I don't know where to begin on telling about the exploits of the week. On Monday, I flew to Anchorage on my way to Hooper Bay. The plane was fogged into Kodiak so our flight was delayed waiting for the plane. It left about 30 minutes late. Darn- I'd miss my connecting flight to Hooper Bay. But no, as luck would have it, that plane was late leaving Bethel because of glaze ice and drifted snow on the runway. I think someone must have polished it back up for our arrival because it was smooth and glassy for our jump down. I hitched a ride to the school with the clinic truck. It turns out that the driver was the principal's son anyway, so it was all good. I was supposed to phone the school but my iPhone doesn't work there. All over the YK delta area, people jumped from CB radio directly to cell phone, but it is GCI only.
View of some Hooper Bay houses close to the school overlooking the Bering Sea.
I have a horrendous sore throat caused by draining sinuses, so I was tired and had minimal voice volume. In spite of it, I had a great time working with teachers and students. The little girls at the lunch table (a hot dog in chili with french fries, cake and canned peaches) looked at my eyes in amazement. "You got blue eyes". "Yep". "You got contacts?" "Nope". "How come?" I moved around the table and cut up the hotdogs and cake, but most kids just ate the cake and peaches. Yum, let's have sugar!
This community has about 1000 people and there are 3 distinct housing areas. The downtown is up on a hill- a good vantage point for seals. The large AC store is up there as is the Bingo Hall and church. A small bag of chips there cost $9.50, so I didn't do too much snacking after my 1 mile walk up to the store. Just cough drops and chapstick.
I slept in the 1st grade room on a blow-up mattress. It was comfy and warm and right across from the bathroom. The principal made coffee from fresh ground beans for the 3 of us visiting. I was welcomed into classes and one of my favorite moments was storytelling to the K-1 kids. I also had fun visiting Yup'ik Santa and eating with the kids.
I flew north along the coast, past the Yukon River delta into Nunam Iqua (land's end). No kidding. I saw on the pilot's radar that there was land below, but it sure didn't look like it. Flat, flat, flat and ice broken only by drifted snow. Then there was a beacon light and village. The school appears to cling to the shore. Francois (yes, he's Yup'ik) picked me up in a 6 wheeled cross between a 4-wheeler and a truck. The cab had a windshield and top but was open on the sides. It had a short truck bed and studded wide snowtires and rolled right over the glaze ice and up the slight, ever so slight, rise to the Sheldon Pt. School.
The village at Nunam Iqua is a short, Yak-Trak walk away. It's the only village I've been to with absolutely no store. Not even in Agnes's house.
I was given a warm welcome, come to find out because I'm an arriving judge for the science fair. The science fair was great- all 25 entries were organized by question, hypothesis, procedure, results and conclusions- from the high school students down to the 1st grade. I'm not cut out to be a judge- I want everyone to win an award.
The first grade hypothesis was that magnets would stick to iron. Nicolle had a heck of a time trying to teach them the relationship between iron and metal.
The water in the village has been out for 3 weeks with no end in sight. The same storm that iced over the roads and airstrip in Hooper Bay pushed sea water up on shore and it seeped into the shallow water table. There was talk of flying in drinking water. The water was only slightly saline, so could be used for toilets, showers and clothes washing, when it got turned back on. The school water was fine.
I was glad to go home on Friday...my laryngitis was pitiful and I was tired from coughing all night. At the airport, I began finishing the announcements...."Please keep your children off of the luggage carousel (or we will need to put them in a kennel)". "The flight to Anchorage is now closed for check-in and the boarding will begin soon. (The flight however will leave whenever we damn well feel like it). "We will begin boarding now. Please have your boarding pass ready (and your money nearby for purchasing beer on the flight)".
Yesterday and today I was in a foggy stupor when I wasn't downright ornery. We did some last Christmas shopping for mailing and I took care of some paperwork. Now I'm curling up with a mystery and a cuppa. Ya hunh. I expect a turn in my mood....maybe when I go to the roller derby on Wednesday night. My derby name is Margaret Hacker. If only I could skate.
If you want to see more pictures, add me as a Facebook friend where I post my village photo albums.
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