Coming Home to Alakanuk

Sometimes you need friends to laugh at inside jokes, play a favorite game, or listen when you're torn and far away from family. And sometimes... friends are there for you when you least expect-- such as when you return from a trip (with a sore throat for the 7th day after sitting in the St. Mary's airport for 7 hours to finally make it home through a storm) and your room has been pranked.
I fumbled with my icy/muddy suitcase over the feet of a crowded living room where they were watching a movie and flipped on my light switch. My eyes widened when I found that my dresser and night stand were pushed facing against the wall. I surveyed the room and knew it must have been Josh. I had found diapers in someone's mailbox in the office at school and put them in his and they got passed around with a few laughs. I looked at the rest of the room and said out loud, "Where is my bed? It can't be in the clos-" as I opened my closet door and saw that, yes, it IS possible to fit my mattress and box spring into my closet.
Since I was too tired and sick to try put my room back together, I camped out in the guest room for a week. But, after Becca and Clark and Theresa decided to give me some oomph, we cleaned out the guest room and my room. Now, the guest room doesn't look like the backroom of a Goodwill and my room looks even more like a ROOM. As I was weeding out some junk I thought for sure I would someday need and never did, Becca thought to try using a shower curtain as an actual curtain. I'm impressed with her fine eye. So what if white tacks are a makeshift rod? And a nail and a rubber band can be stylish. Clark reminded me we live in the bush. We make do with what we have. And I think we did a pretty job.
I also had Clark screw in the hook for my rice lamp (Which by the way, if anyone ever needs to move 4000 miles away, a rice lamp can fold up to be quite petite and light!).
Yes, that is a burlap sack hanging on the wall. The walls get VERY white and plain at times. I thought I'd make of this "packing material" from one of our bush orders (a bush order is a large grocery order we all collaborate with and get shipping bypassed for supposedly quicker and cheaper shipping). Plus, it's from Brasil, which brings back fond memories of last summer!

Although the prank came at an inconvenient time since I was worn out, tired, and sick, some good did come out of it. Now my room feels a little more livable and also a little more lovable.