almost airborne

The house is packed up. My classroom is cleaned, electronics wrapped in plastic, walls are cleared, desks are pushed to one side of the room. My computer is about to be returned and given a clean sweep (re-imaged). I need to make a trash run to the dump with all the junk I"ve accumulated in my house. All of my packed things are hopefully going out on a plane tonight, before I actually leave. It will be waiting for me in Bethel, where I will send it on to EEK.

tonight will be left over pasta, some old re-runs of "Scrubs" and then falling into a peaceful slumber in my sleeping bag. It is always such a rush to finish up at the end of the year. I feel like I've been chasing my tail.

Our site-administrator, TJ, and his wife, the science/math teacher, Kim are also leaving Toksook. The animosity in the village has reached its pinnacle with a couple of people (20 or so) that are dissatisfied with TJ's performance as site administrator. Thus, he is being asked to leave to eliminate any further animosity or possible action against him from the few dissatisfied people in the community. It is really a mess. Most of the community and all of the school staff are very upset that TJ and Kim are leaving Toksook. They will leave a gigantic hole within the school that will be very, very hard to fill. TJ and Kim both got jobs in Napaskiak, which is only 20 miles north of EEK on the Kuskokwim River. It will be nice to stay near them.

I'm definitely going to miss Toksook Bay and the friends that I made here. It's been kind of difficult talking to people and explaining why I'm leaving, but everyone has wished me the best of luck and hopefully a more satisfying teaching position in EEK.

But, come August 11th, we will all be re-united at the district in-service in Bethel. See you all there. Have a great summer!

Dirk and Katja

Another year??? Eek!

That's right! I've made the executive decision that I will continue my work in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta educating young minds and becoming more and more Yup'ik. I won't be in Toksook this year. Instead, I've transferred to a smaller village right off the Kuskokwim river, about 35 miles south of Bethel, called EEK.

Things that won't change

• I will be teaching in a village where I am a minority and don't speak the primary language
• There won't be many trees where I live, if any at all.
• There will be a lot of tundra everywhere
• There will be good fishing.
• I'm still an Alaska resident (cheap AK fishing license)
  

Things that will change

• I'll be teaching a younger age group (5th, 6th, and 7th graders)
• Smaller village (approx. 300) and smaller school (110 students K-12)
  
• I will be a tenured teacher
• I will be working with a new Mac-book computer
• I will be much closer to Bethel (quasai civilization)
• Flatter terrain, no hills nearby. But mountains 50 miles east (2000 - 4000 ft. elev.)
• Better fishing (Kings, Silvers, Chum, Dollys, Grayling, and Sheefish)
  

Anyway, I'm happy with my decision so far. I figured that I won't be stressing about finding a job in the lower 48 with the collapsing economy. I've heard many horror stories about school districts cutting the number of teachers they have and cutting budgets left and right. I just signed a contract today for next year, so my job search is over for a while.

Phew!
Stay tuned for summer adventures and news from EEK!

Last days of school and Spring skiing

It's May 12th and there are 7 more days of school left. Spring is fully upon us and there is a lot of meltage occuring all around us. Many of you who read this are not used to seeing snow around your houses this time of year. Heck, my Dad has been telling me about all the great fishing he has been doing all ready. Well, up here, the ice still locked in the bay and fishing of any kind is weeks if not months away. There is still enough snow (corn snow) to do some skiing if you are willing to work to get to it.
Today, I hiked up over the frozen, but thawing tundra to find a couple of short runs that allowed me to make some turns on my back country skis. I probably looked like a crazy person hiking up the hill with my skis on my shoulder, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Katja was even able to catch herself a little tundra mouse appetizer before dinner.
I would have to say that I definitely earned the runs I made down the hill. The walk to and from the skiable areas was long and soggy. Sure my hands and feet were wet by the time I got back, but it was worth it. Parts of the valley are full of water that has been running off the top and filling up areas in the bottom creating a dirty ice bath. I avoided those places.

Pretty soon, all the snow is going to be gone except for the highest points of land and the deep valleys where the wind packed snow 20 - 30 feet deep. Maybe there will be some snow still here in August. Personally I won't ever know and I'm okay with that.

2/3 of the way out of Alaska

Well, so far, I have packed up all my art work (4 paintings), two boxes of books, 3 tubs full of camping gear, clothes, and fly tying materials, my guitar, my bike, tool box, and random bike accessories. I've given away a tent, a sleeping mattress, a fly rod and reel, and some movies. I plan on taking part in a garage sale type event, where I hope to make a little dough.

When I leave here, I plan on traveling with two tote bins, my backpack, dog and dog kennel, and my carry on bag. Anything else gets thrown away or given away. I don't need it.

Travel light, live light, share the light, be the light

Dirk

We're melting away

Alaska is a difficult place to live in for most of the year and during the winter especially, but the in between seasons are my least favorite times of the year. Fall and Spring. In the fall, the rains turn everything into mud, which gets tracked everywhere. On top of that, when it dries, it turns into dust, especially in carpeted areas. Our whole school has carpet, except for the gym, so that level of dust during the fall in early winter gets pretty high in the school adding to sinus and respiratory problems.

The winter starts out by just getting cold. Tundra freezes solid as well as the rivers and coastal water. Then it starts snowing occasionally. There are a couple of warm spells here and there that melt some of the snow and bring back the mud temporarily. As the winter goes on, the snow levels increase and the storms begin rolling in bring strong wind storms and blowing snow.

In the spring, all that snow starts to melt. This year, the temperatures seemed to shift rapidly and the snow got soft very quickly and started melting away. The days become absolutely beautiful with blue bird skies and warm temperatures. As the snow gets soft, getting around becomes very difficult. Watching the 4-wheelers spin and slide around is quite entertaining. As there is more and more snow turning to water, the snow machines can be seen skimming across the water at full throttle, like jet skis. Walking however, is the most frustrating mode of transportation. At first, you can stay on top of the snow, but as the days go on, particularly later in the day, you start post holing. Post holing is when you break through the upper crust of packed snow and sink down to your knees or upper thigh. With all of the snow turning to water, most of the time you post hole, you sink down to your thigh and your foot ends up in an ice bath.

To combat this, I’ve decided to create some channels to let the melting snow, so the water could easily drain off the land. There is still too much snow for the water to drain completely, so there is a lot of standing water. But, I figure it’s better walk through water know what you are stepping into, as opposed to post holing unexpectedly. It’s a lot of work, but it makes life a little easier. The kids don’t let the multiple ice baths get them down. Eventually the snow will be gone and the mud will return. I hate mud. I really do.

Trying to make the sun shine

Just as fast as the snow is melting away, so are my days here as a teacher. The kiddies don’t know yet, but non the less, they are getting restless. I’ve been trying to keep the news of my leave under the carpet for now. I definitely don’t need my students acting even more belligerent thinking that they have beaten me. Of course, I don’t feel that way, but I’m not a teenager living in a sheltered village of 600, hundreds of miles from any realistic world. This year has been filled with my students wafting through their own little fantasy world, their wild imaginations running at full tilt.

Not to mention, the days are already almost 15 hours long and only getting longer. So I find myself trying to do more and more to keep their mental status fresh and energized for the classroom. I constantly find myself pouring my heart into each day, yet these teenagers find something, sometimes everything that they dislike. Life must be hard for these “almost” young adults in ways that I have forgotten. Yes, life must be hard. Some of my 13 – 15 year old students have their own $8,000 snow machines, brand new i-pods, cell phones. Non of these items are allowed on school grounds, except snow machines if you are 16 years or older.

I guess my students are the same as other teenage students around the country in many ways. Nothing I, or any other adult, could say or do would please them. They surely wouldn’t show it, even if it did. They are constantly spreading doom and gloom when inside the walls of school. Not that I’m trying to be their best bud, but I would like to see them happy in class or enjoying what they are learning. Research has shown that when teenagers go through this adolescent growth spurt, they slow down or sometimes shut down mentally. It’s definitely given me a little insight into what it’s going to be like raising my own kids in the hopeful future.

It’s just kind of draining my own personal energy being present with 18 pessimistic foul tempered teenagers full of complaints about life when it doesn’t go the way they want. I hope that I can make it 4 more weeks. Don’t worry, I will.

Late Spring

The snow is still heavy and the Ptarmigan are still hunkered down deep in the snow. Marty, his nephew Trevor, and I went out to explore the tundra last weekend, but ended up just cruising around on the snow machine. Well at least there are a few signs out on the frozen landscape to help orient travelers towards our village as they are zooming around in the white oblivion.

Thankfully there aren’t any signs leading people to my little ski haven. Heading out there today, the area was covered with velvety white as smooth as silk. I made several good runs up and down the slope. I only wish that the slope itself dropped a steady, but gradual 1000 – 1500 feet. Unfortunately, my little private ski resort only drops about 300-400 feet and is not quite steep enough to get any speed. However, now that I think of it, I should grab a snow machine and do some exploring on a grander scale. There are some mountains farther out from the village, but I’ve always settled for the neighborhood hill, mostly because I don’t have a snow machine of my own. I will also have to leave the dog behind most likely, because she probably won’t be able to run 20 – 30 miles over the snow in a couple of hours. Maybe it’s time to take my ski attitude to the next level. Better do it quick. There are already some spots of ground showing on the tops of some of the hills.

I’m actually a little torn about the weather. I long for warmer weather, but it’s kind of sad to see the snow go. Now that the sun is out and the air is above 30 degrees, I am really enjoying being out on the skis. The sun even softens up the icy spots a little, giving way to slightly broader terrain. If I’m lucky, it will stick around for another week or two. Then it will be full on packing time. The light at the end of the tunnel shines brightly towards the near future. Can you feel my excitement???