Pinewood Derby

This weekend Twin Hills hosted the Southwest Region School District Pinewood Derby. Because the smaller sites do not have sports teams, our kids get to have a pinewood derby. My kids were too young to participate but they had fun watching and cheering for our older students.

Ekwok and Aleknagik arrived in Twin Hills Friday afternoon. They spent the day making head dresses and practicing their Yupik dances for the night. They boys' head dresses had beaver fur on them and girls' head dresses had beaver fur and wolf fur. The color of the band on the head dress depended on the village they were from. Twin Hills students had a red band, Ekwok a black band, and Aleknagik a blue band. The students performed a couple of dances while Jess and Martha played the drums. Click here to watch a video of the kids dance about making akutaq

After they performed we had a pot luck dinner. I was so excited they made potato and egg salad! It was delicious! I also had berry akutaq (eskimo ice cream) and atsiuraq (eskimo pudding). I tried the herring eggs which had seaweed on them. They were very salty and fishy tasting but not that bad. They popped like bubble wrap in your mouth when you chewed. I actually kind of liked them but I don't know how many I could eat. There was green akutaq too which Jess said is really good. I put a little on my plate but couldn't bring myself to try it. I haven't tried sulunaq yet either which is salted or pickled salmon…not quite sure exactly.

 Herring Eggs

 atsiuraq

 sulunaq

 green akutaq

crow berry akutaq

On Saturday the kids raced their cars. It was my first pinewood derby and it was a lot of fun. A girl from Ekwok got first place but Twin Hills took second and third with Tommy coming in second and Ciara in third. We had a spaghetti lunch after and then all of the students got planes back to their villages.

My Alaska Family :)

Back to School!

On the 8th and 9th we had inservice days and on the 10th we had a workday. Meghan gave me my intent form for next year on Friday. Making a decision about coming back next year has been weighing on me for months. I love the community in Twin Hills, I love Southwest Region School District, I love my kids, I love Meghan and Andy, I love Alaska, and most of all I love teaching! But I love my family more than all of those things. I can't imagine spending another year so far away from them. I wish that I could bring my family to Twin Hills or Twin Hills to my family but I can't. I am also very lonely. Meghan and Andy are the best friends I could have out here but I can't be with them all the time. I called a lot of people for advice, I cried a lot, and I finally made the decision to tell Meghan I will not be coming back next year. I thought I had myself calmed down enough to take her the paper but I burst into tears as soon I walked into her room. She was so nice about it and said she understands and it is okay. I went home and cried on and off all night. Making a decision to not come back was a lot harder than making the decision to come here. I still have 5 months in Twin Hills and I am going to cherish every moment of it.

My kids finally came back to school Monday the 13th. I am so glad to be teaching and busy again. Overall we had a good first week back. Annie the speech therapist came to Twin Hills on Wednesday and spent the night at my house in my guest room. It was a lot of fun to have a guest and I was glad for the company. The weather here has been in the mid to high 30s. It snows, then it rains, then it ice rains, then it snows. Friday it was so windy I was blown over twice!

Last Saturday a woman from The Reporter newspaper in Lansdale called and interviewed me. I wasn't sure if it would be published and figured it'd be a little blurb in the back of the paper if it was. I wake up Monday morning to a bunch of text message from family and friends telling me I am on the front page of the paper! Then I went to school and there was a message from WNPV radio in Lansdale asking to interview me. I couldn't help but laugh at it all and how boring Lansdale must be if I am that interesting.   My grandmom bought 25 papers so I defiantly be able to see it when I get home. Here is a link to the article online North Penn Grad Now Lives in a Village with a Population of 70

Some of the kids out sledding yesterday 

Winter Break

December 20^th was the last day of school before break. We had our Christmas program on the 17^th. The parents came and the kids did a small reading and then we all sang Christmas carols. My kids recited two poems for their part of the program and they did a nice job with it! On Thursday we had our Christmas Pot Luck Dinner and did the raffle drawing. I did not get anything in the drawing but it was still fun. I tried dried fish and it was pretty good. It is hard to bite the fish off the skin though. I also had some Eskimo ice cream (akutaq) which was pretty good. On Friday I gave my kids some stuffed animals my grandma had sent me for them and we had a fun, relaxing day. One of my kids has stolen all of the candy canes off our school Christmas tree so she didn’t get to join in our afternoon movie.

Christmas Eve Meghan, Andy, and I went to the Christmas Eve program at the church. Almost the whole community was there and the church was decorated very nicely.  I also attended our Christmas Eve Pollyanna party through FaceTime and got to pick out a gift. I got a first aide kit…better luck next year I hope. I also learned that only people in the Philadelphia area use the word Pollyanna!

Christmas morning I went over to the school and FaceTimed my family. I opened my gifts they sent me with them. I got a lot of nice warm layers, Maddy sent me some beautiful things from her trip to Spain, and I got a Pandora bead that says Alaska. I sent home a seal/beaver hat for Maddy for Christmas, scrimshaw on walrus tusk for my dad, and a kindle for my mom. I even got to be at Christmas dinner at home through the Ipad only I couldn’t eat anything. That night I went to Meghan and Andy’s. We had a nice turkey dinner and exchanged gifts. Meghan made me a BEAUTIFUL quilt with my favorite colors in it. They also got Piper and mammoth bone and a slow feed bowl. Overall it was a very nice Christmas day and I’m glad I got to spend it with my family (via FaceTime) and friends.

 Purse from Florence, Italy

 Scarf from Morocco, Africa

 Pendent from Florence, Italy

 Scarf from Spain

 Candy bars from Spain..SO GOOD

 Quilt from Meghan

 Christmas Dinner

 Scrimshaw on walrus tusk for my dad

 Her new bowl takes her so long to eat she lays down

New Years Eve/Day I spent with Piper. The kids don’t come back to school until the 13^th. We finally have inservices and workdays starting Wednesday next week. It started snowing Christmas day and we have had snow or rain everyday since. We got so much snow it was up to Piper’s belly. Now we have rain and wind and all of the snow is gone leaving a sheet of ice. We had fun going for walks and playing in the snow but this break has been rough. Being bored and alone is defiantly making me more homesick.

Piper paw print

My Christmas cards got here on the 23^rd. I only had enough stamps to send some of them out. I ordered stamps a while before Christmas but they still haven’t come. If you get a Christmas card in the next few weeks I apologize for them being so late.