Wednesday, August 3, 2011

And I'm off...

Well, I start my travel journey to Scammon Bay tomorrow morning.  In many ways this time, since I accepted the job in April, has flown by. Yet I’m so thankful for it and this year I spent at home. 

I’m all packed.   I sent up a few binds full of my winter clothes, classroom things, and apartment essentials.  Here I am drilling the wholes and zip-tying them shut!  Two of them took exactly one month to arrive in Scammon!  They had me a little nervous, but I’m pleased they will be waiting for me.  

I set out for Seattle in the morning.  I get to be with, Megan, one of my college roommates till Saturday when I will get on a plane to Anchorage. My school district, The Lower Yukon, has teacher training in Anchorage since their schools are in villages spread out across hundreds of miles.  I’ll head to my home in Scammon on the 13th of August!

“North to Alaska, go North the rush is on…” Johnny Horton (haha, meg and jenni)

“I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus in Matthew 28:20





Wait, Where?

Scammon Bay, Alaska.

Here is a brief summary of where I will be living, from the community database.  I’m excited to learn more that I will share. ‘Scammon Bay is on the south bank of the Kun River, one mile from the Bering Sea. Temperatures range between -25 and 79 °F. Annual precipitation averages 14 inches, with 65 inches of snowfall. Severe easterly winds during the fall and winter limit accessibility. The Bering Sea is ice-free from mid-June through October. It was known in Eskimo as "Mariak," and its residents were called "Mariagamiut." The nearby bay was named after Capt. Charles Scammon, who served as the marine chief of the Western Union Telegraph Expedition from 1856 to 67. The name came into use when the Scammon Bay Post Office was established in 1951. The city government was incorporated in 1967. Scammon Bay is a Yup'ik Eskimo community that relies on fishing and subsistence activities. Most residents travel 50 miles to the north to the Black River each summer for fish camp. Employment centers on commercial fishing. Firefighting for BLM, construction, and handicrafts provide seasonal income.Subsistence activities provide fish, beluga whale, walrus, seal, birds, and berries.


(some) Frequently Asked Questions:

Wait, What?
So, how Alaska? -
Are you living in an igloo? – No
Are you taking the jeep? – Nope, there are no roads to Sca, only by plain.
How many people live there? – about 500
Do you have a passport? – No comment
Language? – The native language is Yup'ik, but they speak English.
What grade? – Not sure yet.
Are you going to be able to run there? – I hope!
Have you ever been there? – Scammon, no.  Alaska, yes.
Do you know anyone there? I have meet/know a few campers that have been at camp that are from Scammon.
Will you have 24 hrs. of darkness? – Almost! I hear the darkest day we will see the sun/horizon for about 3 hours. And close to 24 hrs. of light when I get there!
What does Waqaa (your blog name stand for?) – It’s a friendly greeting in Yup'ik.

Thanks for reading!