. Coming to Alaska I remember telling my other people I would not try new things...fishing NO that is not for me. Hunting yuck--BUT this year I got out there and did things for me. I tried fish, I caught my very first fish AND I even rode next to a DEAD caribou all the way to Bethel. I've been close to a dead bear and even seen tarmigan and geese. I tried to get out there and live this experience to the fullest. Quinhagak is rich in cultural and traditions. I attended feasts and even a throw party. Tonight I even sit here after a nice steam....this is not something I was comfortable with at first but after tonight it is something I truly enjoyed and appreciated. It's a neat thing being able to just relax with friends and the community after a long day of work. The sun is just now setting at 12:36 at night and truly allowing me to appreciate the beauty in Quinhagak. There is so much out there in the world to discover and we must have the confidence to go for it. There are people and experiences out there to learn and grow from. I remember talking to Rachel before I came out to Alaska and reading one of her posts. She explained how Alaska was an experience she truly loved and enjoyed and she challenged people to find their "Alaska". The one thing in life they want to do or discover. I challenge you reading this blog to find something you enjoy and pursue it youself, I believe the outcome will be greater than words.

Laugh: People who know me well probably don't always probably enjoy my humor but humor is a part of who I am. Laughing is good and I try to do it as much as I can. This experience has been filled with many ups and down and laughs. I remember the time I first drove a four wheeler or the time I had to learn how to dump the honey bucket--all times I laugh about and remember. The unique thing about living in a village, is your home life and work life are very connected. I was blessed this year to be surrounded by a great bunch of funny individuals. We truly were able to work hard and play hard. Laughing at the funny moments in life truly make me appreciate what I do and the person that I am. This year even in my classroom I have had moments that will always make me laugh--like the time my students kept calling me Miss Weavers or the time I asked a student to do something and he replied with yes honey.

Love: Love? What exactly is that....I love tanning, I love cheeseburgers, I love shopping...but what does that word mean to me in regards to this experience. This year has really reminded me the importance of loving what you are doing. I can honestly say that I love teaching. There is no other profession that could impact my life like teaching has. I remember the time I wanted to be a police officer (yes scary I know) or the time I wanted to be a school counselor. Yes some times are tough, but this experience has confirmed my love for the students, community, and teaching aspect of Quinhagak. I have been able to try new things in my classroom and really explore my creativty and passion for teaching. Being here makes you appreciate the little things in life like walks to the beach with friends, having movie nights, cooking up dinner with friends, walking together to check mail---its truly making me appreciate the things in Ohio I may have taken for granted.

I don't think that it has hit me yet that I will be leaving here in a few days and starting a new chapter in a new village. This past week I have experienced new things which I will expand on more later when it's not so late and it has really challenged my thinking and allowed me to truly reflect on this experience. It scares me a bit, but I am excited for what is to come. This year I was provided with the tools I needed to learn and grow as a person. I was able to do things for me and set goals personally and professionally for myself. My time at Quinhagak is leaving, but things are just beginning for me. My first year of teaching is almost over, and new experiences will begin to unfold.

I have rambled on for quite a bit now but my point here tonight is to live life with people and memories you can laugh about while doing what you love. Everything else will in return fall into place.

Goodnight Moon =)

so close

Trying the round off the year with a few more good posts before the year closes to an end.

This is my last and final full week of teaching---HOW EXCITING!! I look back at old pictures and things from this year and I truly can't believe it. Who knew my first year would be so amazing. Seriously if people are considering coming here I highly reccomend it. This truly has been such a wonderful experience both professionally and just for myself.

Let's see this weekend I went back into Bethel to hang out with Peter. I am excited to announce that I have still been running and even ran while there. We spent the weekend watching tv, walking, and going to dinner. It was a nice little treat.

As I mentioned above, my running is seeming to continue and I'm excited about it. I am hoping after the summer I am able to run in a race or something since I'll have a few months of running behind me. It is def getting easier for me and today I ran even further without stopping.

Happy May!

Hello there!

I've been meaning to blog, but the busy-ness and tiredness just takes over my body and I can't do it. Lots has been happening, so I'm not sure where to begin. It's been staying light super super late here---makes it kinda tough to fall asleep. I don't think the sun sets until nearly midnight these days, and each morning the sun is peaking through my windows around 6 am waking me up. It was like this when I first got to Alaska so it is def. taking getting used to again.

I am happy to announce that I am still walking/running to the beach daily. Even while in Bethel last weekend I was able to run---who knew I was even able to run. Yesterday marked a big accomplishment in my world. Thanks to Rachel's pushing I made it all the way to the beach without stopping. It is only a mile, but it was a milestone for me. Not sure if I ever ran a mile before without dying. It is def an improvement since I began this running thing. Keep in mind most the of the run was me trying to stop and Rachel going you can do it keep going and then I would say Rachel I'm dying I can do it. Thanks to Rachel for not giving up, I made it. Someday I have high dreams of running even further....SOMEDAY.....It is my hope to keep this up over the summer, but we will see. It seems as though I can always find something better to do. I'm thankful I have people here that push me to go.

Last weekend a few of us headed into Bethel for a culutural art retreat. We learned how to make different crafts. The first thing I had to do was make a spoon. I learned that carving is not my thing. I didn't give up, but it seriously was one of the toughest things for me. After nearly chopping off a finger and one splinter later, I have a beautiful wooden carved spoon. I'll have to take a picture later. After the wood extraganza I got to learn how to weave. I actually really enjoyed this. The final craft was a beaded key chain. Now this was my favorite aspect of the retreat, although you can't tell if my keychain is a girl dancing or a flower (I know how do you get those two things confused) I am super proud of it and really enjoyed making it.

Last Sunday was one of the warmest days that we have had. It was a meer 42 degrees, but it was nice. It's funny how 42 feels so warm, but back home I would be freezing. I am determined not to wear my winter jacket anymore, so I will not put it on. I didn't know what to do! The sun was shining, the birds were flying so Pete and I decided to sit outside and enjoy the sun. We played a little game outside and for a moment it felt like we were back at home. The sun was nice and I was wishing that it would brown my skin. Oh how I can't wait to be tan again. I think the first thing I shall do when I get home is lay out in the sun.

Well my friends....the end is near. It's so weird to think that my first year of teaching is almost over in nearly two weeks. I've been taking a lot of time to reflect on this past year and my teaching. I've been challenging myself as a teacher to think about many new things. I have also been thinking of ideas for next year as well. Things have been wrapping up in the classroom. I am starting to test the students to see the progress made over the course of the year. It's super exciting to see the gains and progress made over the year. I am pumped for what is to come with these students.

I've been thinking about this year and how I will do things differently next year. This year was unbelievable, I truly couldn't have asked for a better year. I just feel there are some things professionally and personally that I could improve on as there are always things like that in life. One thing is really get out more in the community. I am taking a class about culutre and it has opened my eyes to getting out in the community. Along with that, there are many experiences here I can not get anywhere else. This year I've steamed, tried fish, attended feasts, and did some other experiences that just don't happen in Canton, Ohio. Next year I would truly like to get out there and try new things even more then I did this year.

Things to look forward to.....Prom is next week on Friday and then the following week we have a farewell bbq down at the beach I believe. Stay tuned for a long blog closing out the year.