In preparation for this week, we were given plenty of advice and instruction so that we would be prepared for our time in bush Alaska. I’ve lived in Fairbanks since moving to Alaska, but I have visited lots of small towns around the state. Some of those were on the road system, but a couple were not. I wasn’t too nervous about going to a town with 500 people, since that’s the same size as several of the towns I lived in while growing up in Western Kansas. Still, when I heard people talk repeatedly about the remoteness of the place I was headed and give repeated admonitions to be prepared to deal with limited resources, I kind of started to wonder what I’d signed up for.
I wasn’t too worried, though. I love to camp. I spent two months traveling all over Europe last year, and I’ve visited other countries as well. Not very long ago I packed up my Honda and drove up the Alcan Highway alone to move to Alaska just to try something new. I thought visiting St. Mary’s might be an “adventure,” but I felt ready for that. Now that I’m flying back to Anchorage, it’s somewhere between amusing and shocking to realize how wrong those initial ideas about St. Mary’s were. Perhaps some of the other student interns from UAF are “roughing it” in bush Alaska, but Allie and I certainly were not!
We spent the week staying in a triplex owned by the school district. It was a very nice, furnished two bedroom home. Our front door was about 100 yards from the door of the high school, so the commute was fantastic (and we got to go home for lunch). In Fairbanks I sleep on an old twin mattress on the floor that my current roommate offered to let me use. In lieu of a dresser I have plastic tubs and copy paper boxes from NPHS arranged neatly on a folding card table. In St. Mary’s there was a very nice queen sized bed; a real dresser; lots of pillows, towels and blankets; and a well-supplied kitchen adjoining a living/dining room. It was helpful that Allie and I brought food with us for the week since we cooked all of our meals, but I do that at home too.
No, I don’t feel like we were wanting for anything while in St. Mary’s. It was nice to have a place to have a small dinner party last night. We made chicken, pasta, and a nice salad with fresh fruit and Girl Scout cookies (I’d brought along) for dessert. My hosting teacher, Jeff, came to join us. He brought one of the nicest avocados I’ve seen since moving to Alaska and more Girl Scout cookies, and we had a really nice evening together. I’ve heard quite a few people say that St. Mary’s is very nice for a bush village, but I don’t think that qualifier is actually necessary.
After my time in St. Mary’s I have to say that I’m more excited and less nervous about moving to Galena to live and teach. Of course, I have also heard that Galena is a nice village, so that’s exciting to look forward to. I might even keep writing here because it seems like I’ll still have plenty more traveling and teaching in my future. I hope you’ll continue to join me.
—corrie--
I wasn’t too worried, though. I love to camp. I spent two months traveling all over Europe last year, and I’ve visited other countries as well. Not very long ago I packed up my Honda and drove up the Alcan Highway alone to move to Alaska just to try something new. I thought visiting St. Mary’s might be an “adventure,” but I felt ready for that. Now that I’m flying back to Anchorage, it’s somewhere between amusing and shocking to realize how wrong those initial ideas about St. Mary’s were. Perhaps some of the other student interns from UAF are “roughing it” in bush Alaska, but Allie and I certainly were not!
We spent the week staying in a triplex owned by the school district. It was a very nice, furnished two bedroom home. Our front door was about 100 yards from the door of the high school, so the commute was fantastic (and we got to go home for lunch). In Fairbanks I sleep on an old twin mattress on the floor that my current roommate offered to let me use. In lieu of a dresser I have plastic tubs and copy paper boxes from NPHS arranged neatly on a folding card table. In St. Mary’s there was a very nice queen sized bed; a real dresser; lots of pillows, towels and blankets; and a well-supplied kitchen adjoining a living/dining room. It was helpful that Allie and I brought food with us for the week since we cooked all of our meals, but I do that at home too.
No, I don’t feel like we were wanting for anything while in St. Mary’s. It was nice to have a place to have a small dinner party last night. We made chicken, pasta, and a nice salad with fresh fruit and Girl Scout cookies (I’d brought along) for dessert. My hosting teacher, Jeff, came to join us. He brought one of the nicest avocados I’ve seen since moving to Alaska and more Girl Scout cookies, and we had a really nice evening together. I’ve heard quite a few people say that St. Mary’s is very nice for a bush village, but I don’t think that qualifier is actually necessary.
After my time in St. Mary’s I have to say that I’m more excited and less nervous about moving to Galena to live and teach. Of course, I have also heard that Galena is a nice village, so that’s exciting to look forward to. I might even keep writing here because it seems like I’ll still have plenty more traveling and teaching in my future. I hope you’ll continue to join me.
—corrie--