All the Kids Were Doing It: Over the House Edition

After I scolded handfuls of students, day after day, for climbing over my roof…I figured they were on […]

This Village is Dry, Almost as Dry as My Skin

What it means to live in a “dry” village.

Word of the Week

Pop: (pop) noun. 1. A sugary sweet carbonated beverage, soft drink. Also known as soda, coke.

Side note: I thought someone was teasing me because I was from Minnesota and we say ‘pop’, by offering me a pop…so I said “Sure, I’ll take a soda”…to later realize that in Alaska, they do indeed use ‘pop’. Home Sweet Home.

Getting an Alaskan Driver’s License

All about my process getting an Alaskan Driver’s License.

Word of the Week

Katak: (ku•tuk) verb. 1. Inupiaq word that translates to the verb fall.

Side Note: It may be for all conjugations, but the students use it with English endings if they “conjugate” it at all. “He kataked. It katak. He katak it. I katak.”

Getting off the Island

When heading anywhere but the store and school is over-stimulation.

The Ocean Has Opened!

Open waters not too far from the island

Receiving My First Visitor—Puzzles, Naps, and a Walk Across the Tundra

What does one do with a visitor in a remote village?

Word of the Week

Chuckerator: (chuk•ə•rādər) noun. 1. When it is so cold outside that your cunnychuck can serve as a refrigerator or freezer.

Side Note: Chuckerator is just a word used by some of my coworkers, but it often results in slushy or frozen pop and can be a good place to keep extra freezer items…if you keep an eye on the temps.