The Real Start

 I’ve been in Scammon now for 3 weeks!  I spent one week in Anchorage with all the new staff from the school district.  We went through a bunch of training; from how to shop in BULK to all of our curriculum and programs at the school sites.  I was soooo ready to get on the plane to Scammon Bay by the end of that week!

Scammon Bay is beautiful.  The village community has been very welcoming.  I’m learning so much everyday.  I have a view of the entire village and ocean bay from my house.  Blackberries, blueberries, and salmonberries fill the tundra that surrounds us. There is a pretty big hill (though, remember where I’m from), which the school and my house are on.  So besides that it’s flat land.  Seems like it just goes on forever, it’s gorgeous. Not a tree in sight.  There is a mountain range in the distance. (Up river, 3 hours or so by boat.) That is where I hear the best moose hunting is.

                                   

                                          Kuzilvak (koo-sil-vak)  Beautiful sunrise. 

                                                

                                                                 Afternoon flight coming in. Maybe our food?

                                             

                                                            from my "back yard" the village, river to ocean.

Blackberries!

I’m teaching third grade and have a great group of kids.  They keep me busy and on my toes, but I’m truly loving being with them.  I’m the P.E., art, music or any specials teacher for them too. (Minus Yup’ik, which is the native language, so that’s a good thing)  P.E. sure. Art of course.  Now music is my challenge.  Thankfully I’m getting some advice from my music teacher friend back in Chicago (thanks Katie!)  and my students are very forgiving and just enjoy singing with LOTS of motions to EVERY song!  

Tying to meet and get to know the community as much as possible.  There is a church here and it’s such a blessing to have.  Hoping to get involved there as much as possible.  Basketball is also a BIG deal here, so the women have open gym time every night, which has been a humbling experience for me since basketball has never been my strong suit. Plus, my height is deceiving.  But it has been a good way to meet more high school girls and adults, since I’m with the kids all day.  

Garbage Day!  My job is to hold down all the trash on our way to the dump.... 

All my roommates and my food came in! Slowly but surly it got here, box by box over the last two weeks.

On to lesson planning and hopefully fishing this weekend!