The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 12 - Social Distancing 101

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 12 - Social Distancing 101

Well, it has been over two months since my last post. Ironically, it's two months to the day that I am writing this. Unbelievable how much can happen and change in just two short months. The most surprising of which was the temporary suspension of classes and the closing of school due to the Corona Virus, which is the obvious daily topic around the world. While there was a little more comfort here in the village because of our isolated location to the rest of the world, it was still taken very seriously and the wheels were set in motion to suspend classes, keep students at home and find a way to continue teaching them remotely. The hitch is that our village doesn't have the internet capabilities you might find in some of the bigger cities. Very few families have access to the internet here and are limited to their phones and the data available. 

We decided to put together and send out practice packets that would hopefully help kids maintain their skills or at least encourage them to work on them to stimulate their learning. Once sent out, it was left in the hands of the students and parents to follow through on the practice and learning. It was decided by the district that we would make calls to each student, with the help of our aides, once a week to check in on their progress. It's hard to say what the overall results are. Some parents don't respond to phone calls, some to texts, some are very cooperative but discouraged and some who are very engaging and encouraging. Initial contacts were focused on progress of each student and if they had questions with their work. Further calls revealed students and parents were more inclined to want to talk about how their child was doing personally, and many students were just excited to talk about what they were doing in their free time or what they were doing with their family.

It was really hard for me to end school early for a number of reasons. I can say with out a doubt that this year was the best class 'and' best year that I have had in my 21 years of teaching. I really loved this class, we were having a lot of fun and were having a great school year. Even though the shut down was temporary, I had a bad feeling that it was going to be permanent for the year and I wouldn't have my students back again. The last week before we were going to send the kids home was very sad. I knew that I would be talking to them and would most likely see them around the village again at some point in the spring and summer, but saying goodbye to them was very difficult.

Equally sad was the fact that I was going to be saying an early goodbye to a lot of friends and staff that made the year very special as well. Some were taking an early exit back to the Lower-48, some were retiring and leaving forever and some would go to hide away in their own form of quarantine by themselves or with their families. But I did get to spend some great quality time with a select group of staff for the last month.

A group of paraprofessionals including the kitchen staff, all from the village, stayed behind to help continue serving lunches for the students. I wanted to do my part so I offered to hand out lunches to the kids and parents when they would come to the school doors to pick up. I knew I was taking a risk exposing myself to all the people coming for lunches, but to me it was worth it to see them and help out. I'm really glad I did. I enjoyed seeing the kids and many of the parents who would pick up multiple lunches for their kids. Each day brought more and more regulars and conversations were fun and always enjoyable. Equally as fun was the time spent preparing for lunch in the morning with our group of characters. That group was so much fun and I haven't laughed that hard in a long, long time.

It was decided that the face to face contact should be limited so our district decided to distribute the rest of the food we had available, i.e. dry goods and frozen foods, to the families of the students, Elders and to other families of need in the village. It was an incredible process in separating the food into hundreds of boxes for distribution. Our first two days, parents and adults picked up boxes with their four-wheelers and snow machines and the following week we delivered boxes to the remaining families. And holy crap that kicked my butt. These were boxes of 6-8-10 cans of 102 oz/6.5 lb various foods, plus miscellaneous dry goods, delivered in deep, soft snow, up and down driveways of 17 families. Ironically, I slipped on ice and went ass over tea kettle walking around the truck as we were about to leave. Go figure. I went home the first night exhausted, sore, throbbing headache, got the sweats and chills and slept like poo. It was the work of a strapping young 30-something in the body of a 51-year-old. The second day only involved five deliveries, so it was a lot more manageable.

I'll see the lunch crew around the village as time goes on, but I'm really going to miss the day-to-day fun and laughter with them. They're all good, hardworking people. I have to say they honestly worked their asses off and deserve all the credit and recognition there is to give. So my props to Christine Long (our fearless leader), Ted Landlord, Rose Andrews, Berta Alexi, Lucy Beans, Molly Long, Natalia Long, Crystal Gail Walters, Cora Long, Ester Long, Scott Hess, Michael Attie, Fred Beans, Joel Beans, Nick Long and Morgan Beans. Not only did we have a great time and lots of laughs, but we all became closer friends and I treasured our time together. I'll miss them.

I am excited to say I learned a new local activity in the village. It's a type of fishing they call manaquing and people love it. From what I observed, it seemed to kick in about January and it was all people talked about in February and March. What is manaqing? It's ice-fishing, but Alaskan style. You essentially have a twelve-or-so inch stick or piece of wood, a 15-20 inch piece of solid string tied to the stick and a spoon (lure) with a treble hook on it. Believe it or not the fish will bite on an empty hook, but many people like to put on pieces of blackfish, eyeballs of a fish that was caught or some other miscellaneous bait. The fish they are catching are Yukon Pike. Back in Wisconsin these would be trophy fish caught by experienced anglers. You adjust the depth of your line, gently lift your stick up and down and wait for these little monsters to bite. There are usually 10-15 holes that people have cut out and each one has someone manaquing in it. There are several spots along the river and village where people go to manaq. What I found it to be is basically a fun, social gathering where stories and jokes are told, neighbors catch up on life and families and you pull a bunch of huge fish out of small holes in the ice. I went three times, had three big bites and lost all three. Oh well. Back to bingo when it reopens and I'll try my luck again next year.

I arrived to Mountain Village August 1st, so everything is still new to me as it happens. Right now I'm speaking of spring as the village starts to wake up to the warmer weather. The two-foot base of packed snow and ice has begun to melt and we can begin to see the dirt roads showing again. Rivers of melting ice and snow fill the roads as water makes it's way down the mountain and village to the Yukon. On a walk to the school or down to the grocery store, depending on the day and the weather, you are either sinking in six inches of icy-snow or are walking on and around frozen paths of what you ventured through the day before. I'm also getting used to the longer days as we've come to know them. Longer days mean more light and when I say more light, I mean 'a lot' more light in the day. We are now to a point of light at 6:30 am and things not getting dark until about 11:00 pm. It's pretty wild. You look out your window and see light around 10:45 at night and you have to remember it's almost bedtime. Most people here have blackout curtains, so that alleviates some of the struggle with nighttime light.

A very sad moment I had recently was my attempt to fly my twenty-year-old son Seth out to see me. I had not seen him since the end of July, was missing him a ton and was very excited to finally give him the chance to fly to Mountain Village and see my new home. I had bought all the tickets and everything was set. Three days later the threat of the Corona Virus had become more severe and they were cancelling all flights into and out of the village. I had to cancel his trip and we would have to wait. I was able to get a refund from Delta Airlines, but the local airline Ravn had lost so much money that they were declaring bankruptcy. I ended up losing $1,100 in flights. Crap! Ravn happens to have a monopoly and hold on the Lower Yukon in that they are the only airline that services the area. My hope is that they are so cocky that they will find a way to get bailed out, come back (regrettably), and I will still be able to have my tickets honored. We'll see...stay tuned on that one.

That leads me to deal with my disappointment with summer plans. I'm now proud to call Mountain Village my home, but I had everything mapped out to see my brothers in Colorado and Arizona, and return to Wisconsin to visit friends and family there. Now I don't know if I will even have a chance to go back, especially considering most places expect a fourteen-day quarantine when you arrive. A lot of the things I seemed to take for granted are now just events that I can only hope will happen again one day. Things like taking in a professional baseball game (my Milwaukee Brewers), taking in a live concert or spending time in some of the fun public places I used to love to go to. Bummer.

*Side note wonderful news...I did find out from Seth that I was going to be a grandpa again. He will be having his first child in December. I have two grandchildren with my daughter Laura, and I am so excited to see the newest, beautiful little baby. I'm proud to carry on the title of Grandpa Nick.

My last piece of news is about my new apartment. I was very excited about the move and as they say...location, location, location. My commute to work went from a 90-step, door-to-door walk to a 60-step, door-to-door walk, lol. It also has a beautiful living room view of the Yukon River to the south, and half of the Asa Carsarmiut Mountain to my west. The summer will be auditorily colorful as kids will be playing well into the night on the playground, twenty-five yards from my front door, as well as four-wheeler traffic on the major road for north-south travel, which is ten feet off the steps of my front door. I already hear the steady flow of snow machines (soon to be put away) and four-wheelers, but it has become white noise and I don't mind it at all. Another nice thing that remains is that I am centrally located to all my major needs...school/work - 1-2 minutes, post office and bingo - 5 minutes, and the ANICA or AC Grocery Stores - 5-10 minutes. Home is where you hang your hat.

That's it for now. A lot has happened in two months to say the least, but I am sure there are many new and exciting adventures that will come with spring and summer, like...my first four-wheeler. More on that when the time comes. For now, lots of Facetime with family and friends, getting to know the village in springtime and settling in - or should I say, social distancing into my new place. :)

Until next time...stay tuned!

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 11 - Time Flies - New Adventures

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 11 - Time Flies - New Adventures

Cold, colder and snow. I guess that’s the best way to sum up the start of the new year here. I honestly don’t even know what happened to January or if the month even took place. It went by so fast. Maybe it’s because we’re closer to the North Pole, lol.

January was a new experience in cold, but I knew that it was going to be like that coming here. We had a stretch of 13 days in a row with temperatures with wind chills between 35-50 degrees below zero. Just a short while ago we had a wind chill of -67 degrees below zero. I had to go to the post office, which is the equivalent of about two blocks away. I forgot my goggles that day. It was hard to breathe and my eyelashes and tear ducts were freezing up. Such a weird phenomenon. So needless to say, everyone in the village was laying low and trying to stay warm.

Well, as it does, the weather changed on a dime and we got our next snowstorm. It snowed and snowed for at least four days straight. It was beautiful and amazing. It was the first time in my life that I could actually enjoy it. I didn’t have to shovel or drive anywhere. I was thinking the cold was going to get to me eventually, but honestly, it becomes a part of you. You put on all your warm gear, head out, and you’re fine.

I’ve also come to learn that basketball is a staple of Mountain in the winters. Once it starts...holy cow! If you’ve ever seen Hoosiers the movie, it’s a lot like that. The village rallies around the games and people come out of the woodwork to attend. There are not only the high school teams, but also what they call City League. There are six teams in Mountain, three for the men and three for the women and the rivalries are very intense. Then you have the villages that are in ‘close’ proximity if you can call it that. They travel miles and miles on Hondas and snow machines along the Yukon, just to make it to the games.

And the fans, they’re pretty passionate too...I’ll leave it at that. It’s quite a sight to see too, as the school parking lot is filled with Hondas and snow machines. The city (village) games are a lot of fun to watch and often go until 1:00 o'clock in the morning. The high school games are a lot more mello, but the stands are still packed and the support of the village is really wonderful to see.

My health has taken a little detour over the winter as I have begun the bear hibernation, eating process. I haven't missed or skipped a meal in quite some time and ten new pounds have made their way onto my stomach. My life-long attempts to defeat pop (formerly known to me as soda in the lower-48), continue to this day. I did make it six months last spring and summer, but fell off the pop-wagon right before I moved to Mountain. With one grocery store here you would think that pop would not be that big of a thing, but it's everywhere and I swear someone in the village is sneaking it into the water supply, because I can't do without it. I did make it four days in a row a few weeks ago, and after overcoming the two days of migraine headaches I was doing pretty good and feeling strong. But...at a faculty potluck on an early release day one of my coworkers leaned over my shoulder and whispered, "Hey Matt, look. There's one Pepsi left there. You should go grab it." After a long pause, I snuck over and grabbed it. I protected it like it was one of my own, saying in my head that I would only hold it and not drink it. It sat in front of my meal for a long time. I was doing great! That Pepsi was one of the best I have ever tasted! Back to Popaholics Anonymous. One of these days...

Well even better was a brief run-in with my friend Strep Throat that put me out of work for two days with coughing that could have 'actually' awoken the bears from their hibernation. We have one small, local clinic here that services everyone in the village. If you need more serious care, you are flown to the next available town, Bethel. Anything severe, you are flown out by helicopter to Anchorage. My wonderful clinician Beth also informed me of my high blood pressure of 142 over 102. To sum it up...fat, sore throats and bad blood. Beth was a sweetheart and took very good care of me. I have to say that our clinic nurses are angels for all they do to help the villagers with their health needs.

Sadly, illness hit our whole village 'very' hard this winter. The flu and bad chest colds have spread rapidly and affected both adults and kids. For about a week and a half we had less than 50% of our kids coming to school. I had never seen anything like it in my 20 years of teaching. We had some very sick kiddos and it was really sad. Fortunately, everyone is on the mend and our numbers are pretty much back to normal now.

I'm really excited about March coming, because there are some cool events headed our way. I may have told you previously that I am the advisor for our high school group called, Natural Helpers. It is a group that helps students with the topics of suicide, Yupik traditions, serving the Elders of the village, winter safety, gun safety, bullying and serving the community in general. I'm so proud of my kids for what they do and the hard work they put in to raise money for the group. We just purchased and will be presenting emergency supplies (blankets, hand/foot warmers, socks and mittens) for our Tribal Police Officers who have countless, first responder emergencies to deal with in the village. I'm also excited about two other events. One will be 'An Afternoon With Akutaq' (A-goo-tuck). It's a day with all the middle/high school girls and their moms, aunts, grandmothers and other women from the village to make akutaq (Google it), Eskimo Ice-Cream. It will be a wonderful day to bring families together and pass down this time honored tradition. The other very exciting event will be a Caribbean Night at the Community Hall. After I was fortunate enough to go to Costa Rica for my Christmas break, I came back and thought it would be a lot of fun to have a Caribbean Night. Latin American/Reggae music, giant flags of the Caribbean hanging everywhere, games, raffles, prizes, the limbo, cake walks, food and more fun! I just keep thinking that if I'm living here and calling this my home, I want to help create things that will get people excited about the village and help make it a more fun place to work and live for everyone.

I also wanted to quickly share, what I think is a heartwarming and moving moment with one of my students. It is another one of those stories that tells me in a subtle way, that I was meant to be here. He is a young man who started the year on a very difficult note. He was a runner, leaving class and disappearing often when he was upset, he consistently acted out, disrupted the class and struggled to do little to no work for me. As the year has gone on, he has shown steady improvements and made leaps and bounds in his attitude, behavior and progress. The time getting there wasn't without challenges, but we continued to grow closer and his trust for me began to show more and more. We are studying planets right now. It is one of my favorite units to teach. We were having a quiz on the phases of the moon and he actually wanted to try to do the entire test himself. Usually I modify it a bit for him. That night when I was in my classroom correcting the quizzes, I got to his paper and he did complete the whole thing, which I was very proud of and excited to see. However, answer number 8 of 8 was not related to the phases of the moon. I came to tears. His answer to number 8 was...I love you Matt. (Speechless)

Honestly, I'm just taking this whole experience one day at a time. Sometimes 15-minutes at a time, when it is all I can handle. Day 202 of the Alaskan Adventure as I write this. 

Stay tuned. More to come...

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 10 - Bundle Up

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 10 - Bundle Up

2020 resolutions are in the book and ready to be manifested. Lol. I don’t know. Maybe. We’ll see. Life has quite a sense of humor. Last year at this time I went through a heart wrenching breakup, moved out, and in a hypomanic state, off my medication, bought a camper in Germantown (Milwaukee), Wisconsin. I parked it on a friend’s empty, four acre lot, no electricity, no heat, no bathroom, and no running water. It was 6-degrees, I was under six blankets and I had the small room’s walls covered and duct taped with silver, survival blankets. My rationale was non-existent and I convinced everyone close to me that this was the right decision and I could make it work. With a candle burning in the corner of the room, I watched my cold breath blow over my eyes that peered out over the blanket. There were no 2019 resolutions running through my head, just thoughts about how it was time to reconsider ending my life. I saw the end of another long-term relationship, I was broke and felt like a terrible failure and example to my 19-year-old son. I fought through the dark thoughts for a week and when the temperature hit zero I broke down emotionally and asked to move back in until I found a place to live. She was an angel to help me out and three weeks later I found a ‘normal’ place to live and began working to get back on my feet. 

Fast forward to January 2020. It’s 3-degrees as I write this, and I’m in Mountain Village, Alaska. It’s a far cry from Wisconsin and a different world. However, this time I’m fortunate to be in an apartment with heat, electricity and running water - most of the time. (I’ll explain later) Anyway, I’m not sure if life is laughing or laughing at me. Either way, there was a wonderful combination of blessings, fortune and good luck that came my way through 2019, which has put me on this incredible adventure and opportunity that I’ve been able to experience and write about. I know not everybody is an advocate of this thought, but I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and there are no coincidences in life. I know that Mountain Village is the right place, and the place that I’m supposed to be in my life right now. If I had to be blunt, it is kind of a holy shit moment of realization. One minute I am in single-digit, degree weather thinking about calling it quits on life, and a year later I am in single digit, degree weather thinking about and changing lives for the better. Some days I have to remind myself not to ‘Dr. Phil’ (verb), everything to death and just believe that everything is happening the way it is supposed to.

On to the weather. Well, my indoctrination to Alaska’s harsh winters is almost complete. I was told and knew coming in that it was going to get pretty cold here. The other day we hit the -20’s and one day with a windchill low of -53 degrees. It’s really something to experience. When you first step outside and take your first deep breaths, it makes you cough. You struggle through a few more breaths and then you’re used to it. On some days the cold and winds will make your eyelashes start to freeze either open or shut. It's pretty wild. I bought ski goggles and those have been very helpful on the windier days to keep my eyes in a comfortable place. Then the neat thing is that when degrees get into the teens, being out in the cold feels very comfortable and surprisingly pleasant. The only thing I have yet to experience is a full-blown snowstorm. I'm actually really excited for that. Fun stuff!

I decided this year for the first time ever, not to get together with family for Christmas. My son is back in Wisconsin along with a brother and sister-in-law and I just couldn't see going from one cold climate to another. My son was going to be with his mom for the first half of the break and wanted to be with his girlfriend for the second half and New Years, so after talking we both agreed we'd be okay with a reunion in the summer after school was out. With the exception of a trip to St. Lucia for my honeymoon in 2007, I had never traveled out of the country and felt now was a good a time as any. I booked a trip to Costa Rica and just felt that in fifty-one years of very little travel, I would treat myself to a solo trip.

If I had to describe the trip, I would say it was bittersweet and I learned a lot about myself in the process. My first two days there were in the capital city of San Jose on Christmas Eve and Christmas and I ended up having a meltdown emotionally. I went through terrible regret for going there and missed my son and family terribly. I sent multiple texts back to family and friends that I had made a mistake and felt it was another 'manic' decision that was poorly thought out. I asked myself, "How could I do this again? How many more bad decisions am I going to make in my life that I don't think through?". It was a tough first two nights simply because it was the first time for me to spend the holidays without my son and close friends and family. I wasn't ready for that. Anyway, after feeling sorry for myself and realizing that I was being a whiny little pecker head, I picked myself up and pulled it together. There were people back in Mountain Village struggling to stay warm, many of which didn't have the opportunity to travel as I did, and the simple fact that I was getting a great opportunity to experience another country, told me I needed to pull my head out of my ass and be grateful for what I had.

The following day I was traveling to the coastal town of Jaco (Ha-co). The three-hour ride was absolutely beautiful and as the regret and guilt oozed from my body over my meltdown, I started to find some peace and the appreciation I was lacking in days one and two. The remaining eight days were spent in Jaco and I don't think I have ever experienced a more beautiful and peaceful place, at least in my lifetime. Boy did I feel bad, as I should have. I apologized emphatically to the universe as well as my family and friends for my meltdown and gained some of the most wonderful clarity for how truly lucky I am to have the family, friends and experiences that I have. I met some amazing people in Costa Rica and one of the funnest things was being able to speak Spanish again and learn so much from the people there. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. I really hope I get to go back again sometime and if you ever get the chance, Costa Rica should definitely be on you bucket list.

I have to admit that despite the peace and comfort I was feeling in Costa Rica, there was a big part of me that missed home and I longed to get back to Mountain Village. I didn't care that it was 80-degrees cooler. I simply missed my friends and new family that were back in the village. It was a good feeling. I will admit that the 10,400 miles I traveled and the 44 hours sitting in airports on layovers wore me down a bit, but again...no complaining aloud. It was a great experience and when I stepped foot on the white tundra after that final flight, it felt so good to be home.

One of the most interesting things I've learned about since I've been here is the power and influence the local airline Ravn has on the lives of people throughout Alaska, and especially those in the bush and outlying areas like Mountain Village. From what I have gathered and learned, Ravn is the only airline company that flies to the outer regions and their 'monopoly' as it's described to me, charges people very high rates. With no competition, they can pretty much charge what they want and run flights how, when and where they want. Now as I write this, it may sound as if I'm disgruntled a little as well, but I'm not. The only frustration I have is the anxiety it causes when you have to fly anywhere, anytime. It seems the biggest struggle people have is the amount of cancellations that take place for most flights. Weather is such a huge factor up here that I can't even find the words to describe what a powerful influence it has on people getting to an from where they have to be. Ravn knows this, loves this and takes full advantage of it as it relates to how they schedule, and cancel their flights. If one-single snowflake were to touch the wing of a plane - cancel the flight. If a single-drop of rain blows sideways two-degrees, too much to the right - cancel the flight. Or you get a lot of cancellations due to mechanical problems as well. Now I obviously joke a little, and it's good that they consider the safety of their passengers, but if you had any idea what it does to affect people on a greater scale, you would be saying, holy crap, that's awful.

A few examples. My principal and his son went to Anchorage for a surgery appointment. They were in mid-flight and had to turn back around to Anchorage because of high winds. They then got another flight to a small village called Bethel (known as the armpit of Alaska - sorry Bethel, only repeating what I've heard from many people), which is closer to Mountain Village and a short trip by small plane. However, upon arrival Tim finds out that there are no flights out until Wednesday, three days later. And if inclement weather should be possible on Wednesday, Ravn would cancel that flight as well. Which to Tim and his son, meant finding more hotels, being away from work and school and not knowing whether they will even be back that week. Another example was my very first trip, moving to Mountain Village. My first flight from Anchorage to St. Mary's (small village airport - the connecting flight to Mountain Village's small airport) was cancelled - meaning an extra night in Anchorage. In my rebooking to Bethel, I made the flight to Bethel, but my connecting flight to Mountain was cancelled - an extra night in Bethel - and only one room left at a shady hotel. And finally, during the Christmas break we arrived for our departing flight from St. Mary's (half-hour drive to the airport on unplowed, snow-covered roads, and the 'only' road we have that leads to another village), to have the flight cancelled and we had to drive back to Mountain Village. There was no guarantee of the same flight the next day, so I booked a backup flight from Mountain Village to Bethel to Anchorage with Alaskan Airlines, $550 non-refundable/with credit if cancelled. I get taken up to our small Mountain Village airport the following morning at 10 am to board the plane to Bethel. They call and say the flight from Mountain to Bethel had been cancelled. I'm dropped off back at home. My friends who I am supposed to fly out with from St. Mary's from the previous day's cancellation have already left for the 1:30 pm flight to Anchorage. I find a ride (nothing less than a miracle), from a friend who was grocery shopping in St. Mary's, who drove the half-hour back from St. Mary's to get me and take me back to the airport in St. Mary's to 'hopefully' get on the 1:30 pm flight. I made the airport in time, but our flight out to Anchorage ended up being delayed until 5:00 pm. But...we did fly out! Had that flight been cancelled, we would not have been able to get a flight out until the following week. Ughhhhhhh! Wow! I have a few more examples, but...I think you probably get it.

If I peel away these outer layers of unfortunates and some sad moments from the blog, I'm back to a very content and happy existence. I say this with all sincerity and humble honesty, I really do love it here and this is the place I'm proud to call home. I'm truly excited for what 2020 will hold for me here 'and' elsewhere and I'm excited to tell you about it. My readership here has gone down quite a bit, so for the two people who are still reading, lol, I look forward to you coming back to hear more about my life that I now call the Alaskan Adventure.

Stay tuned, more to come...

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 9 - In Review

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 9 - In Review

It's that time. The half year review. The good news is that I'm not being reviewed, but that I'm reviewing the first five months of my new life here in Mountain Village. I arrived on August 1st and in all honesty, if it ended now (which it's not people - don't worry), I have literally had the experience of a lifetime. My move to Alaska and Mountain Village was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. We all have to admit that change is scary. It was for me too. Most of my life I have felt like the proverbial square peg in the round hole, whether it was in relationships, with jobs or with my decision making process in general. The only thing I 'ever' felt was a good fit for me was my love for baseball and my pursuit/dream to be a professional baseball player. But now, for the first time in 27 years, my move to Mountain Village, Alaska is a perfect fit, the round peg in the round hole. This is my home.

What is home like now? Well, I've definitely settled in as I have written in the last couple of posts. The first thing that resonates to me is regarding the dark. Again, so many of my close friends and family were very concerned about how the dark would affect my bipolar illness, but it hasn't at all. I put on my 'happy lamp' (thank you Hazel Walters), which is next to my bed, every night for about 20 minutes before I go to sleep, so I'm sure that helps a little. I'm estimating here, so no one fact check me please, but the sun rises 'about' 11:00 am and sets 'about' 4:30 pm. Not a lot of sunlight, but you know what, it's okay. I get up in the dark and go home from work later in the evening in the dark. These changes seem to grow on you and become a part of the regularity of your day. Not a big deal.

How you dress seems to be a newer addition as well this time of year. The temperatures are hovering around zero, give or take a plus or minus here and there. I'm laughing out loud right now, because I was thinking of a way to explain the cold here. I think of it as a breathtaking cold, that literally takes my breath away and makes me cough a few times until I get used to it. It's like some people say that Arizona has a 'dry' heat. Well, Alaska has a 'dry' cold. It hits you hard at first, but like anything else here you get used to it. It's completely normal to see everyone in the AC Grocery Store with their snowsuits, Carhartt bibs and every other mask, glove and hat accessory possible. I was at a dance earlier in the fall, in muck boots, jeans and a sweatshirt so fashion is what you make it. I love that about up here. But I also have my head up my ass on most lunch hours as I will dash across the parking lot (after I get my daily sunrise pic), and go to my apartment for lunch. I'm running in tennis shoes, no jacket, no hat, no gloves...nothing. I can just hear my mom shouting, "Matthew, put some clothes on!", from somewhere in Heaven. Sorry Mom. Old habits die hard.

If I had to assess my first four and a half months in the classroom, I have to say that it is the best year of teaching in my twenty years as an educator. What that means is that in combination, I have the best group of students, teacher aides, paraprofessionals, staff and administration that I have ever had - combined. It is the first time in what feels like forever, that I wake up and look forward to going to work everyday. My kids are great and I love the people I work with. It's a great environment and I know there aren't a lot of people who can say that. I come in everyday and simply try to have fun. I just try to create a healthy mix of role model, silly teacher, story teller and the rest I make up as I go. With my staff members - jokes, sarcasm, and free flowing compliments make me feel a part of the school as I feel it should feel. Seeing my kids happy every day, seeing them enjoying their time at school and seeing their academic successes makes it all worth it. Hearing "Mr. Matt" called throughout the day is the best thing in the world to hear, second only to, "I love you Mr. Matt".

I have to admit that it doesn't hurt that my bipolar illness has been hovering in mania since late August. The best way to describe it is that it is like an emotional high that keeps you in a happy, upbeat, optimistic, enthusiastic, smiley, bubbly, ambitious and outgoing attitude. Yes, all those things at once. You feel alive and you can accomplish anything and everything. Unfortunately, I think it is the reason why I also stay up until 1-2 am most nights and sometimes later. I just feel like I can accomplish so much more from 9 pm to 2 am in the morning. My close friends are encouraging me to curb this somewhat and I appreciate that. But with all due respect to the people around me, I am with kids and adults from 6:30 am to 8:30 pm and I 'need' time for me to just be alone. My classroom is that reprieve from everyone and everything. Lol, except Earl the nightwatchman, who is a good friend of mine now. In my world, I get work done at a slower pace, I text, I FaceTime, I take power-naps in my comfy, red story chair and I blast music as loud as it can go, i.e. right now, The Scorpions - Rock You Like A Hurricane. I know I can cut back on hours, but the time here is for me and it's my 'happy place'.

I have to tell you about the unfortunate 'worry' that looms here in Mountain Village. And that is the worry or fear in villagers, parents and administrators that teachers may not return from their Christmas and holiday breaks. It's a real thing that has been shared with me on a number of occasions. The first stories I have heard related to teachers who stepped off the plane at Mountain Village and other villages and got a ticket/flight out as soon as they could. It is most likely because of the culture shock and not being able to handle their new environment. The other stories come from teachers who would leave at Christmas and never come back. So the uncomfortable expectation and/or fear is always prevalent. I found out how serious people actually are about this when I tried to tease a little regarding my leaving. I'm traveling outside of the country by myself, to Costa Rica for my break. I have only been out of the country one other time, 22 years ago. My line to my co-workers and the villagers who know me, is that I have my one-way ticket to Costa Rica all set to go. There is usually a three to four second pause before there is an eye-opening response. Then what follows is the directive, "You better not. We need you here." People then usually share the stories of other teachers in the past who had not come back. I also joked and said that if I have a good time, I will be back and if I have a great time, I won't be back. The same responses follow. More directly, my roommate Jeremy, my friends and principals Tim and Jack have make it very clear that they will hunt me down and...well, you know. Overall, I joke. 

My return to Mountain Village is going to bring an exciting and busy start to the new year. In addition to starting the new semester with my little kiddos, I will again be advising the high school's Natural Helpers group, that covers teenage issues, sets up high school activities and most importantly works with the community and its elders. I will also have to fulfill my requirements to extend my teaching license. I'm very nervous about that, but I'm sure it will be fine. I love 'teaching' school, I just don't like 'being in' school anymore. I will have to take a generalized test called the Praxis, and I will also have to complete two courses of Alaskan Cultural Studies. Just trying to get all my worry out of the way now. I was also very fortunate to be presented with the opportunity to start a film club in the high school. I'm going to take what I've learned in my 23 years of acting and writing, in tv commercials and film, and pass it on to the kids to inspire their creativity and talent. I'm really excited about that too. I am also working on filming an independent film that I wrote several years ago, but put on the back burner. The setting, the characters and the concept are all great here in Mountain Village, so I am excited to have the film club kids make it a part of their learning. Here is a little preview.

Well, that's it for my blogs in 2019. I'm so grateful for; all the opportunities I've been given, the wonderful, kind and amazing people I have met and continue to meet, the experiences I have had, the amazing school, students, parents and co-workers I have been blessed with, and for all of you who take the time to follow this journey, which still has more chapters (volumes) to be written.

My love, blessings and heartfelt warm wishes to everyone for your holidays and the new year.

Until next time...stay tuned

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 8 - Darkness Falls

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 8 - Darkness Falls

As the title eludes, darkness is upon me. The days of darkness are growing as it dark by about 5:45 pm and is dark in the morning just past 10:30 am. We had a routine fire drill last morning at 9:00 am and it was eerily dark and unnerving. We walked to our outdoor lines through snow and ice as cell phone lights lit up the dark that surrounded us. Just something new to adjust to.

It's been quite a while since I wrote a blog entry and it feels different now. There was a lot of newness in the first seven entries and as life has settled down here, there isn't the 'wow' factor that accompanied the new adventure. Everyday is still an adventure, but the adventure becomes a part of your daily life and doesn't feel as if it would have the same luster that would peak the interest and curiosity of someone outside of Alaska. People loose interest and life goes on. Obviously everyone has their own life to live and life moves on. No different here in Alaska. I don't know, it just feels like that.

Regarding the change in darkness, honestly, I really don't think it is affecting me as I thought it would. If I didn't elude to or mention it in previous volumes, I have bipolar disorder and have been living with it for 32 years. Some people still run for the hills or change how they treat you, but I don't care anymore. Humbly speaking, there's a good guy under that label and if someone doesn't take the time to get to know the heart of a person first, then they can...(insert clever expletive or analogy here) lol. The common thread of concern from family and friends back in Wisconsin was their worry as to how I was going to handle the darkness, and how it was going to affect my mental and emotional health. So far I have to say that it hasn't been an issue for me at all. It's clear that the days of light grow shorter and shorter here, but my routine from day to day hasn't dictated a change in my mood at all. I leave for school in the dark, I come home for lunch in the light, I leave school in the afternoon in the light, I go back to school at night in the dark and I return home late in the dark.

What is probably affecting my health the most is my lack of sleep and something I admittedly have to work on. I need and am supposed to be getting 7-hours a night, but am getting on average, 3-4 hours of sleep a night. I have 100 excuses, none of which are good, but if I had to manufacture one it would be that I simply need it. Why? Because I am with kids all day, I am with adults all day and I have a roommate and neighbor-roommate, (both of whom I really like), but am around the other five hours of my day.

I'll paint the picture. I gather my things and head back over to the school about 8:30-9:00 pm. At that time, the video projector comes on, I pick some YouTube music I like and kick my boots and ice-cleats off. From that point on I truly, truly relax. In my mind and actuality, I now have the next four hours to do whatever I want without the time, pressure or expectations of others. You have to realize that there is 'always' work to do. Whether it's preparing lesson plans for the next day, correcting papers, organizing, setting up projects and the list continues, the work will always be there. And that's okay, because now I can take my time and don't feel the normal pressure that the normal hours of the day demand.

I've never been one to be a 'pedestal person', one who needs to hop on one and give everyone his/her opinion about everything. With that said, I've always wanted to make one blanket statement, and that is, I loathe - hate - despise the saying, "Those who can - do and those who can't - teach. Whomever the guy was who said that, I want to give him a firm kick in the dick! If it was a woman, well, she can take a long walk off a short pier or 'something'. Being back in teaching has reminded me, humbly speaking how hard teachers work to do what they do. I will never complain about the summers off or any other time off. Teachers have it really good in many respects, I know. I might be frustrated with some parenting, but overall I am simply grateful to have a job, grateful to be able to be a positive role model for the kids, and hopefully help them to learn a lot and grow into good people. Okay, I'm stepping down from the pedestal now, lol. As I was saying my four or five hours of alone time allows me a lot of freedom to be me and decompress from the day. As long as my work is getting done for the current and next day, there is a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of peace.

One thing I am really excited about in my quiet time is that I have time to pursue a passion that has been in hibernation for some time. For over 23 years I have had a love for acting, writing screenplays and anything to do with film. I stumbled upon some old footage one night and the light came back on. My mind raced with ideas for short films and screenplays that could be shot in Mountain Village and I am so excited to have the passion back. I have been doing a lot of writing and have been creating some fun projects. One is a horror, mystery about the ghosts here in Mountain. Yes, I said ghosts and I will tell you about that in a little bit. As far as film goes, I invested in $500 worth of film equipment and am excited to start creating. Even more exciting is that just recently, my principal Tim Sisk approached me with the incredible news that Mountain Village School received an $11,000 grant for film and recording equipment for film and music production at the school. I am in the process of putting together a film club and hope to give the students the opportunity to learn about film and show some of their hidden talents and abilities. I always hoped I could find a way to take my love of film and share it with others and now I have been given a wonderful opportunity. I am very excited to share more of this with you as it develops.

Well, I gave the teaser so I should probably tell you about the ghosts and little people in and around Mountain Village, and the lower Yukon Delta. Of course the second you read this, doubt will fill the minds of most of you and you'll politely dismiss anything else I say from this point on. Regardless, after having been here for over three months, I have talked to countless villagers who separate from others and alone, have shared similar and related stories of hauntings in the school as well as the stories of 'little people' who live outside of the villages, in the woods and on the tundra in the lower, Yukon Delta. As I ask more people, they immediately admit to knowing about the little people and share their story or one related to a family member of theirs. The little people are seen in the form of lights that move along the hillsides and from a distance. However they have been seen in person on several occasions according to personal encounters. People are actually afraid of them and if these small lights approach, people quickly leave. There is a consistent story that the little people took a young girl from a nearby village. She was never seen again. Another small boy was taken from the same village, told an exact account of the little people, what they looked like, the type of place they lived, and saw the little girl who went missing forty years earlier. She was still a young girl, but the little people would not let her go. The boy was let go and told of his capture and release. A villager from a neighboring village has a real picture of a 'little' looking through a door window. I saw the picture and it is scary. This sounds unbelievable, I understand, but you would not believe how many separate people know and can tell this story passed down from their previous generations.

Regarding the ghosts, it is also believed that Mountain Village School is haunted as well. Our principal, other teachers, night watchmen and several custodians have shared and reported similar encounters in the school, mostly in the evening that are paranormal and unexplainable in any logical way. Doors closing and opening unexpectedly, clear, audible footsteps being heard and furniture being moved or falling when present, and having been moved when no one is around. And God's honest truth, the room that I was assigned has had a number of reported happenings. Not kidding! Okay, I'm just going to say it, and if you believe me, great, and if not, well that's your choice. Literally, while I was typing this particular paragraph, my classroom door closed suddenly, I felt goosebumps and a tingling throughout my entire body and shortly after there were footsteps right above me. You need to know that there is no upstairs above me. It is ceiling tile and metal roof. I have heard the footsteps before late at night and finally asked the guys-custodians what they were doing up there so late at night. Were they getting equipment, putting something away, or what? They informed me that there wasn't a room up above me and I was actually hearing footsteps that other people have also heard. Holy sh#t! And again, swear to God, I have heard those footsteps a number of times.

Back to the non-paranormal. In the last blog I wrote about how life had become more routine here and that continues in a very familiar and comfortable way. Most weeknights I spend here in the classroom as I explained earlier. Weekdays we try to work out in the gym, weight room after school and I try a few times a week to get to the AC Grocery store to get necessities and spend a few hundred dollars on six items. I joke. It's very expensive though and to date, the food, sticker shock hasn't worn off. I still try to make bingo once in a while to see villagers I have been getting to know and want to say hi to. I took in my first Yupik Dance night, learning traditional dances (the only male doing it), and I also take daily trips to the post office, which are also a staple. Weekends I have stopped going into the school unless I need a getaway, want to watch a movie or Netflix on my projection screen, or have lesson plans to do. Since I stay up until 2:00-3:00 am most nights, Saturday and Sunday are 11:00 am sleep-ins. If you disturb my slumber you awaken a giant. Lol. Weightlifting is also a staple on weekends and we try to make a trip to the neighboring town of St. Mary's, one-half hour away for groceries at the bigger AC, which has a bigger and better selection of food. The St. Mary's trips will soon stop as the snow makes the roads impassible in SUVs and trucks. If you can hitch a ride on a snow machine, that's your best bet for getting there. A snow machine cuts your trip to St. Mary's down to twenty minutes. Ice fishing also picks up now and invitations to join are starting to come in. The villagers say it is one of the most fun and exciting events of the winter. I'm excited to be a part. I haven't ice fished since my father was alive and over 30 years ago. I know it will bring back a lot of fond memories.

Well, that's it for now. Quite a variety of shares and events. Thank you for reading and sharing my adventures. I'm grateful to everyone who takes the time to read these.

Until next time, stay tuned... 

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 7 - Bits and Pieces

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 7 - Bits and Pieces

I thought in this entry I would give a little of the 'bits and pieces' that I maybe haven't talked about or fit in to the normal activities, i.e. some of the random 'others' that go on in the village. 

I've talked before about the dogs that follow me to and fro throughout the village and honestly it's hard to talk about, but a reality nonetheless. There has only been one dog that has scared me and that was the big, brown dog that comes after me barking as I walk to the AC (grocery store). Otherwise, every other dog that I have encountered has been sweet as pie, and more often than not was more afraid of me. There are many though and they are everywhere. One thing you won't see here, to the best of my observation and knowledge are pure bred dogs. Almost every one of the dogs that I have seen have been a mix or mut of some kind. Amazingly there must have been some kind of Husky breed that made its way through the village, because some of these dogs have the most amazing eyes you have ever seen. Really, I'm not kidding! Their eyes are beautiful. The second thing I have to mention and don't take it personally 'you people in the Lower-48', the dogs up here are tough as nails. There is little coddling, no panic at the drop of rain or cold, and no car rides to stick their little, furry heads out of. Most are out in the rain and cold and stay there. And instead of bully sticks and treats, you might be more apt to see a dog chewing on part of a moose leg. Again, that's not every dog in the village, but from what I've observed, it applies to a great majority. Now the sad part. Due to the great number of loose dogs running about in the village, there is a cleansing that takes place from time to time. From what was shared with me by people in the village, there has to be a controlled balance of the population of the dogs. One, there is a rare possibility that too many dogs could form a pack and be a risk to the small children in the village. Secondly, with so many dogs running free there just has to be a management of the population. What ends up happening, usually during a day when the kids are in school, there is a group of people who come through and shoot any dog that is not on a leash. Those dogs are then discarded. It is a policy in the village that all dogs need to be on a leash, but many dogs for whatever reason are allowed to run free. It is also understood that anyone who shoots a loose dog receives $20 for helping with the population control. Coming from the Lower-48 where I experienced dog ownership in a much different way, it is hard to wrap my head and heart around. I have yet to see or hear of anyone collecting on the $20 and honestly hope I don't, but I understand it is a part of the life and culture here and I respect that. In closing on the dog stories, I will turn to my little friend I named Napoleon, the small white dog that barks at me like he's a Rottweiler every time I walk to the AC. I love him and always look forward to his exuberant greeting. 

I experienced my first 'Fiddling' this weekend. It is a two day event, a fundraiser for the Russian Orthodox Church in the village. It's held at Community Hall, the same location as Bingo. There was a full, five man band and they played a mix between what sounded like country and bluegrass. They sounded really good. People enjoyed the music and the floor was open to a variety of dancing. The neat thing to see was that there was a large age range of people. Young kids, many of which were my students all the way to a good number of elders from the village. People were spread around the outside of the hall, while kids ran and played about, people munched on popcorn balls and snacks and shared good conversation. I sat quietly and enjoyed watching, but as I tried to hide off to the side, they found me. They found me! The women I was sitting by did find a way to get me out on the dance floor. I danced two dances and I know people were genuinely happy to see me out there. Despite having two left feet and learning the dance steps, I had a really good time. The bigger picture is just being able to get out and meet more people in the village. I really enjoy that part of the events and activities.

Our spring water runs continue as usual, but I'm worried about the weather looming on the horizon of October and the winter months to come. The spring flows right next to and into the Yukon River. It's about a mile from our house and with the size of the containers we take to fill up, you have to take the district truck. Then you park at the top of Spring Road and walk another quarter mile or less down to the spring. There are a lot of different opinions about water in the village. Some people subscribe to the feeling that they will never touch a drop from the faucet and bubblers (yes I call them bubblers). Then there are others who have no problem with drinking the tap water and water in the school. Then...you have the proponents who swear by the spring water as pure and hearty and a few who won't touch the spring water. It's a pretty even mix and you'll find many of the villagers and teachers use water purification for their water regardless. It's the winter I worry about. Walking that short, quarter mile down to the spring is pleasant in the fall, summer and spring, but throw in the snow and bitter cold...ahh...no. So at this point, water purifying is sounding really good, and I'm conducting my water-gathering interviews and researching the best purifiers. Right now it's a fun activity with Jeremy and some of the others in the group, but Old Man Winter is rearing his weathered face. As I write this, we are on our second day of light snow.

You wouldn't think laundry would be a topic of interest, but I thought I would mention it for kicks and giggles. Washing clothes isn't really a priority for me, but obviously a necessity. I'm a clean person by nature, but when you wear nice clothes to school and don't have too many other activities outside of school, there really isn't much to do in terms of wash. I gave away a plethora of clothes when I left Wisconsin and I could only roll and pack so many pieces into my suitcase coming to Alaska. So with a limited wardrobe I wear things over and over, because nobody really cares what you’re wearing. Outside of school, there really isn't a fashion awareness you need to have. Jeans, muck boots, a tee shirt and a sweatshirt are my staple, go-to outfit. I do change my underwear once in a while. I know…you’re saying, “Ewe”. I’m just kidding about the underwear. I change it daily. But like I said, fashion just isn’t an issue up here. Clothing functionality is.  The weather helps as it is relatively predictable. Predictable in the sense that it changes what seems like every fifteen minutes. So if it’s raining, you put your hoodie up, not raining, hoodie down. I have to be honest, I like it. K.I.S.S. "Keep it simple silly", as I say to my students. I wore my muck boots, jeans, a sweatshirt and a stocking cap to the Fiddling dance the other night for crying out loud. Simply put, lol.

My last of the little bits and pieces are the unique differences in how words are viewed here in Alaska compared to the Lower-48 where I come from. Here are just a few and I'm sure there are many more to come. What most people in the United States will call a 'water fountain' as they call it here in Alaska, I know as a 'bubbler'. You know, because the water 'bubbles' out as we were told growing up. A second is the way villagers and kids especially, respond to a joke. As soon as a joke or something funny toward someone is told, I am used to saying, "I'm just joking or I'm just kidding". Students and people here will tell their joke or funny and immediately say, "I joke!" It's funny to hear. Another is referring to the vehicles that drive around the village. I know them as 'four-wheelers'. If you talk to anyone in the village, you must be referring to a 'Honda'. Everyone rides a 'Honda'. The same is true of the winter vehicles. What I know as a 'snowmobile' back in the Lower-48, is a 'snowmachine' here. Another expression is out of respect for wildlife. When moose hunting season arrives, you don't 'kill or shoot' a moose. Here in the village, you 'catch' a moose. Villagers have shared that it is out of respect for the animal and traditions of respecting what the moose offers of itself in terms of food and sustenance for families. The last expression is amongst the kids again. Where I am used to someone telling me that someone isn't sharing, the kids will come up to me and say, "So and so is 'being stingy' with the jumprope (not sharing)". Very funny.

Well...that's all folks. Not as meaty or exciting as I try to get other blogs to be, but like the title says, "bits and pieces".

Until next time...stay tuned.

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 6 - Village Life

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 6 - Village Life

Beyond the Yukon River boat trips, moose hunts and river logging, there is a village life that brings normalcy to the Alaskan Adventure I usually write about. As you read further on you will soon discover that normalcy takes on its own meaning, depending upon your own perspective. So many questions run through my mind as I wonder who sits behind the phone, tablet or computer reading these blogs? What routines do you follow in your big city, your village or possibly your small town? What do you do from waking up to laying your head back down each night? Do thoughts of how good your life actually is, run through your mind? I'm certainly doing a lot more retrospective thinking now that I'm here in Mountain.

I'd like to share with you what that normalcy looks like here as I experience it day to day. Mornings start with a shower, and a light breakfast. I'm not a morning person, but the shower helps get me going. The next part of my routine involves hanging out in the living room with my roommate Jeremy. Jeremy is the Minnesota transplant I've written about before. His accent is slowly creeping its way into my dialogue, but I'm fighting it all I can, right along with the accents of my group of Arkansas friends. I actually said, "Yall", the other day, unconsciously in conversation. Yikes! If you know of or can picture the old show The Odd Couple, I'm Felix and Jeremy is Oscar. We get along really well and have formed a great friendship. Jeremy is a morning person and can be found feet up, downing a cup of coffee and checking the latest news feeds on his phone. Jeremy sits on the gray couch and I find my place on the opposite side of the room on the red, reclining couch. Our banter begins. I check my messages, some social media and we share some laughter and expectations for the day.

We usually like to start the day at school pretty early to get a good jump on lesson plans and any copies we have to make for the day. School starts at 8:50 am, so 7:00 am starts our day. We've already come to the point where it is dark when I head over to the school and the days continue to grow shorter and darker by the minute. When I come home late at night it's dark too. The consistent darkness is another beast yet to come on a more serious level and I will have to address that sooner than later when it's dark for the majority of the day. It's just not something I want to face right now. Regardless, the school days usually go pretty quickly as the hours seem to fly buy with the schedule we have.

At 11:10 am I drop my students off at the lunch room and head over to my apartment for lunch. If you remember, I have ninety steps from my door to the school doors. Quick commute. Some days I may wander further east and take an extra one-hundred steps to the tribal offices to grab a can of pop (Pepsi) and back to my apartment across the road. Trying to quit the pop again. The half-hour seems to fly by and I cross paths with Jeremy at the apartment for the last ten minutes of my lunch. It's a quick visit with a few fun jabs, some laughter and quick conversation. The rest of the school day seems to go just as quickly and before I know it, it's time to walk the kiddos to what I call the Moose Foyer. It's the lobby to release the kids to their parents and out the door for the day. Hanging on the wall, watching over everyone is the gargantuan moose that almost takes over the lobby. Honestly, it's pretty cool. My kids leave with a, "Have a good day", a hand slap or fist bump and a smile to take home.

There are usually some loose ends to tie up in the classroom, but we gather our stuff pretty quick and head to the post office. The first month of school was spent ordering supplies and miscellaneous items from Amazon to have all the basics we needed. One thing you can count on is never actually knowing when your packages would arrive. What about the tracking number you might ask? Well, it doesn't really matter, because there are so many variables to the mail arriving on time. Weather grounds planes, packages get held up in storage at various airports and in rare occurrences, some packages are lost or stolen for their contents. This was sadly the case for me as I sent a package in the last week of July, it was received August 27 by my own post office and disappeared. It was searched for by countless people and entities and no luck. I can't even begin to tell you all that was lost, but it is heartbreaking. Not much you can do about it, but you deal with it and move on.

Post office runs have turned into a take-your-turn errand after school. A regular trip starts with getting the key to the school's pickup truck and driving three blocks through the dirt roads to the post office. It's easily a quick walk, but we always have multiple packages between the seven of our main group. You head in, say hi to our friendly mail guys, Issac and Blake and make the usual request. "Hey Blake, any packages for Matthew, Jeremy, Charlotte, Jack, Josh, Nicki or Carol?" You wait anxiously and learn that one of the others has five or six and you have none. Sometimes I'll ask Blake why he doesn't like me. We get a good laugh and he says, "Maybe tomorrow", with a smile. When I do have a package, I'm a kid in a candy store and Christmas has arrived.

After the post office, we're usually walking and head back home to our apartment. The walk home takes us back to the school and around the front to our apartment. A typical day, weather permitting includes as many as 30-40 students playing around the school and walking the roads. No roads are paved in the entire village. We cut through the playground and are summoned by the calls and shouts of multiple, "Teacher, Mr. Miller, Mr. Matt, hey Mr. Matt, hey Mr. Miller, hey Teacher", and kids run to talk with us. Everyone wants to know where we're going, what we're doing, why, and if they can have some candy. We have fun with them, joking, asking about school and finding something silly or humorous to laugh with them about.

By the time we reach our apartment, there may be two of our frequent flyers who are still with us. They're the little kiddos who stop frequently to serenade us with, "Hey Mr. Matttttt? Mr. Millerrrrrr? (Knock, knock, knock on the window off of our deck) Mr. Matt. Mr. Matt. Mr. Miller. Mr. Miller." Most times we answer and have a quick chat, but very often we just have to give a wave, share a smile and close the curtains. Kids often ask for a snack, a drink of water or candy. It's a tough thing to address, as it happens daily, but you love these little people and you understand that some of them are coming from some pretty tough situations.

Getting home after the school day is reserved for some down time. Jeremy and I usually come home pretty quick after school and grab a bite to eat. It's a good chance to decompress from the day and take some deep breaths. We retreat to our normal spots on the respective couches and share stories of the day and a few laughs to help wind down. My friendship with Jeremy has been a blessing in disguise and having someone to vent to and bounce ideas off of, has replaced a lot of stress I thought I'd be carrying, had I been living by myself.

After an hour of relaxing, if I don't fall asleep, we head over to the school to lift weights. Josh, the third person in our trio, another great guy from Arkansas, meets us at the school and the three of us work out together while his two sons shoot hoops in the gym. It's not much of a workout room, maybe 15' x 30'. Enough equipment and weights for us to get a good workout in though. We're just happy to have a place to lift and hang out together, as it gives us something to do and bond over. Once again, it's a great opportunity for us to share our days, tell what's new in our worlds, and again have some good laughs at the expense of each others' shortcomings, always in good fun.

After the workout is over, we usually pick one of a few choices. One is to take a walk down to the AC (Azachorok, Inc.) grocery store down by the river. Even if we don't need anything it's nice to get out and go for a walk. Jeremy usually stays behind and I'll make the long, but peaceful walk on my own. Well...peaceful until the big brown dog comes chasing toward me halfway down the road. He or she never comes right up to me, but it's enough that I usually change my pants when I get home, from fear-pooping. I know, I know, gross. But if you saw this dog and it was coming toward you the way it does me, you'd be changing pants too. And no, there is not another way to go. The other route around the village would add another half hour. Anyway, I now carry my small, extending umbrella with me and hope that my fury friend doesn't notice me on the other side of the road. The irony of this is that there are four or five other free-roaming dogs that either follow me along my walk or who cross my path on the walk and they're sweet as pie. Sometimes I'll pick up some additional walkers, as kids will see me walking and want to join me on the trek to the store. Some hopeful that there is a snack in their future and some just want to walk along with Mr. Matt.

When I do finally arrive at the store I have already passed and waved at five to ten various villagers passing on their four-wheelers or Hondas as they refer to them here. Most people I will know as they pass and if I don't, everyone is polite to wave. The AC is a bit of a hub for people and is the kind of neighborhood place where you do know almost everyone and have a chance to say hi and catch up a bit. The dirt parking lot always has a collection of Hondas scattered next to and around the entry way. You see fellow teachers, parents and the familiar sounds of, "Hi Mr. Matt. Hi Mr. Matt." It's a good feeling and never gets old. Honestly, it doesn't. And the cool thing is that it never gets awkward with parents. They are just as friendly and engaging as a neighbor or a friend. It's a really good feeling. So I'll check out with the five or six items that I didn't need and make my way out for my walk home. Same walk as I made to the AC, Hondas passing, kids calling, dogs chasing and this time...uphill. On my way back I usually take a shortcut through the lot of barge-size, shipping containers near the top of the hill, which leads through the path and overgrown brush to my apartment. Not that I don't love seeing the kids as I usually pass the playground, but it gives me a little anonymity for a brief moment in my day.

I'm now near the 7:00 pm hour and I start deciding how the rest of my night will go. If I'm still hungry, I'll make a little something to fill a void or tide me over from my walk to the AC. Jeremy and I will find our respective seats and debate whether we should relax a little longer or head over to school to work in our classrooms. Truth be told, that is a regular event in the week for us. Most of the teachers are smart and relax for the night. For Jeremy and I it is something to do and a welcomed distraction. I guess it became a habit as we went the first month without internet or a tv. Going to the classroom was the thing to do and we thought nothing of it. We have the benefit of internet in our classrooms so it was only a bonus to be working there too. Whether it be lesson plans, projects for the walls, work on the computer, or something else, we keep busy. To Jeremy's credit, he knows when to say when and usually heads home about 11:00-11:30 pm. For me and those who know me, I just can't do that. I feel more productive in the late hours of the night and try to make the most of my energy at that time. My hours usually extend to 12:00 or 1:00 am and I make the short, slow walk across the dirt parking lot (90 steps to my door) in the dark. Yes I'm usually exhausted and need more sleep, but keeping busy and embracing the late hours is what I need right now to make it day to day. Earlier in the week I did have one day where I made it home and was in bed by midnight, so I gave myself a big pat on the back for that one.

Each night you can also expect to hear the air sirens go off at 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm. The 9:00 sirens are the curfew warning for the kids in the village to get home. 10:00 sirens are for the teenagers to head home and for villagers to stop riding Hondas for noise consideration. In the summers the curfews are 10:00 for kids and 11:00 for teenagers and Hondas. I've been out pretty late a few times coming from friends' places and the kids are still out and playing. If there were any one thing (of many) that we would wish for the kids, is that they would get more sleep and there are just so many who don't. It makes me sad. So many are tired when they come to school. The sirens also have two other purposes. If the sirens go off in three successive rounds, it means that there is a fire in the village. If there are four successive sirens it means there is a lockdown. You lock your doors and are expected to stay indoors. I experienced my first lockdown on a Saturday, two weeks ago when a villager apparently had too much to drink and was on his Honda with a high-powered rifle. It was early in the morning and most people were sleeping, and safe in their homes.

Weekends are usually pretty laid back and Saturday and Sunday are 'sleep-in' days for me. I'm not a morning person by nature as I've mentioned, so I treasure that time to sleep a little longer on the weekend. It's usually a 9:00 am rise-and-shine, but that recovery sleep feels sooooooo good. Just like the weekdays, Jeremy is usually up before me and can be found fixated in his couch spot with coffee and phone in hand, catching up on news and emails. I take my couch spot and as usual we throw out ideas for the day. Honestly, I had originally envisioned my time very isolated and independent when I first got up here. Ironically, there don't seem to be many days that we are not all doing something together, whether it's the weekdays or weekends. There is just a comfort in having the camaraderie that goes with being here. With very little choice of things to do, friendships have been a Godsend.

So I've talked about most of the things to do during the week and the weekends offer a few more. We just got our tv a week ago and with welcomed timing, we got our DVD player from Amazon and a plethora of DVD's that my son Seth sent to me from Wisconsin. There is also a form of a Redbox at our AC Store, so that provides some opportunities to see newer films that have just come out. If you're wondering why we don't have cable, which is not available here, or DISH which is the only other option, we just chose not to get it. Many people do, but we just aren't in our apartment enough to warrant having it. If you do, it can be very expensive. Another question some people have is about internet. There is a company up here named GCI that has a monopoly on internet. You can get some cheaper packages, but if you go over your limits of data, you pay exorbitant overage fees. Your only other choice is to get their bigger packages, which run as much as $300 or more a month here. Not joking, $300 or more a month. If you go over on those data plans, get your checkbook and savings ready, because they'll get you. It's widely talked about here and is the reason we go over to the school to get our internet fix. So if you're feeling bad about Spectrum or whatever cable company you're with...B-O-O H-O-O. Nothing personal. I've been in Wisconsin and some other states and I know how the cable companies get ya'.

Okay, enough internet babble. The mornings on Saturday usually start off with a workout at the school weight room. Jeremy, Josh and I head over and try to wake up a bit. On the weekends we are usually joined by our friend and assistant principal Jack, who also happens to be our next door neighbor. Like the others, Jack is one of the nicest people you could meet. Jack and I share common ground as he was born and raised in Waupaca, Wisconsin and is a Packer fan. However, jokingly Jack lost some favor with me as I found out he moved to Arkansas and picked up an accent. I don't hold that against him. He's an incredible support for all of us and a welcomed friend and neighbor.

Saturdays have also come to be known as a St. Mary's day. St. Mary's is the only other village connected by a road, the only road out of Mountain Village and dead ends at St. Mary's. If you want to go to any other towns, you need to hop in a boat on the Yukon River or catch a flight from our Mountain Village Airport, which is a landing strip and simply that, a landing strip. We like to go to St. Mary's because they have a bigger AC Store, with a bigger variety of foods and household items to purchase. More importantly it gives us a chance to go somewhere and have some fun in the process. The ride is full of an unimaginable amount of potholes and bumps, as well as an endless supply of stories and laughs amongst the group. The roundtrip usually takes about four hours and we're back by dinner. Speaking of which, we have consistently began a trend to have dinner at someone's house either Saturdays or Sundays. It's just another way we have created a very strong bond and support system among the group and other teachers and staff.

That leaves a few remaining weekend options to consider. Again, the common one for Jeremy and I is to head over to our classrooms and try to do whatever it is we need to do for the upcoming week, or anything miscellaneous that we didn't get done during the week. It's a good distraction and as mentioned is a nice break and getaway from the apartment. Very often we're joined by our other roommate Charlotte who is the sixth grade teacher. She's not technically our roommate, but our duplex is connected by a common laundry room and we just leave the doors unlocked. Charlotte is one of the many Arkansas transplants and is a wonderful person with a heart of gold. She's become our sister and no topic is off limits, except that we promised her we would never fart around her. It's a fair compromise for the kindness and amazing cooking she often does for us. Anyway, Charlotte usually joins us at the school on those weekend nights of work. There are several more teachers who have become great friends as well and spend an equally amazing amount of time in their classrooms. I will tell you more about them in a future blog.

Back to the other choices. In no particular order, the village, city and/or tribe will offer events for the kids and adults. We have had dances and movies shown at the Community Hall (same place as Bingo), movies for the students in the school cafeteria, or city volleyball at the school gym, which I joined last Friday. I'm still feeling the physical affects of playing again as this 50-year-young body had to get used to running and diving around a volleyball court. The city volleyball is pretty cool, because they sell tickets to get in and concessions, and you'd be really surprised that the gym and bleachers get pretty full with people from the village who just want to get out and watch an athletic event. You get to see a lot of the students and their parents again and it's a really relaxed and friendly environment.

If we're lucky enough to have some good weather on the weekend and we're asked, we can catch a ride with one of our village friends and do some fishing. The commercial fishing season is over, but some villagers still go out to catch for their family. We spent much of our first month going to the Kwikpak Company to pick up free salmon and taking it home to filet as a group, to fill our freezers. Good weather might also afford me a walk along the river or time for Jeremy and I to fill all of our water containers at the natural spring, which is located about a mile down and along the river.

Well, that's all folks. That is what village life is like here in Mountain Village. I'm sure I forgot something or a variation of things we do from day to day, but that's a pretty good snapshot of my life here. One of Jeremy's favorite things to say is, "We're living the dream man." In many ways, we are. I've developed such an appreciation for my life after getting here and seeing how truly lucky I am in this life. There's no perfect life. We all know that. But I'm certainly appreciating my life in ways that I never thought or dreamed I would.

Until next time... 

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 5 - Spontaneity

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 5 - Spontaneity

The last couple of weeks have been filled with some great new adventures. Now mind you, these adventures are not typical and are far from planned out. Imagine getting done with your day at work and a friend stops by, and asks you what you’re up to that night. You’re not sure so you tell them you’re still figuring it out. Then they suddenly ask you if you’d like to go on a moose and whale hunt down the Yukon River and out to the Bering Sea. Well...uh...’yeah’!!! Their next response is, "great", pack a bag for two days and we’ll leave in an hour. Your jaw drops, you pinch yourself and are on your way to get ready. I was asked by two friends in the village, Mathew and Sarah, who had welcomed me with open arms since I arrived in the village back in the beginning of August. I was also joined by Jeremy and Josh, my partners in crime (no crimes really), who have become two best friends and are a couple of the guys I spend most of my time with around the village. They too are big outdoor adventurers and it made for a fun group. The two day trip was amazing to say the least. To highlight; we traveled 252 miles by boat, saw 32 moose, got 3 geese and 2 ducks, collected whale bones, camped on the edge of the Bering Sea, saw Baluga whales surface, witnessed a spectacular sunrise and had a ton of laughs. 

The second adventure came while relaxing on the couch after a day of work. The 7:30 pm phone call came, and again the surprise request. “Hey, what are you doin’? Wanna go catch a moose?" Of course I was off the couch before I could even hang up the phone. So my roommate Jeremy and I were on our way with Mathew again, to catch a moose. And yes, that’s the proper terminology up here. You don’t shoot or kill a moose, you ‘catch’ it. When we arrived to our destination, and after a short tracking of the female moose, Mathew dropped it with one-shot precision. The next hour-and-a-half was one of the most amazing biology lessons I have ever experienced. Mathew had done hundreds of ‘dressings’ (cutting and cleaning) of moose in his life and it quickly showed. He knew every inch of the moose, and meticulously cut, separated and saved everything that would be kept for food. Jeremy and I assisted in as many ways as we could, while we listened to Mathew share his traditions, experiences and stories from years of hunting moose. It was amazing. Speaking of traditions, Mathew told us about one tradition that involved eating a piece of the liver as part of the catch. Instantly my eyes popped out of my head, I silently cringed, and I think I swallowed my tongue. I’m not sure. Thoughts of yaking my guts out quickly crossed my mind. And of course Jeremy is standing across from me like a little kid on Christmas saying excitedly, “Yeah, let’s do it!” I wanted to pick up a handful of moose guts and throw it at him. Now at this moment I’m thinking I would rather eat a block of cheese, which I hate (and yes I know, how can I hate cheese if I’m from Wisconsin? I just do.). Well...to make this long story longer, Mathew cut a piece for both of us, I chewed it up, swallowed and smiled. You know what they say, “When in Rome...!” I knew by the looks on Mathew and Jeremy’s faces that they were laughing their asses off inside, but I did it. Well, from there, the night culminated with Mathew offering us a hind quarter of the moose, which we humbly accepted. So after dropping us off on his four-wheeler, Jeremy and I hauled the huge leg into the kitchen of our apartment. We didn’t have any newspaper for the table so I grabbed a sheet off my bed that would soak up the blood while we carved the meat off. Surprising I know, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. We cut and cut and cut, and ended up with a freezer full of meat. It was really cool to be a part of. 

The last couple of weeks also introduced me to a legend in Mountain Village, Thomas Tookalook. I was buying my muck boots before our first hunting trip, down at Kwikpak, where we regularly getting our salmon. One of the villagers who I was having a pleasant conversation with, told me to tell my friend Mathew that Thomas Tookalook said he (Mathew) had no idea what he was doing while moose hunting. I laughed and said I would pass along the message. I asked his name again to be sure I had it right. The man reiterated, “Thomas Tookalook”. When I passed the message onto Mathew a little while later, he could not stop laughing. Mathew soon explained that Thomas Tookalook was the pretend name of the village, peeping Tom. Thomas Took-A-Look. It was the fake name that villagers liked to use to have fun with the newcomers and I took it, hook, line and sinker. Oh my gosh. We all got a good laugh and I will be a little bit more on guard as to some of the new names that I learn. 

Another exciting addition to my life in Mountain Village was being able to experience bingo for the first time. Every Monday night at the village’s town hall, people gather to play bingo. It is another great opportunity to meet people, and you get to see some very serious and devoted bingo players. I recruited several of our group to come along and was joined by Jeremy, Jack, Josh and his wife Niki, who are all part of Mountain Village School. It was a lot of fun. And wouldn’t you know it, beginners luck was on my side and I won a round to the tune of $68. Not too shabby. I will be sure to return the following Monday for more laughs and camaraderie. 

At this point, the first 2 1/2 weeks of teaching we’re now in the books as well. I have to say that I have been very lucky to start the year with a great group of people to work with. Not only the teachers, but every single person from the village who works in the school have been amazing to me. And honestly, I couldn’t be more sincere about that. They continue to welcome me like I am a part of the family and village and are genuinely interested in knowing about my life, where I come from and offer any and all advice you would ever want to know about the village. One funny observation that I’ve made since I’ve started at the school, is the very humble way that everyone from the village says good morning. It is simply that, “Good morning”. I am so used to seeing people in the morning and saying mid-west, Wisconsin things like, “Hey, how are you? How are you doing today? Hi, how’s it going? Hi, how are ya’?” And I get the same response from the villagers every-single-time simply, “Good morning”. I think I can learn a good lesson from this. Maybe not always expect a dissertation from people every time you say hello. Just a simple good morning is kind and friendly enough. I now find myself saying a simple, “Good morning”, much more often. I like that better. 

I am also excited to say that this year’s third-grade class, is one of the best and most pleasant that I have had in many, many years. There is just something special about them that makes the group very easy to teach, and just as easy to appreciate and get attached to. Seven boys and thirteen girls make up a great, little group. I’m so excited to see their smiling little faces each day as they greet me with a warm, “Good morning Mr. Matt.” I love it. Another amazing thing that I have experienced with the school is that the kids are a regular fixture around the school after school hours. Not all students obviously, but many. As you already know, the village is small and the kids want to be outside and keep busy. And factor in that teacher housing surrounds the school and that I also hate sitting in my apartment, we regularly see a lot of our students. I’m sure there are many people reading this who might wonder, gosh, how do you handle that? Is that difficult? And honestly, no, not at all. I have learned that there is an unspoken familiarity and security that the kids get from seeing us on a regular basis. They get to see that you are a regular person outside of the classroom as well. You walk around in your muck boots, you go to the grocery store, you go to the spring to get water, you go to church, or you go for walks from here to there. All things that they do, and all things that they are familiar with. It is a very good feeling to not only be Mr. Matt in the classroom, but the same friendly, Mr. Matt around the village. It’s feeling more and more like home...everyday.

Stay tuned...