American Christmas

Sunny getting in the Christmas spirit

Snowflakes down our hallway -
come to think of it, it started snowing
after I hunt these up - magic!

Mrs. Sonya showed me how
to make 3D snowflakes!





Few in the village celebrated Christmas this weekend so it was very difficult to feel like it was Christmas.  We ordered most of our gifts online and few of them would ship to Alaska so we told each other what was waiting for them in a box in Missouri as our "gift exchange".   We had a few friends over for supper Christmas night and I made an over-abundance of goodies I now must find a home for before I eat them all myself and that was pretty much our Christmas.  We had a white Christmas, but that was a surprise to no one.  We've had somewhere between 6 inches and a foot of snow in the last few days, but the wind has been so strong it's hard to know exactly how much.  Sometimes I'm not sure if it's still snowing or if the wind is just rearranging the snow that's already fallen.

 

   The school held a "Santa's Workshop" on Saturday to give the kids a chance to make gifts for their family members.  The kids made ginger bread houses, ornaments, jewelry, personalized wrapping paper, and snowflakes.  I'm sure most can guess that I volunteered for snowflakes given I'm known for my magic snowflakes.  I've told people here about them, but I'm not sure they believe in my 100% success rate, especially since there is no such thing as a snow day in the village.  Given the nasty turn the weather has taken the last few days, I may have to take Randy's suggestion and give magic sunshines my best effort.  We have flights scheduled for next Thursday and we will be very sad little critters if we don't make it to Missouri for Christmas break.



Jewelry making



   

Ornament making




Ginger bread houses



 

 

Winter Solstice

Today is winter solstice, a day I ordinarily pay no attention to and rarely even notice.  Today, however, winter solstice is not only noticed, but celebrated in my heart.  Night has peaked and each day will now bring a little more sunshine into our lives.  Today the sun rose at 10:00 and set at 4:00 on the horizon but our southern horizon is a mountain so we see much less of our yellow friend.  I caught my last glimpse of it at 2:00 as it lazily slid out of sight below it's stone blanket.  I look forward to watching it awaken from it's slumber and smile down on us.

While we know we'll be getting more sunlight, we also recognize winter has only begun its dance across our landscape.  We already get snow so often it almost goes unnoticed and we now keep a constant layer of ice in the village.  It may snow for a while, but it will then begin to melt and then rain joins in the symphony to become one with the slush as night falls and the temperatures drop.  Add a fresh layer of snow on top and it becomes a slippery, treacherous journey from the house to the school.  The temperatures seem content to stay in the 20s and 30s, and anything above freezing now feels like nice weather.  I don't know what else Alaska has waiting for us as winter deepens, but I'll be seeing it with more and more sunlight each day so I'm looking forward to it.

Christmas? Where are you?

December 25th is less than a week away, but I'm hesitant to say Christmas is less than a week away.  This holiday can be quite the source of confusion for newcomers into the village.  While the majority of the Christian world celebrates the birth of Christ on December 25th, the Russian Orthodox church celebrates it on January 7th.  This date difference doesn't bother me at all since I doubt Jesus was born on either day anyway (I know that's a brazen statement - please don't send me hate mail or stone me).  This is actually quite handy for us since we wish to travel back home for the two week break.  We'll get much cheaper plane tickets in January than we will around "American Christmas" as it's called in the village.  Many in the village can also get great prices on Christmas gifts since stores hold awesome sales to clear out their Christmas items while the village hasn't yet celebrated Jesus' birthday so the January date definitely has some advantages.

The date difference does make things a little difficult as well.  The majority of the school district is currently out of school right now while we are beginning second semester.  This means our students taking online courses through the district are currently unable to begin classes, but will start two weeks behind because classes will begin as we start our Christmas break.  There are several little quirks like this that must be worked around, but all is doable.  With this double Christmas and extended holiday one could assume we'll grow tired of Christmas and be eager for the season to end.  What I find, however, is quite the opposite.  On December 25th we will be in the village, a location where no one will be celebrating Christmas.  When everyone in the village is celebrating Christmas, we'll be in Missouri where Christmas will be well over and forgotten.  Somehow in the mess of two Christmases, I'm going to manage to miss them both!  I think I've been bahumbugged and there is only one appropriate response:  grrrrr!

Hoping for a Really Long Bridge



 I've often said that teachers learn quickly to dislike exciting days.  While there was little excitement in the classroom, today was an exciting day in the village in a very bad way.  We heard the plane take off after school this afternoon and thought nothing of it.  After hearing them come in and take off hourly, I really hardly notice them.  When the kids who had stayed after school to work made a comment about thinking it crashed, I dismissed it as kids being rotten (everyone knows I'm a big fat chicken).  A few minutes later when someone said the plane was in the water, I decided that was a little too specific to be kids being rotten.  Having heard of a pilot who drowned in a plane just off the shore in Nanwalek a few years ago, I had a pretty lengthy conversation with Jesus after seeing the plane bobbing in the waves.  Someone in the village had already helped the pilot - who cannot swim - to the beach by the time Mike got there to help people to shore.  One of the teachers and her sister - who is also one of our students - were on the plane as well as another person who works in our school several days a week.  All got out of the plane quickly but will be very sore and probably shaken up for a while.  We are very thankful that all are well, but I'm now thinking I may never leave the village as that will require getting in a plane.  

Eric getting his stuff out of the plane.
He didn't need to come to Nanwalek,
but was on his way home from elsewhere.



They tied a rope to tie it down
so it won't float away before they
can get it.



Oh the Times They are a Changin'

Okay, so the times aren't changing much, but just about everything else in our lives has changed.  A detailed list would be quite lengthy so we've come up with a short list below.

1. I now steal shampoos from hotels to use on future trips as I try to keep my luggage as light as possible so I can maximize the 50 pounds I'm allowed with my ticket.
2. Christmas now comes in January.
3. 45 degrees and sunshine make a nice day.
4. Groceries are delivered to my house by plane.
5. Deer crossing signs have been replaced with moose/caribou/horse crossing signs.
6. We have a freezer full of halibut and salmon instead of deer.
7. Tsunami drills have replaced tornado drills.
8. Instead of lightning we have the northern lights.
9. Sunshine sightings are now less common than bigfoot sightings.
10. "Honda" is now the word for all 4 wheelers regardless of brand.
11. We wear mud boots to work every day.
12. We wear ice cleats on our mud boots most of the time.
13. We literally live at work.
14. Snow now comes so often we almost no longer notice (and we don't get snow days).

My very favorite change:
I get to work with my husband!

A Bird of a Different Feather

I am a big, fat chicken.  I once referred to myself as a "mudpuddle duckling" but have decided I have more in common with a different member of the bird family.  Living in Alaska often results in a very real and physical fear response.  All know by now the opportunities for a conversation with Jesus that each flight creates.  (He was kind enough to distract me with an amazing sunset so that I did not quickly notice how long it was taking us to land this last time, so I know he listens).  So I safely reach land, to face the horrors of road travel in this state.  The fear of hitting a deer now seems silly after passing by two accident scenes involving moose this weekend.  The damage done by the moose who lived through the accident was enough to make me question how much one could do in an accident bad enough to kill one.

Those who followed our trip up here also know how I feel about driving alongside large bodies of water so you'll find humor in the fact the first 40 miles or so out of Anchorage follows the coastline.  And when I say coast I mean the highway is carved into the side of a mountain and the mountain meets the water just beside us.  We survive that danger, to face the next:  multiple avalanche areas.  To add to this new fear are snow piles just off the road from many small avalanches and knowing someone in the village was caught in an avalanche last week.  Complicating this fear are posts off the road to mark the snow depth.  While I appreciate the idea, I do not find comfort seeing they mark snow depth up to 12 feet.  Add in very slippery roads from all the rain and heavy snow we got today and I'm sure my physical response is reaching levels that would concern any health professional.

Slippery roads alongside waters of death, avalanches of doom, and moose of destruction . . . Really?!  Can much be missing from this recipe for disaster?!  Fortunately Jesus did take pity on me and allowed the wind and snow to be bad enough to prevent me from enduring another flight to end the day's adventures.  That'll give my heart and blood pressure a few hours to settle before I begin the flight tomorrow with  "Please, God, don't let me die today. . ."

Finished!!

After spending the majority of last weekend and every night this week working on our final homework assignments for our college class, we are now officially finished!  We met one last time in Anchorage to present our final projects and, of course, took the opportunity to get some shopping done.  I find it interesting the difference living in a village makes on our attitudes.  I've never been a fan of shopping, and like to go in with a list in hand, get my items, and get out.  Well, I do run through clearance before checking out - how else would I have a wardrobe full of $5.00 clothes?  Now I feel like going to a store - any kind, I'm not picky - is a rare treat.  I'm still a terrible cheap-skate and go in with my list, but now I take my time - when I'm not worried about catching a plane - and look around just to see what's there.  I probably still won't buy it, but I take the time to look now.  Being able to hand pick my own groceries, especially produce, is something I now fantasize about.  I also found my attitude about the hotel prices for snacks an interesting change.  Ordinarily $2.50 for a 20 ounce soda would be rediculous and we would walk away.  Tonight we paid the money and thought "That's not too bad compared to prices in the village."  I'm going to have to do some thinking to see what other details and attitides have changed.

Local Cuisine

This weekend a couple of the high school girls called the house asking if we wanted to buy peroskies they had made to raise money for a trip they were taking.  I'm not sure if it was courage or stupidity that inspired me to say yes to a food I knew nothing about and couldn't even spell or pronounce, but I said sure with a good deal of enthusiasm.  Peroskies are a type of pie that the crust is filled, folded over, and sealed along the edge before baking.  While my sweet tooth was hoping for some sugary, fruity concoction, I found the filling of rice and salmon to be quite tasty, especially after the addition of a little soy sauce.  This made me realize I've only discussed a few of the local food items so here's a short list of some I've seen or heard about (and a few I've heard enough about to know they should be avoided).

Salmon, salmon, and more salmon - Being in every fisherman's heavenly dream location for fishing, they eat lots of fish and prepare it in a variety of ways.  It's salted, smoked, dried, dried and smoked, canned, boiled, and I'm sure a dozen other things I've yet to hear of.

Other fish - They also have a huge amount of halibut off the shores.  Trout are all over the lakes and first hole and cods (which are pretty darned close to catfish in flavor) in the lagoon.

Fish Pie - Like any other pie with a crust on top and bottom, but has a layered filling of tightly packed rice, salmon smothered in mayonnaise with onions, and then more packed down rice.  I've eaten this a couple times and it's pretty good.  I think if I made it my recipe would include some soy sauce, lemon juice, or cheese.

Fish Rice - A type of rice salad with smoked, dried salmon, fish eggs, seaweed, and some seasonings.  I think I would have enjoyed it more had the salmon not been smoked as that flavor was a bit strong for my tastes.

Bidarki

Bidarki - An icky looking creature who lives its life suctioned to rocks in the ocean.  Some eat them raw, pickled, or in casseroles.  I summoned the courage to try some pickled.  I figured if I like to drink pickle juice from the jar, surely it'll be decent.  It wasn't terrible, but it also isn't something I'll be craving for later.

Caviar

Caviar - Salmon eggs still tight in the sacks and cut from the fish's body.  I took my turn at making this and I'm pretty sure if they made a fish extract for flavoring foods, it would have the same flavor - very strong.

Salted fish eggs - When the eggs loosen in the body right before the salmon spawn, they can be squeezed from the body (after a minor sexual assault on the fish).  These are rinsed and salted and become much firmer than the caviar.  The taste isn't as strong as the caviar, but the rubbery texture and popping is a little strange.  These are eaten in this state, included as an ingredient in many recipes, or pickled.  The pickled eggs are pretty tasty, but I have a hard time getting beyond the popping.  One of the members of the village took a jar with her when flying out so that she and her family could eat them with cream cheese on bagels in the hotel breakfast so I'm thinking they're pretty popular.

Stink eggs - Fish eggs that have been fermented.  I have not tried these or seen these.  I'm judging by the name, I also do not want to smell them.  I think the most common way to prepare them is to simply put them in a container and stick them somewhere forgotten for a little while.  Many in the village love the, but I've heard more than one who does not care for them so I'm a bit nervous about experimenting.

Stink fish - Fermented fish.  I'm assuming the preparation is about the same as with the eggs.  It also seems to have the same level of popularity and thus result in the same level of trepidation about trying them.

Agudaq - This is a revised version of Akutaq or "Eskimo ice cream" (a food with several entries in Anita's cookbook.  I'm hoping she's looking forward to trying it when she visits).  While I'm interested in trying the ice cream version, I'm very uncertain about the local version.  This is made with mashed potatoes, seal oil, and stink eggs.  I've met far more people in the community who dislike this dish than enjoy it.

Seal - We've eaten this a couple times - both in a stew with rice.  It has a very strong flavor that is what I would imagine the child of a monster buck on serious steroids and a monster fish who's lived well beyond his life expectancy would taste like.  The smell of seal oil is quite unpleasant and I've not tried it, but I hear it's supposed to be very healthy for the blood.

Mussels on French Bread

Mussels and snails - I've tried the mussels and they are yummy!  I've not gotten the courage up to try the snails.

Octopus - I've heard it's very tasty, but haven't seen or tasted it.

Porcupine - This prickly little woodland creature is a favorite among the elders.

Birds - Ducks, Grouse, Geese, Swans, Loons, and I'm sure a few others.

I'm sure I've left many out, but these are the main foods that stand out in my mind.  Obviously they eat bear and moose and make a lot of berry jams and jellies when they have a good year, but I figured most everyone would be interested in the foods they are less familiar with.

Stupid

Tonight we are very sad as we have received bad news.  Our faithful pooch of 14 years died this week.  He was old and I must confess we have checked for breathing several times over the past few years as he is a very sound and still sleeper.  While I suppose it's to be expected, we're still feeling very down.  He wasn't the brightest of animals (hence the name) but he was a very sweet dog who loved his family and watched their house faithfully - when he wasn't sleeping too hard to notice a small alien invasion.  We are very blessed to have had such a fantastic pet who has left us with many memories.

1. Eating an entire soda can.

2. Eating an apple because the goat wanted it.

3. Leaving teeth marks on the lawn mower during his puppy chew phase.

4. Trying to figure out how to eat an entire squirrel skin without chewing - he wandered around a bit looking quite confused with the tail hanging out of his mouth before he finally figured out a solution to his dilemma.
5. Prying him and another dog apart as they fought through a chain link fence.
6. Taking two days to figure out that, if one hind leg is broken, that should be the leg to hike while taking care of business.
7. Wagging his tail happily every time we were in the vet's office despite the fact he had been shot twice, had skin rotting and falling off of his chest, and lost all his toes on one foot.  They had doggie cookies so all was well.
8. Returning to the vet a few years later because he had eaten too many acorns.
9. His interesting cross between a Beagle bay and a kid muttering he would do every time we came home.
10. Getting soaked as he pawed half the night on the garage door to get out of the rain instead of laying on the porch or in his house.


Mostly we'll missed his unconditional love, constant cheer, and obvious enthusiasm each and every time he saw his family.  We'll miss our affectionate and entertaining little buddy.

White Rabbit

We have had the opportunity to see a lot of wildlife since our arrival in July.  We have seen bears, moose, sheep, goats, sea lions, seals, sea otters, eagles, beluga whales, humpback whales, wolves, coyotes, grouse, geese, ducks, swans, and squirrels too small to really deserve that title.  While we have seen evidence, we have yet to see a rabbit.  The first of each month, however, we hear about them very much.  A tradition exists in the village that requires you to be nice for the entire month to anyone who says "White Rabbit" to you before you say it to them and some people take this very seriously.  A chorus of "White Rabbit" can be heard in the hallway as the elementary classes leave breakfast and head to class in the morning.  The secretary at school has even received a few phone calls at 12:01 in the morning as someone made certain they said "White Rabbit" first.  She has a similar disposition to me when half asleep and they quickly decided to call no more.  My middle schoolers also greet me each month with a small "White Rabbit" chorus, but they are a little less energetic than the younger kids.  I think they are a little confused by my response: "I think you should be nice to everyone all the time."