Seal Hunting

On a nice sunny day, I was asked to go for a “boat ride.” With excitement, I went home after a day of teaching and quickly threw on my coat, borrowed Theresa’s boots, and grabbed a couple granola bars and some money. I was going with our school secretary’s family—her son is in my class. Although I hadn’t asked where we were going, I figured we might be traveling up the river to Emmonak, a village about 9 miles away (which has a better store with groceries and a restaurant).

As I walked to their house and followed them to the boat, I still had no idea what to expect. The day was beautiful, laughter and giddiness was in the air, and we waited anxiously as the boat maneuvered through the water to get ready to head out to the mouth of the Yukon. As we waited to get the boat filled up on gas, their daughter Dylani and I played with some stray rocks that were on the plywood floor of their motorboat.

Before I knew it we were headed toward the Bering Sea and Jadon was grabbing his spear. I finally realized the plan was to go hunt for Mukluk! I was impressed to see the skill of my 4^th grader as he held a spear to catch a Mukluk. After the seal popped his head above the surface of the water a few times and Jadon had no luck, some people announced Mukluk in a different area on the VHF (which reminds me of a CB radio, but runs off of different wavelengths.)

While the boat closed in on a group of other boats, I started to learn how the Yupik culture views seal hunting. It is not a competitive sport, but they work together as a team to surround and catch the Mukluk. The females and kids also have their own spears and try their hand at catching Mukluk. If one person spots Mukluk, they all start their motors and speed towards it. The closest person throws their spears. Everyone waits patiently and is good humored while the exciting hunt continues.

We hunted until a few people speared the Mukluk we had been chasing for hours. They putted in close so I could see them pulling the bleeding seal up on the boat. I forget the order of how they share the seal, but they split up who gets the skin, the meat, etc. After saying goodbye and gliding off into the sunset amidst the glassy Bering Sea, we zipped around enjoying the last bit of sunshine for the day and looking for more Mukluk.

On our way into the Alakanuk Slough, we spotted a Mukluk and a Nayiq. My students chose group names at the start of the year and the groups were the Mukluks, the Nayiqs, and the dolphins. The day I went seal hunting, I was able to connect the Yupik name to the actual seal. Mukluks have wider necks and are larger seals. Nayiqs are smaller with thinner necks and more pointed noses. It’s strange to not really know the English names for the seals. The Mukluks are called bearded seals, but I forget the other English names for seals. And I can’t spell the third common type of seal around here.

One memorable moment was Dylani throwing her spear at a seal in the slough. Her spear went the distance, but was a little ways to the left of where the seal had popped up. Her family laughed about it a little bit and we retrieved the spear. After about 6 hours of being around this smiley giggly 8-year old, I was surprised to see her mood change so drastically. The line of her mouth was as flat as her once-sparkling eyes. I quietly said to her, “Hey, that wasn’t too bad.” Her little mouth spurted, “Yes it was!” I let her know that she did a really good job. And if we never made mistakes, how could we learn to get better? Her reply made me think. “Ya, but I’ve been throwing a spear since I was 3!” I couldn't imagine how Dylani felt and it revealed a new perspective of growing up as a girl in Alakanuk. At 8 years old, I didn't even know seal hunting existed!
My day out on the water with the Ayunerak family was the most exciting day since I moved. It was a great feeling to be out with the community rather than cooped up in teacher housing. I was honored to be invited on such a fun hunting trip!

Saturday Tradition= Splurge and Gorge

Every Saturday, the gang goes to the one and only Alakanuk Restaurant. On the menu, includes two options--a burger or pizza? Both are splendidly delicious. However, the most delightful part is not having to wash our dishes! (Dishwashers do not exist in the village...) Here are some pictures from the first time we started going about a month ago.

Clark, Becca, and Theresa with their burgers. And below we are served a nice cold can of pop.

Clark's "After-burger" look.

We walked to the end of town for the first time. There were lots of rundown houses and a spot of gold at the end of town. (Here is, again, part of the Yukon)
We picked the route along the river to head back to our house. The building sticking up over the short trees is the school in the distance. Our housing is to the left of that.
I believe, this is one of three remaining original long houses. People still use them to live or store equipment. A little ways down the river path, we saw another one.

Flying to Hooper Bay for Inservice

The front of the Hooper Bay school. We got to take advantage of some of the beauty of the architecture (a 2-story open cafeteria with a view of the ocean), technology, and the gym to play some volleyball. We got in about 16 hours of teacher inservice and 10 hours of volleyball.

A few kids playing with a ball on the boardwalk next to the store.
Clark oversees Josh's adventurous leap on the way back our trip to their store. We figured we needed to take advantage of the fresh produce (or Red Bull and candy, in my case).
Evergreen trees, Pacific Northwest, how I love and miss Washington!
Becca pointing to where she and her husband are from on the library's rug.
The swampy land can have its beauty.

Nothing like a good sunrise from the deck of the school.

A Sunny Day

From sun shining on fall leaves to snow floating in the air, a month has come and gone. Alakanuk slowly reveals itself as I continue to receive opportunities to get to know more people, as people invite me into their lives, and as I continue to build relationships with my kids, their parents, and others. My daily struggle to find words to describe all of my experiences begins with my incessant worry is that my descriptions will be lackluster. However, I must try!

One day a few weeks ago, the warm sun called one of the other teachers and I out to go walking to the store. I didn't realize I'd regret my decision to not bring my camera so profusely on a shopping trip. The store wasn't my main area of interest. It was the path to get there.
There are three stores in Alakanuk. The Native Store, the Annex (I believe it's all of the Native Store's overflow or outdated items), and Dave's Store are our only options for food. Since the village runs close to the river along one gravel road, each end of the road is called "downtown" and "the other end of town."

I personally enjoy walking the trail that goes off the gravel road, through the trees, past a pond, past some fish-drying racks, over a log or two, and through a gravel parking lot. The sunlight cast off beautifully clear reflections from the pond's calm surface. As we walked within' eyesight of the majestic Yukon River, I had to pause a few times for what I called, "Visual Soak-olization" and what others may refer to as "an excuse for Miss Out-of-Shape to refill her fat lungs." But, nonetheless, that beauty needed to be captured in the camera I didn't have with me. I had to try mentally store the scenery.

Here are some pictures that I had taken from the trail on a different trip to the store.

Now, that leg of the trip is just to connect back to the gravel road next to the T.C. (Tribal Council), Annex, and Catholic Church. Then, you walk down the gravel road, past the tank with graffiti, past the muddy child playing on the road with rocks (which, by the way, the rocks are closer to boulders than gravel and could easily sprain an ankle) at the end of her driveway, past a row of "new" housing, past the one restaurant, and finally you arrive at your destination-- Dave's Store.

I don't think I was limiting my products to healthy that day. My shopping bag consisted of Lucky Charms, Mountain Dew, the last bag of bagels in the store, and cream cheese. The price was... unreasonable. My friend got two heavy bags full of groceries which I cheerfully helped her carry. One comparison I can make between Alakanuk and Europe, is a backpack is usually required when grocery shopping. This way, you already have a shopping bag in case they don't have one. And, heavy items in plastic bags are not the most comfortable items to carry for a mile and a half.

The walk back to towards the teacher housing was proving that God is the most amazing artist. As the sun dipped lower and the colors got warmer, everything had a cheery glow. I hurried to grab my camera and head out for another quick walk. My goal was to find some water that would show some good reflections before the day was gone. I was excited for my little photography adventure. Even my roommates dog, Briar, was excited to come with me.

When the day is done, my mind is still whirling with tasks I need to accomplish with my teaching, plans I need to prepare, and phone calls I need to make. My job is really never done. But, that day while taking pictures, I realized I had been running so fast, and I remembered I could take a few seconds to pause and enjoy life.

Many have told me that moving my life and starting my career in a new place at the same time is not going to be easy. So I can't expect to clean out every cupboard, or master a brilliant plan to have my class meet AYP goals, or build a solid relationship with each and every student in one day. Therefore, in my biggest efforts to be the best teacher I can be, I tried to push out my thoughts of school and focus on finding some balance. Whether I take a few minutes to practice photography, or play a new guitar chord, or cook warm homemade bread, I have seen how letting go of some of the stress is actually beneficial. Balance is good. Productivity is more prevalent when we have balance in our lives. Plus, who couldn't agree that life is more fun when we love, laugh, and learn?

A few pictures to encapsulate the airport that one sunny day...