Sorority Girl in a Frozen Tundra

Blogging: Epic Fail

2011-10-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

As you can tell, I fail as a blogger!!

Summer was great! My cousin got married, I traveled, I relaxed, I visited family and friends, and I gained weight.

I have been back in Alaska since August 2nd. I helped with the Welcome Wagon in Anchorage for 3 days and then came up to Shishmaref on August 5th.

Work started for teachers on August 15th. Shishmaref School is part of a School Improvement Grant (SIG), and had extra in-services and trainings. Students began on August 29th.

I am teaching 2nd grade this year, which has been a big change from ECE (preschool). I am enjoying it though.

There are 23 second graders at Shishmaref School, which is more than any other grade. We are fortunate to be able to have two 2nd grade teachers. I have 11 students and Lisa Ripper has 12. How wonderful is that!

That is a brief update of my life.

I always say it, but I will try to be better with my blogging skills. Haha! :)

"A Polar Bear, A Polar Bear"

2011-04-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

A polar bear, a polar bear
Is sleeping in his den
Snore, snore, snore, snore

A polar bear, a polar bear
Is sleeping in his den
Snore, snore, snore, snore

Please be very quiet
Very, very quiet
If you wake him
If you shake him
He gets very MAD!!

The above song is one of my students' favorites. Julie Egli, the ECE coach from the district office, taught it to me at the beginning of the year. Most of the other villages sing it as a grizzly bear, but a polar bear is much more appropriate for us here in Shishmaref.

Last year, there wasn't really any talk of polar bears in or around Shishmaref.

That is not the case this year, however.

In January, in the middle of the night, a polar bear showed up near the airport. No one saw it, but it's tracks were discovered in the morning. It came onto the island on the lagoon side, did some loops around Alfred Ningeulook's dog team, walked over to someone's drying racks and ate some seal blubber, and wandered back out to the ocean. Some guys tried to follow the tracks out onto the ocean with no luck. Amazingly, Alfred's dogs were unharmed. It's kind of scary how close it went to the village! The closest tracks were less than 100 yards from the village! I went with John Kokoek out on the snow machine to check out the tracks in the afternoon. I didn't have my camera, but Kiley had gone out with Warren earlier in the day and she had taken some pictures... so thanks, Kiley!

Where the polar bear ate the blubber.

Polar bear track vs. Warren Sinnok's track.

Tracks by the racks.

Polar bear tracks... you can even see the individual toes!

Tracks.

A month or so later, there were tracks sighted again. This time by the tannery, which is the exact opposite side of town (from the airport). The tannery is at the edge of town, but basically considered in town. So this guy was super close. The polar bear checked out Daniel Olanna's dog team this time, and again the dogs were left unharmed. However, there were some seal carcasses there from hunting season and it dragged one away for a snack. Daniel's wife Evelyn was mad because of course it picked the seal with the skin still attached. David Olson took me to see the tracks in the evening, but my camera batteries were dead.

The past couple months, there hasn't really been any talk of polar bears. Yesterday after After-School Tutoring, I heard that Curtis Nayokpuk got a polar bear up the coast. Of course I had to go check it out. He got it about 8 miles up the coast from Shishmaref. Curtis is the grandfather of two of my students, Tricia and Chelsea.

Here are some photos:

Giant paw!

Head and shoulders.

Knees and toes :)

The polar bear and me!

The polar bear and me again... this time I am touching it!

Grrr...

Kind of scary...

Joey and the polar bear!

Tricia was yelling "Amy Cellar!!!" out of the window!

Tricia and Chelsea!

Joey examining the polar bear.

Teeth!

His ear was cute :)

I have heard that polar bears around town are usually fairly thin. If they come this far off the ocean, it is usually because they are hungry. This guy was pretty fat, though! Evidently he was hunting seals and must've had success all winter.

Some of you may not appreciate the killing of polar bears. I used to be right with you. However, after living here nearly two years, I know and understand the hunter / gatherer / subsistence way of life. And let's face it - if you see a polar bear out in the wilderness, chances are someone is going to die, so you better make sure it's not you and kill the polar bear.

So, it was a sad day for this polar bear, but an exciting one for the village of Shishmaref!

Baby Beluga

2011-03-11T16:12:00.000-08:00

One of my class's favorite songs is Baby Beluga. I remember listening to it when I was young too. It is one of Raffi's songs. If you are not familiar with it, listen to it (and sing along) here:

Also, our class has the book Baby Beluga.

There are times during the day when the children sit a "read" books to themselves. There could be 100 books on the shelf, but Baby Beluga is always one of the first books chosen. Landon especially loves this book. If someone else is reading it, he is not a happy camper. He's getting pretty good at waiting his turn though.

Today, during Learning Labs, Writing Lab was individual sized dry erase boards and dry erase markers. I was across the room working with some other kids when I heard singing coming from the Writing Lab. Clarissa, Louis, and Landon were busy with their markers, and all singing Baby Beluga. It was so cute! I had to get my camera and take a video of it. As soon as the camera was out, a few things changed. Louis got shy and stopped singing, Landon continued singing and drawing, and Clarissa's full attention was putting on a show for the camera.

For your enjoyment:

In case you didn't know what was going on, Clarissa stopped in the middle and said "Is there this kind on my (points to cheek)?" She was focused on the camera and not paying attention to her marker, and wanted to know if she had marked on her face. I scrunched my nose at her, indicating that there was not marker on her cheek.

Here is another video for your enjoyment:

No matter where you live, Baby Beluga is a fun song. Here in Northwest Alaska, not only is it fun, but it is culturally relevant. Shishmaref is not a whaling community, but many villages near us are. Muktuk is a traditional native food. Muktuk is whale blubber with the skin attached on the top.

This picture was taken from the Brevig Mission School website. Brevig Mission is a village also in the Bering Strait School District and many people in Shishmaref are related to people in Brevig Mission. In this photo muktuk is being cut by an ulu, which is a traditional Eskimo knife, typically used by women.

Before I wrote this post, I went to go talk to John Sinnok and Bessi Sinnok in the Culture classroom. Bessi's husband is John's nephew. They, along with Stanley Tocktoo, are our local experts who work for the school. Stanley wasn't there today, so I didn't get to talk to him about this. I was asking if the term muktuk is used for any kind of whale blubber and skin, and the answer is yes, it is. However, John told me that muktuk is just the generally accepted term and that actually it has more specific names. The skin is the kaataq and the blubber is agikaq.

Because Shishmaref is not a whaling community, muktuk is a rare treat. Likewise, we have native foods that other villages may not. When the Savoonga basketball team came to Shishmaref, some kids brought boxes of muktuk with them, then they called someone they knew in the village and traded their muktuk for dried fish, berries, or seal oil.

Even though whaling doesn't happen in Shishmaref, the children know about beluga whales. Its cool that we can sing a song about an animal that they have real experiences with and stories about.

WW Update: End of Week 9

2011-03-11T14:04:00.000-08:00

This week: +1.0 pounds
After 9 weeks of Weight Watchers: -16.6 pounds
Since September 1, 2010: -17.4 pounds
Weeks until the end of the competition: 10

My mom didn't email me this week.

I was talking with my mom on the phone earlier this week and we were discussing how we both have been eating poorly recently. She is arriving in Alaska on the 16th and that is fast approaching. We know that we are going to be eating really poorly while she is here. We'll spend the first 4 days of her trip in Nome, where there are restaurants and bars. Then when she gets to Shishmaref we'll have Snack Shack, and we just won't be worried about dieting. Since she is coming so soon, we have both kinda decided we'll be good again after her trip.

Lame excuse, but it's the truth!

WW Update: End of Week 8

2011-03-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

This week: -0.2 pounds
After 8 weeks of Weight Watchers: -17.6 pounds
Since September 1, 2010: -18.4 pounds
Weeks until the end of the competition: 11

My mom is down 17.3 pounds since September 1st.

I knew that I wouldn't do too well this week, since I am feeling better and eating again. I am actually pretty pleased that I didn't gain after losing so much last week. Not too shabby. Still winning by a pound!

WW Update: End of Week 7

2011-02-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

This week: -4.0 pounds
After 7 weeks of Weight Watchers: -17.4 pounds
Since September 1, 2010: -18.2 pounds
Weeks until the end of the competition: 12

My mom is down 16.0 pounds since September 1st.

I was sick most of this last week, and I hardly ate, so I don't anticipate losing this week. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I gained a little this week. I am feeling pretty good, though, and for the first time in the competition... I am winning!!!

WW Update: End of Week 6

2011-02-16T16:03:00.000-08:00

This week: -2.2 pounds
After 6 weeks of Weight Watchers: -13.4 pounds
Since September 1, 2010: -14.2 pounds

My mom is down 14.6 pounds since September 1st.

On Saturday, the teachers had a work day. I was required to be at school from 8:30AM until 4:00PM. However, I was at school from 8:30AM until 10:30PM. I will admit that some of that time was spent shopping online. But I worked on lesson plans, filled out requisitions for next year, had a meeting and collaborated with other teachers. Around 6:30, we broke down and ordered Snack Shack. I knew that my mom ate at Outback Steakhouse on Friday night and East of Chicago Pizza on Saturday night, so I figured a little Snack Shack wouldn't hurt me. It's okay to splurge every once in awhile. Unfortunately, after my burger, fries and smoothie, and ate 2 Valentine cookies and 2 Valentine caramel filled chocolates.

If I kept it up at this rate, I will be down 42 pounds at the end of the competition. Usually, people lose more in the beginning than after they have been dieting awhile. So my goal (for now) is to be down 35 pounds. I hope to lose 60 total, but 35 by May 18th.

WW Update: End of Week 5

2011-02-10T19:57:00.000-08:00

This week: -1.8 pounds
After 5 weeks of Weight Watchers: -11.2 pounds
Since September 1, 2010: -12 pounds

My mom didn't email me her progress this week.

My pants are starting to feel a little less snug. Twice this week, someone commented that I look thinner. One person was a 4th grader, and one was one of the cooks.

It wasn't the fantastic week I was expecting, but I feel pretty good about my progress thus far!

WW Update: End of Week 4

2011-02-05T19:42:00.000-08:00

This week: +0.4 pounds
After 4 weeks of Weight Watchers: -9.4 pounds
Since September 1, 2010: -10.2 pounds

My mom is down 14.8 pounds since September 1st.

So, I obviously didn't have a good week this week. I am not sure why. There were a few days that I wasn't great, but I stayed within my 35 weekly extra points. I was much better about drinking my 6 cups of water a day this week that I have been the past couple of weeks.

Also, I hadn't exercised at all since starting Weight Watchers, and this week I exercised once. When you exercise, you can earn points back and eat a little more that day. I didn't eat those extra points though.

So, I am not sure why I gained, but I am not worried. Usually if I have a week that is not so good, the next week is really good. Come Wednesday, I shall see if that is the case this time.

My cousin Courtney is engaged and she and Kyle have decided to get married in Jamaica on May 26th. After discussing it, my mom and I decided that we will continue our "The Biggest Loser" challenge until May 18th. That will give us two and a half extra months to get in shape for Courtney's wedding and our fabulous beach vacation. However, since we are adding time to the challenge, we have also upped the stakes: $600 to the winner.

So, wish me luck! 15 weeks to go!

WW Update: End of Week 3

2011-01-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

Today was weigh in day.

This week: -3.6 pounds
After 3 weeks of Weight Watchers: -9.8 pounds
Since September 1, 2010: -10.6 pounds

My mom is down 13.9 pounds since September 1st. She is in the lead, but I can still catch up!!

The Biggest Loser and Weight Watchers

2011-01-23T18:58:00.000-08:00

When I moved to Shishmaref, I was thin.

From August 2009 til May 2010, I had gained 55 pounds.

Crazy, I know! Many of the kiddos asked me if I was pregnant, because when else does a lady gain 55 pounds in 9 months?

People ask how it was possible for me to gain that much.

Well, first of all, let's look at my exercise habits. All through college, I was teaching swimming lessons and coaching swim team. Four times a week, I was in the pool, between two and four hours a day. I didn't swim laps very often, but teaching swimming lessons was a workout. I would be treading water for hours at a time, often with only my legs, because I would be holding a child with my arms. So, I was very active.

Shishmaref is huge on basketball. If you know me, you know that I don't play sports with a ball. I was a swimmer, had a stint as a runner, and I was a discus thrower on the track and field team. When I was very small, I did play softball for a few years, but it was never my thing. Adult rec time in Shishmaref consists of basketball games. So, I never went. I didn't want to go make a fool of myself and try and play basketball with a bunch of people who have been playing their entire lives. So I didn't go. That would obviously cause me to gain some weight.

Now, let's look at my eating habits. I used to eat a ton of fresh fruits and vegetables. I grew up on fresh fruits and vegetables. We didn't eat canned vegetables, so I have never thought about eating them. Here in Shishmaref, it is rare to have fresh fruits and vegetables at our store. I decided I would have to order some canned fruits and vegetables. I did, and they sat on my shelf. I was never in the mood to eat canned peaches and canned corn.

Also, when I lived in the senior apartments in college, I needed convenience meals because I was busy. Since I had large grocery stores and all kinds of choices, I bought things like Lean Cuisine meals and Lean Pockets. Since our stores don't have much selection, our convenience foods are frozen pizzas and frozen Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches, neither of which are good for me. I order food from Span Alaska sales, but it costs extra to get perishable items sent, so I ordered Beef-a-roni and other similar items.

In Ohio, for snacks, I would have 100 Calorie Snacks, reduced fat ice cream bars, and other "diet" items. Here, we don't have a lot of selection. We only have about four aisles at the store, and 1/2 of one aisle is just chips. So, I ate chips for a snack.

Preschool children need help at lunch time. So, I do not get a "duty-free" lunch like all of the other teachers. I am expected to stay with my children and assist them as needed. Because of this, I am able to eat school lunch for free. At first I was thinking this was awesome - one less meal that I have to pay for. Chicken nuggets, white bread with butter, and peaches canned in heavy syrup is a nutritional lunch for children and their growing bodies, who need the extra calories, but not so much for me.

This summer, my mom and I decided that we would do our own version of the Biggest Loser. We decided that it needed to have a big reward (or punishment) to really motivate us. So, we decided that the winner would be awarded $500, paid by the loser. It would go from September 1st til March 1st - six months to lose weight. I knew that it would be hard up here, because of all of the things that I have been discussing in the post.

From September 1st til the end of November, I was just trying to watch what I was eating more closely, and to exercise a little more. I went to rec every once in a while and tried to use Colleen's squeaky elliptical machine at home. However, I must admit that I wasn't very motivated. The first of every month, my mother and I would email each other our weight. In those few months, I lost a grand total of nine pounds. Lame, I know. My mom lost a little less than that though, so I felt okay about it.

We all know that the holidays are a bad time for weight loss. All December I was thinking about how I would be visiting Ohio soon. I would be eating junk and going to restaurants often. Knowing that, I wasn't motivated to eat well the first couple weeks of the month. As I had suspected, when I was in Ohio, my mom cooked my favorite meals for me, I drank alcohol for the first time in months, I bought junk food that is hard to come by and expensive in Shishmaref, and I caught up with friends and family over meals at restaurants.

Needless to say, I gained back 8 pounds of the 9 that I had lost. But once again, my mom and I were staying about even.

We decided that we have to really get serious about this. Now we are emailing each other once a week with our weight, instead of once a month. It provides a little more accountability. At her work, they have hired someone to come in and do a weight loss program with them. That person comes every Wednesday, so they get weighed then. Because of that, we are emailing our weight every Wednesday. March 1st is a Tuesday, but we have decided to go til March 2nd to stay consistent with our Wednesday weigh in.

The Wednesday that I came back to Shishmaref, I decided to start Weight Watchers. My mom had gone to the meetings before and had all of the booklets and paperwork, and she had given it to me. I just made spreadsheets on Excel to track all of the points and everything. It isn't the new "Points Plus" program that Weight Watchers has, because I have the old "Points" information, but it's fine, and it's free!

Colleen has decided to do Weight Watchers with me too, so it is helpful for us to be doing it together. We can support each other and help each other make smart decisions.

Now I am halfway through my 3rd week. Week one, I lost 4.0 pounds. Week two, I lost 2.2 pounds, for a grand total of 6.2 pounds. As far as the Biggest Loser goes, I am down 7.0 pounds since September 1st. My mom is winning by 3 pounds, but she had the flu worse than I did, so I think that has something to do with it. :)

Weight Watchers is hard to do up here, but I am really trying. I have been forcing myself to do more actual cooking and to suck it up and eat the canned green beans!

I still have a long way to go, but it's a start right?

That is what we call "irony"...

2011-01-11T19:21:00.000-08:00

Last year, when I went home for Christmas, I got what I thought was a cold as soon as I got on the plane. It lasted the whole two weeks that I was in Ohio. The morning I was supposed to leave to start on my journey back to Shishmaref, it hit me. In fact, I had Swine Flu. No fun. I had to change my plane tickets around and it cost me an extra $400. I also took my first sick day as a teacher, because I didn't make it back for the first day of school in January. It was no fun!

Over the summer, while I was in Ohio, after four major "attacks", I had my gall bladder removed. I spent a lot of time before and after the surgery just laying around recovering. I missed two weddings that I really wanted to go to, and couldn't be involved with the swim team as much as I wanted to be. It was terrible, but actually, it was good that I was in Ohio for it all. My parents, my grandma, and my cousin took care of me while I was sick and recovering. Had I been up here, I would've been in Anchorage all by myself and I would've had to use all of my sick days for my recovery. It was not fun, but to be honest, I do feel a lot better.

This year at Christmas time, it was my third trip home. I had told everyone, "If I get sick this time, I am never coming back to Ohio!" The two weeks came and went and I stayed healthy! I arrived back to Shishmaref on Monday morning (school didn't start until Tuesday), and everything was good. I went to school, where other people were getting prepared for the week and I was bragging to everyone about how I didn't get sick this time! Can you say "jinx"? Well, I was out in my classroom, and around 3:45, I started feeling funny. I headed home around 4:00 and crawled into bed, thinking it was just lack of sleep from traveling. I couldn't sleep because my stomach hurt so bad. By 6:20, I was vomiting. I fell asleep by 7:00PM, and then got up around 7:00AM in the morning. I had set an alarm so that I could see how I felt. It was not good. So, after a few phone calls, I was back in bed by 7:20 and then slept until a little after 1 in the afternoon. I guess I was tired! I just kind of laid around the rest of the day and started to feel a little better. I made it to school Wednesday, but still felt funny until about 4:00. It's like it lasted 48 hours exactly! So, I felt weird missing the first day back again, but better than giving the flu to all of my students and co-workers!

I guess I won't brag about being healthy again!

Transformation of my name

2010-11-24T16:37:00.000-08:00

Starting my sophomore year in college, I always went by "Miss Cellar" to the students in my student teaching field experiences.

When I got my big girl job, I was called "Amy" by my students. Most of the teachers in Shishmaref go by their first name. I am totally fine with it.

By 3rd or 4th quarter last year, a few kiddos had started to call me "Ame". Nothing like informality, huh? It's cute and I wasn't opposed to it. They can call me "Ame" and still respect me.

Well, here we are in the middle of 2nd quarter this year. Seth has already started calling me "Ame". I noticed yesterday on our way to lunch when he said "It's windy out, huh Ame?"

I do have nicknames for my kiddos too. Last year I had Ida-bug and Katie-bug. Whenever I see Ida's grandpa he calls me Amy-bug. I had Frank the tank last year too. Vivian was Schmivian. Carter, who I had last year and this year, started as Tarter and transformer to Tarter Sauce. This year not many kids have nicknames yet. I do have Yosie Rosie, Sefers and Landon-boo. Sometimes I'll call kiddos by their first and middle name though. When Carter isn't Tarter Sauce he is usually Carter Norman or just Carter Norm.

I just love those kiddos though, even if they do call me Ame!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Kids Say the Craziest Things

2010-11-20T15:39:00.000-08:00

This week, the speech pathologist was visiting Shishmaref. Unfortunately, we don't have one on site full time, but she makes it out every month or two for a week. Since she is not here all the time, I like to learn as much as I can from her while she is here. She wanted to pull my three kiddos who receive speech services and do some informal observations to check on their progress. I went with her as she pulled the kiddos, so I could see the kind of things she works on with them.

We had one little boy in the back room with us, and we were showing him some photo cards. One was a picture of a boat. This was the conversation we had:

Speech Path: What is this a picture of?
Student: A boat!
SP: What do we do with it?
Student: Uhhh....
SP: What is a boat for?
Student: hmmm...
SP: Does your dad have a boat?
Student: Yeah!
SP: Does he go hunting?
Student: Yeah!
SP: Does he hunt for seals?
Student: Yeah!
SP: Does he hunt for walrus?
Student: Yeah!
SP: Does he hunt for moose?
Student: Yeah!
SP: Does he hunt for caribou?
Student: Yeah! I eat caribou!
Amy: Yeah, you eat caribou! I bet you eat all of those things. What is your favorite of those to eat?
Student: Hot Cheetos.
SP and Amy: hahahahahahahahaha!

I couldn't stop laughing, and I had to write it down so I wouldn't forget. Isn't that just great?

Also this week, there were some funny things happening in the Dramatic Play Lab. There is a chalkboard on the wall in the dramatic play lab. The kiddos enjoy writing their names on the board and the letters we're learning. We use the board for the theme of the week also. For example, we made a menu on the board when we were learning about food. The kiddos like to play school in dramatic play also. I was working with some students at the Writing Lab, which gave me a good view of Dramatic Play Lab. One little girl was standing at the board and had other kiddos sitting on the floor. She said "Okay kids! Criss-cross applesause, hands in your lab, bubble in your mouth! Don't mess up!" I don't know where the "Don't mess up!" came from, but she was so funny. Then she called the kids to the board one at a time to "spell their name". Then they all recited "Penny, Nickel, Dime", the little rhyme we do at the beginning of Rhyme Time everyday. Finally, she gave them all a five minute warning, which I always do when it is close to clean up time, so that no one is surprised that it is time to move on to our next activity.

I just love my students!

Typical Sunday

2010-11-07T15:22:00.000-08:00

During the weekends, I tend to have some regular visitors. Lots of kiddos will stop by while playing out, but I have 5 or 6 boys who will call ahead of time, and their parents will drop them off for the afternoon or evening. Today, it is just Raymond and Frank. Frank is a former student of mine. He is 5 and in Kindergarten. Raymond is his brother, 6 years old, and in first grade. I just love them!

I am alive!

2010-11-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in months. I have been meaning to. However, to be completely honest, when I am not going home until 7 or 8 at night, I usually don't want to stick around at school any longer so that I can post.

Here I am, though! Saturday night, at school. I was skyping with a friend and then doing a little bit of school work, and I was thinking "I should totally blog". I think I will make my grandparents happy!

I have been back in Shishmaref since the middle of August. Colleen and I moved to the house next door, and we're enjoying it. Not having buckets under the sink, and having a shower are fabulous things - not to mention the spacious kitchen. I have two curtains hanging in place of doors for my bedroom, however. I might be getting doors this coming week though. Hopefully. The district carpenter is scheduled to come, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

School is good, but busy. This year's class has 19 little munchkins. They are a good group, but a little more high maintenance than last year's group. I am enjoying them, though. They are starting to get adjusted to the routines of school and I am seeing a lot of improvements with them! It should be a good year.

Shishmaref lost Steve and Angie to Brevig Mission this year. They are missed for sure. We did get two new teaching couples this year. Jack and Barbra are the new 3rd grade and K-1 teacher, respectively. They are from the Sacramento area of California. I had dinner with them earlier this week and had a really good time. Kiley and Kevin are the new Elementary Special Ed. and Jr. High/HS Social Studies teachers, respectively. I am loving them! They are from Indianapolis. I was supposed to get together with them this past summer, but my surgery put a damper on that plan. They are really fun, and we spend quite a bit of time together.

I coached cross country again this year. I had a much bigger team than last year. It was really fun, and there are a lot of really talented runners in Shishmaref. I hope to have even more on the team next year, and hopefully some of the veteran runners will have even more success.

I got new glasses this week. The frames are not much different, but kind of a brownish pink. they have butterflies on the side. They are Juicy Couture... ooohh la la.

My perscription is actually weaker. My first pair of glasses was a year ago. They said that because my eyes were finally able to relax, they got better. I did get scolded though - the eye doctor said I need to wear them all the time, especially when I am on the computer. So I am trying to remember them everyday.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so I am looking forward to that. Also, I decided to go home to Ohio for Christmas and I was able to buy a ticket thanks to a little bit of help from my dad. So, I am looking forward to that too - only 6 weeks away!

Hope that you enjoyed an update of my life, the past 3 months at least!

Time Flies

2010-07-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

I am finally healing.

I had surgery on June 25th - 12 days ago. My wounds are healing, it no longer hurts when I breathe, and I can sleep in a bed again. I have been off pain meds for a few days and I can drink and drive again (obviously not at the same time - one or the other).

I do get sore when I am active, and I am much more tired than usual. So, I am still trying to take it easy.

I went back to work tonight. The swim meet was at the Woodland pool. I just sat and was the "card lady" for the meet. I figure I'll be able to do swim practice again now too. Tomorrow is my follow-up doctor's appointment, so I will ask then about being in the pool. That will be my determining factor for whether I can do any private swimming lessons. We shall see! I figure he might want all my incisions healed before I expose them to the toxins of a public pool.

I can't believe how fast time has gone. I basically have no time left in Ohio.

Here is my basic schedule for the rest of my time:
Now through July 15th - Ohio
July 16th - head to Buffalo, New York
July 17th - Ashley and Darryl's wedding
July 18th through 20th - Visiting Great Aunt Dottie in Peru, Vermont
July 20th through 22nd - Visit family outside of Boston
July 22nd and 23rd - Visit Courtney in Connecticut
July 24 and 25th - Ohio
July 26th through August 1st - Atlanta
August 1st through 6th - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
August 6th through 10th - Anchorage, Alaska
August 10th through 12th - Unalakleet, Alaska
August 13th - arrive in Shishmaref, Alaska!

So, I only have a few days left in Ohio, basically. I need to see people and do tons of packing. Pack food to send up, basic household items, plus clothes and such. I have tons of teaching supplies I need to go through and organize and ship up also. I am starting to stress out about how little time I have left.

Hopefully I can get some stuff done tomorrow and Friday, before I go down to visit Theresa and Justin in Columbus on Saturday for the weekend. Wish me luck!

Change of Plans

2010-06-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

I am having a good time here in Ohio! I arrived on May 23rd and have been pretty busy since I have been here.

I had 2 bachelorette parties (Theresa's and Lisa's), 2 weddings, coaching swim team, family visiting from out of state, my 23rd birthday, and my sister received her Ph. D.. I have visited lots of family and friends and got to go shopping and eat out. I have been able to swim again and it felt good to be back in the pool swimming laps!

All of my plans are on hold right now though. Since I have been home, I had 4 "episodes" and felt really, really sick. Last Sunday night, into Monday morning, it was so bad, I thought I was having a heart attack or something. It was my stomach, my chest, just everywhere. My mom took me to the emergency room, where an ultrasound was done, revealing that I had gall stones. I met with a surgeon later that afternoon and had my gall bladder removed on Friday. They did 5 little cuts and pulled it out through my bellybutton. All the bandages are still on, so I don't know what any of this looks like. It was a two hour surgery.

So, the day after the surgery I was supposed to go to Lisa and Tom's wedding, but I just couldn't. I couldn't move on my own. I couldn't have rode in the car or made it from the parking lot to the church. I know that she understands, but I am really upset about it. People have been posting pictures on Facebook, and there were so many Delta Zeta sisters there, and it makes me really sad that I didn't get to see them all.

This coming weekend, my plan was to go to Minnesota to see Justine and Trent get married. I just don't think I can do it. I can't lift more than 10 pounds for at least 2 weeks. I would need to get a lot of help with my luggage - getting it to the airport in a taxi, checked at the airport, into a taxi, into the hotel. Even if I could figure out how to manage that, I think I would have a hard time sitting on an airplane, and walking through the airport and getting to the wedding. I know Justine understands, but it is still really disappointing. My summer plans have definitely changed.

Today, 3 days after the surgery, I can get out of the chair by myself and walk around a bit. But even with the percocet, I am very sore. I can't drive as long as I am on the medication. So, I am kind of confined to the house. I have been reading, watching movies, and trying to relax.

Visitors are welcome! Come see me!

Last Day of School

2010-05-13T23:10:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of school for my children. The big school goes until next Thursday, but the lil' guys are done now. It was sad. The saddest part was when I read a book to them for the last time and we talked about the books that they liked the most from this year.

I don't really have time to be sad though. My next 6 days of work will be spent trading classrooms in the ECE building, helping in Kate's class, organizing stuff, running Prom, ECE graduation and who knows what else. In the evenings, I will be packing and moving next door.

We're moving because the house next door has become available and it has a kitchen that more than one person can stand in and a kitchen table - two things our current house lacks. Our house doesn't even have a place for a kitchen table. Also, the drains in that house don't freeze for some reason, so when we do the dishes, the dish water actually goes into pipes instead of 5 gallon buckets under the sink that we have to dump outside (and be careful not to overflow).

I hope to post more soon, to update everyone on all the fun stuff I have been doing, but life is crazy.

Iditarod 2010

2010-04-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post about Iditarod, but I hadn't uploaded my pictures to my computer yet. The post would not be complete without photos. I finally uploaded so enjoy!

The Iditarod Ceremonial start in Anchorage was Saturday, March 6th. The actual start was Sunday, March 7th in Willow Lake. Lance Mackey won his 4th straight Iditarod on Tuesday, March 16th around 3 PM.

Shishmaref got off early from school on Wednesday, March 17th and we had no school on Thursday or Friday that week (some spring break, huh?). So Wednesday evening I headed into Nome. 23 mushers made it into the finish line before we arrived.

I stayed with 2 other teachers, Bea and Sue. We stayed at the Polar Arms in a suite. Let's say that it is a little less than classy, but it was cheap! Haha! It actually wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but I definitely wasn't going to take a soak in the bathtub like I would've if I was staying at the Aurora.

Front Street runs parallel to the ocean and is basically the main street in Nome. The finish line is on Front Street. The mushers are out on the ice and then once they pass Subway, they come up onto the street and into the shoot. They have a big wooden arch in the middle of the street. During non-Iditarod time, it just sits all lonely in on the side of the street.

Our room at the Polar Arms looked right over Front Street. We could see mushers come in from our window. It was kind of nice. Here is the Jamaican musher coming down Front Street. This photo was taken from our window.

There are lots of fun things about Iditarod weeks in Nome that make it fun. Obviously, Iditarod. Mushers coming in, seeing the dogs, meeting the mushers, etc.. Also, a huge basketball tournament at the rec center. There were several Shishmaref teams entered and a huge Shish cheering section, so it was fun to go to the games. Also, bars and restaurants expect lots of extra people in town, so they have special events, extended hours, and other stuff. It's always a treat to be in Nome (2 grocery stores with things you expect your average grocery store to have, restaurants, adult beverages), but during Iditarod, it's even better.

Thursday night, the Polar Bar had a "Make Your Own Bikini Contest". No, I did not enter, but I did watch. One of the judges was Lance Mackey himself. I got my picture taken with him!

I went to lots of basketball games too. I spent a lot of my time playing with two and a half year old Loretta.

She used to cry when she saw me. A lot of small children are scared of white people because their experiences with them are people who come to the village to give them shots, or when they are really sick and need to go to Nome to be poked and prodded by white people. So, at the beginning of the year, Loretta would scream when she saw me. By November, she was starting to warm up to me. Would let me hold her and such. By February, we were good friends. About that time, we decided that she thought Amy meant "white person". Usually after we had been with her awhile, at a birthday party or something, she would call Colleen and me both Amy. Now she loves me and knows me and my name. She'll see me from across the gym and giggle and say "AMY!!!!". So cute. I just love her. Her brother Landon will be in my class next year. Anyway, pretty much all of my pictures of the basketball games were taken by Loretta.

Not bad for being 2, huh? Maybe a future photographer!

I didn't get to go to the musher meet and greet because of when my plane was leaving, but I did get to see some mushers and dog teams come in.

Jim Lanier and his team just came into the shoot.

One of Jim Lanier's dogs, anxious to get going again!

Lanier's dogs chillin' out.

Lanier being interviewed.

Tamara Rose just onto Front Street.

Tamara Rose's lead dog may take a detour at the Chinese restaurant.

Rose down Front St. to the finish line.

Tamara Rose is almost there!

Art Church, Jr. stopped right before coming on to Front Street.

Church rearranging dogs before the straightaway.

Art Church, Jr. setting up the dogs to head to the finish.

I really have no idea why he was rearranging the team now, with (probably) less than a 1/2 mile to go. But, I am not a musher, so who am I to judge?

Getting the dogs ready to go.

Art Church, Jr. and his team, almost ready to head down Front Street.

Church and his team headed down the street - finally!

Me, waiting for one of the mushers to come into the chute. They announce over a loudspeaker when there is someone coming soon. There is also an Iditarod hotline that you can call to find out when the next musher is expected in and who it is.

Dave DeCaro and his team coming into the chute.

DeCaro finishing.

Dave DeCaro at the arch.

One of DeCaro's dogs.

Another one of DeCaro's dogs, taking a rest after a long trip.

Dave DeCaro's team resting up while he is interviewed.

Not a good photo, but this is one of the booties from one of the paws of one of Dave DeCaro's dogs! The mushers usually pass them out the the crowd and I got one!

So, this may be the longest post ever, but it was (hopefully) worth it!

For more information about the Iditarod, visit the website: www.iditarod.com

Funny Kids

2010-03-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

I would hate to forget some of the hilarious things that kiddos have said at school. So, I figured I should share them.

Dramatic play is one of those places that funny things happen all of the time. I think what I say in response to the children's actions kind of sum up the hilariousness.
* "Girls! We don't put babies in the oven!"
* "Frank! We don't throw bacon!"

Ida is so cute and so serious - 95% of the time. I think that is why the things that she says are so funny.

One day she was wearing animal print pants.
Here is the conversation:
Me: "Ida, I love your pants. Is that leopard print, or cheetah print."
Ida: "Cheeto kind."

Whenever the kids miss school I tell the other kids "Gee, I sure miss Nathaniel. I hope that he comes to school soon." Or I tell the kids to go to bed early so that they don't miss school, because I would miss them too much.
There was one day that my throat was getting sore, and strep throat was going around. Wilsa and I were talking about it while we were drawing with the kids. I said that I was hoping it wasn't strep because I didn't want to miss school. So Ida then said "You might miss all the friends, huh Amy?"

Abigail was sitting on my lap one day during one of our really cold spells. I said "I am tired of all of this cold." - meaning, "Can't we get some warm weather soon!!??"
Abigail looked at me and said "Well Amy, you better get yourself a warm sweater and ski pants and scarf."

I love my job.

Buckeye Necklaces

2010-03-01T18:26:00.000-08:00

"Beat Michigan Week" is important for any Ohio State fan. It is the week before the Ohio State vs. Michigan football game. This past November, my class made Buckeye necklaces. Each kid got 3 buckeyes, 20 red beads, and six black or gray beads - they got to pick. They counted each bead out and then laced it onto their necklaces.

I took a lot of pictures, but all on the Head Start camera. I finally downloaded the pictures to my computer today.

Carter modeling his necklace.

Katie with her necklace.

Miss Madison

Vivian a.k.a Schmivian

Frank the tank

Nathaniel

Ida-Bug

Abigail a.k.a Babygail

Autumn

Alicia

Victoria

Class picture! (missing lots of kiddos that day)

Here comes the best part!!

The kids even learned how to do it all together! So cute!

Also, I made 101 Buckeye Candies and shared them with my class and all of the other school employees! And I HATE peanut butter - so it was kind of a big deal for me to do that.

A delayed post - but I think worth it!

Signed and Mail

2010-02-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

I signed and mailed my contract today. It is now en route to the district office in Unalakleet. I will be coming back to Shishmaref next year!

I'm taking it year by year. At this point, I feel like I still have a lot to discover and I enjoy my job and the people around me. So, I am coming back. Plus, it cost me a small fortune to move here, so another year makes it more worth it.

Maybe next year will be 2 of 2, 2 of 10, or maybe even more. Only time will tell.

My future

2010-02-16T01:16:00.000-08:00

This morning, I was called into Steve's office. He is the principal. This isn't an often occasion, so I didn't know what was going on.

Turns out, I have been offered a contract to teach here in Shishmaref next year. I had to sign that I had received it.

I was surprised - I thought teachers who were not tenured didn't get contracts until March or so.

I have a month to sign it and mail it to the district office in Unalakleet. I guess that is why I was thinking March - I don't have to decide until then.

I haven't signed it yet, but I am planning on it! I figure it wouldn't hurt anything to wait a week or so, right? I decided awhile ago that I was planning on coming back next year, but now that I have the contract in my hand, I don't want to be too hasty.

So, that is the news for the day, I guess.

File Folder Games

2010-02-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

In in college, during Senior Block, all Early Childhood Education majors take a class for each of the different content areas that we will be teaching. In the math class, we made math file folder games. We had to make five, and they had to be of one common theme. We could theme them like I did, farm, or other people did something like multiplication. They are really low cost, and an easy resource for any grade in elementary school.

However, they take forever. First you have to find the images you want to use. Then copy those images. Color them. Cut them. Glue the pieces onto the file folder. Laminate the folder and playing pieces. Then cut out the pieces - again. In college, I had my Delta Zeta sisters to sit in the suite with me and color and cut turkeys, pigs, and corn with me.

I found some pre-made file folder games online that were already colored. So, one less step. But the cutting is still tedious. I have enlisted help from the junior high cheerleaders. Play Lady Gaga on my iPod and I can get them to help me with just about anything. I am sure that I could get my class and the kindergarten class to help also, but my OCD doesn't allow them to cut my file folder games. I am all about them cutting all kinds of projects, but not these.

So, I love these girls.

The group - enthused, of course. They all have a brother or sister either in my class now, or that will be next year - except for Lori. She is the 2nd youngest in her family, and Dara is in 4th grade. Mamie has a sister in my class now, and a brother that will be in my class next year. Nellie's brother is in my class now. Tammy and Jecca each have a little brother who will be in my class next year. So, I reminded them all that they are doing this not only for me, but for the tiny ones of their families. Lori is cool enough to still help, even though she has no tiny ones left in her family.

Tammy Jean with a snowflake.

Mamie with a bumblebee.

Lori with a bumblebee.

Jessica (aka Jecca) with some letters.

Nellie cutting some letters.

One of the finished products. This is called "Achy-Breaky Hearts". See how they are broken in the middle? The kiddos have to match the color AND the break pattern. Those white dots are velcro. The matching pieces are in a pocket in the back.

Notice the band-aid on my finger? File Folder Game battle wound. I am so used to using preschool scissors, that when I get an adult pair in my hands, things get a little out of control.

So, this is how I spent my Saturday night. The life of a teacher, right?

Native Art

2010-02-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

Everyone in the community knows when payday is. The last working day of the month. So our January paycheck came on Friday (42 days since we last got paid - the last working day of December was the 18th).

Since everyone knows when we get paid, they know when they have the greatest chance of selling their artwork. It's a pretty good system for them actually.

They usually can make a sale with me. Here are the three things that I purchased on Friday.

This is a key chain with a sealskin and beaded butterfly. Made by Elsie Weyanna.

This is an Eskimo drummer. The man is sitting "criss cross applesauce" with the drum in one hand and his stick in the other. They drum from the bottom. This was made by Johnny Mimic Pootoogooluk. It is made with ivory and baleen.

The drummer from another angle.

This is a hunter in a kayak. It was made by Thomas Eningowuk. It is made with ivory, baleen, and bone. And I guess there is string on there too, attached to his spear.

The hunter from another angle.

The hunter again.

Now the picture aspect of my blog is up and running again, I will try and upload more photos of the art that I buy. I've gotten some pretty neat stuff!

Basketball in the Bush

2010-01-24T00:07:00.000-08:00

This is my bed from last night and for tonight. It is located in Colleen's classroom.

Why would I want to sleep in the school? Let me tell you:

During basketball season, a lot of the athletic budgets for any school go towards travel. In the lower 48, you might take a bus to your game and be gone probably no more than 6 hours. Here, if they're going to spend the money, they are going to make it worth it - meaning a weekend of basketball.

Usually, we try to split the cost of the plane with our opponites. The first weekend of the season the plane came and got our girls team, brought them to Stebbins, where it picked up the boys team and brought them here. Vice-versa on the way back, and the two schools split the cost. Due to teams forfiting because of numbers or any number of other reasons, it can't always work out like that, however.

So, this weekend, our boys headed to Unalakleet and the White Mountain girls' basketball team came here. White Mountain arrived here Friday morning, they played a game Friday evening and Saturday evening, and leave Sunday morning. The players and coach sleep in the classrooms. We get enough itinerant people in and out that we have a few matresses for this purpose, and some of the girls brought their own air matresses. Only one or two girls had to be on the floor.

This is all fine and dandy, except for their coach is a male. Mike cannot sleep in a classroom with 8 teenage girls. So, I was approached by our athletic director to chaperone the girls for $50 a night. Sounds good to me.

So here I am, sitting in Colleen's room at 11:03 on a Saturday night. It's cool though. It's not the first time I've done it (Volleyball season, Golovin), and it probably won't be the last. Unless I have a prior commitment, I will probably agree everytime.

My job was totally easy this time, too. Mike is a teacher in White Mountain, and actually was in Shishmaref for many years as well too. He keeps them pretty under control. He has a bedtime for them, and will personally come shut off the lights. So I don't have to worry about any of that. He seems really fun too, so he's easy for the girls to respect.

So anyway, I think I'll go change into my pajamas and brush my teeth, and get ready for another night in the school!

YAY

2010-01-14T17:21:00.000-08:00

Colleen figured out how to put pictures on Blogspot again! She shared this info with me, and I am no longer mad at Blogspot.

Basic update:

The day I was supposed to fly out of Ohio back to Shishmaref, I got super sick. Probably H1N1. So, I paid over $400 to change my plane tickets, and I had to use a sick day because I got back a day late. But, I guess things could've been worse. You would think that they would be happy that I didn't fly with Swine Flu, but I guess it doesn't matter that I was socially responsible.

Julie was here from the District Office this week. It is always nice to have her around.

Colleen and I watched the entire Season 4 of House this weekend, Friday to Monday. In our defense, it was the short season because of the Writers' Strike. Colleen ordered Season 5 from half.com, so we're waiting on that.

I have actually had really good attendance this week at school. 12 or 13 kids almost everyday - compared to my usual 6-10. I have 17 (was 19, but 2 are gone) enrolled, so it's still not great, but it's a start!!

And, I will add a picture - just because I can :)

This is Sharla and me on Tuesday, playing with PhotoBooth. Sharla is in 2nd grade, and her cousin Vivian is in my class.

This weekend I will try and go back to older posts and add pictures, now that I can again.

Peace.

I Touched It's Teeth!

2009-12-07T20:10:00.000-08:00

I feel bad. Tons of cool things are happening while Colleen is gone. She probably doesn't think they are as cool as I do, because this is her 6th year here, but still. Lots of cool things have happened since Thursday when she left.

Last night, Kate invited me over to have caribou roast with her, and she said her would get out her bucket of seal oil and seal meat for me to try. So I head over. John wasn't there, just Kate, Carter and Edward, and Wilsa's son Michael. She opens up the bucket and there are all kinds of things floating around in oil. Pink things, black things, white things - stuff that looked like I would never dream of eating. She shows me the different kinds of seal meat (which is black). She had dried, partially dried, and cooked meat. She decided to have me try the cooked kind. Her boys call the dried kind the "hard" kind and the cooked "soft". Carter was excited and wanted some soft too. So Kate puts some on a plate and chops it up with her ulu. She puts several tiny pieces on my plate. Kate told me that if I needed to spit it out she wouldn't be offended. So, I told the boys it was my first time eating it and they should watch. I put a piece in my mouth. Not so pleasant. I thought the consistency would bother me, but that wasn't it, actually. It was very, very fishy. I don't like fish, so it wasn't a good thing. I kept chewing, and I really wanted to swallow, but I just couldn't. I felt bad, but I got up and spit it out in a paper towel. Next Kate gave me a piece of something white-ish/pink-ish/gray-ish. I asked her what it was and she just smiled - never a good sign. She said that it is her favorite part of the seal, and that her boys like it too. So I tried it. It was harder, and more difficult to chew, and it was still really fishy. I spit it out again. Since I was done having it in my mouth, I asked Kate again what it was - seal intestine. Lovely. Kate thinks that it was the seal oil that I didn't like, not necessarily the meat. She said that the oil is the really fishy part. So, if I have opportunity to have seal meat that hasn't been soaking in seal oil, I am willing to try again.

As we were sitting there, I asked where John was. Kate thought that he was fishing or something - he just takes off sometimes. We were talking about all the different things that you can hunt and such. Carter loves to tell me that his dad has got a wolverine before, and we were talking about caribou and lots of other things.

Not five minutes later, in walks John. I asked him if he got anything, to which he responded "I got hot, I got cold, I got stuck." Then he walked back outside. We weren't paying much attention as John walked back in with a box, and set it on the floor. I turned around, and noticed that something furry was sticking out of the box. Sure enough, John had came home with a wolverine!!! He had it in a white garbage bag, and then the bag in a box. The head had broke the bag and was sticking out the bottom. It had really pointy teeth!!! I was squealing, Kate was calling everyone, and the boys were excited. So John took it out of the box and laid it on the floor. I wanted to touch it, but I was nervous!! Carter was nervous to, but finally did it, so I did too. They we played a game. I told Carter to touch a part of the wolverine, he touched it, then I touched it. So we touched its back, head, ears, teeth, claws and nose. It was really exciting. I took a bunch of pictures with Kate's camera. I'll eventually get them from her and put them on Facebook. I was wearing an OSU shirt, so it was a great time for me to get my picture taken with a dead wolverine. Take that, Michigan!!

PS) I didn't even know that is what a wolverine looked like.

Pretty soon I will be Eskimo. The 6th grade girls already refer to me as "the Eskimo who needs a tan".

(Photo added 1/23/10)

Sinnok Snack Shack

2009-12-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

Dennis Sinnok is now the hero of Shishmaref.

He has opened a snack shack. Angie and I went last night and got dinner. They don't have a place to sit there, so we took it back to my house. We both had burgers, fries, and milkshakes. SO TASTY! It has been forever since I have had a burger. I wasn't that hungry, but once I saw the burger, my mouth was watering. The fries were super good too. And the milkshake. Little Clare Bear was with us too. She had nachos, fries, candy, and a strawberry sundae.

My meal was $15.50. I can't afford to eat there all the time, but it was nice for a treat. Good thing it's on the other side of the village so I won't be tempted to eat there everyday.

Angie and I were sad for Steve and Colleen. Steve is in Unalakleet for some math thing (I think), and Colleen is on her way to Europe, so they both missed the wedding and the first trip to the snack shack. At least we have a good excuse to go to the snack shack again when they get back. :)

Shishmaref Style Wedding

2009-12-06T00:44:00.000-08:00

Today was the first wedding in the village since I have been here.

Earlier in the week, John Kokeok asked me if I was going, and I replied with "No, I didn't get invited." Evidently, that was a stupid thing to say. EVERYONE is invited. If it is small and just family, they tell everyone that. Otherwise, you're invited.

The bride and groom are the parents of my little Katie in my class. The wedding was in the church and it was really nice. Beautiful white gown, tuxes, bridesmaids, groomsmen, the whole deal. After the ceremony, we were all invited to go downstairs in the church and have cake. Angie and Daphne (a HS student) made the cake. They have been practicing their fondant roses for months now. It was really beautiful. People couldn't believe that it was a homemade cake. Chairs were lined up, everyone got a napkin and piece of cake, and enjoyed.

Shishmaref has a really interesting tradition. It's called a shiveree. At midnight after the wedding, the whole villages goes to the house of the bride and groom and beats on the walls. Then some of the men go inside and get the groom and they carry him around the house. Then the bride and groom stand on the porch and throw TONS of candy into the crowd. I was not expecting that much candy. Some girls were at my house right before and they asked me for bags for shiveree, and they needed the bags for all the candy! It was really cool.

So, the wedding was really fun!

Colleen is gone until the 16th. She left on Thursday. She and two HS girls are on their way to Copenhagen, Denmark for the UN Global Warming conference. What an amazing experience. I am so excited for her, Meghann, and Janelle. It's sure lonely at home, though!

Thursday we had to cancel both ECE classes. We ran out of stove oil and didn't know it. We got to school Thursday morning and it was freezing! We couldn't keep the kids in there like that. Kate has been out sick and will be for the next month or so, so I went and helped in the kindergarten classroom for most of the day. The store wasn't able to deliver to our building until after 2, but it was warm enough by Friday morning, thank goodness.

That's about it for now!

I leave to come home to Ohio in two weeks!!

My first Thanksgiving away from home

2009-11-30T19:30:00.000-08:00

Monday was not welcomed this morning.

I had a great Thanksgiving weekend, but I fell into "Eskimo Time". I don't know if it is all the villages or just Shishmaref, but people stay up super late and then sleep super late. Whenever I want to go to bed before midnight, everyone always says that I need to adjust to native time. So, we had 4 days with no school. Colleen and I went to bed around 2 most night, and I still got 12 hours of sleep. So I was dragging this morning, for sure.

Thursday evening, most of the village met in the gym for a feast. There were huge pots of reindeer soup all over. Esther, one of my para-pros and the parent of one of my students, invited me to sit with her family. I had soup and homemade rolls. Then some ladies came around with bowls of berries. I usually don't like the berries that are picked locally, but I had some anyway, and they are growing on me. But they were just berries with sugar, not Eskimo Ice Cream.

After the feast, the gym was cleaned up and then there were basketball games. A women's game and a men's game. So that was fun.

On Friday, we had the "Orphan's Thanksgiving". Basically the teachers without families here in town got together and had a big turkey dinner. We also invited the Stenek clan (Ken, Lisa, and the 5 munchkins), Melinda and her kiddos, and Helen brought her twin granddaughters. So it was really nice. And we had the usual Thanksgiving food. So it was nice.

Either than that, I just laid around all weekend. Played cards, watched 3 movies, moved into Season 3 of House. And I found my checkbook! It had been missing for a few weeks. I knew it was somewhere. Ha Ha!

Three week until I go home for Christmas! Time has flown by!

Blogspot is making me angry

2009-11-21T19:55:00.000-08:00

Now that I have my own nice new BSSD computer, with pictures uploaded to it, Blogspot is being funny and doesn't show the photo uploading option. Colleen is having the same problem. Everything on the posting page looks weird and it doesn't have the options, like changing the font and uploading a picture. This has been going on for like a month and a half. It has frustrated me and made me not want to post. Sorry.

So, last Thursday, well into November, the famous "October Storms" hit. Global Warming is the cause of the delay. My mom had been telling me for a couple of months that I needed to order my snow pants and snow boots, but I had been putting it off - not wanting to spend the extra money. Needless to say, the waist deep snow on my porch last Thursday forced me to suck it up and make an order.

A view of the storm from the elementary entrance. My house is the greenish one straight ahead.

My porch as the snow fell down.

My footprints walking to the porch. All of these photos were taken at about 5PM. The storm has been going on a few hours. It continued through the night, so there was considerably more snow in the morning.

On Friday night, I was at Rec and Fred Charlie asked if on Saturday I wanted to go fishing with him and Matt. Of course I wanted to go! I want to see as much of the life of a villager as I can. So, he told me to see if I could find some warm clothes and they would call before they came by on Saturday. So I asked a couple of people, and everyone was using there winter gear. So, I wore Under Armor leggings, jeans, three pairs of socks, and my rubber boots. And my coat of course. I had a hat and a big hood on my coat, and some gloves. I thought I would be fine. Fred Charlie saw what I was wearing and wasn't convinced. I said I would be fine, and we headed out. Matt drove the snow machine and Fred Charlie and I rode in the sled being pulled behind. Fred Charlie's dog, Little Crust, ran beside us. We headed out to the frozen lagoon and stopped a little ways out. Matt and Fred Charlie used a big pointy stick tool to dig a hole in the ice. They handed me a fishing stick and made themselves holes. Matt caught a tiny fish, then Fred Charlie caught a tiny fish. I didn't catch anything for a long time, and man, I was getting cold!!! It was cold and windy, so it wasn't so pleasant. I was getting ready to say that I gave up, because I thought I would be warmer if I could just stand and cuddle with myself. Then I caught a nice size smelt!! Tom Brad showed up then, so I gave him my stick. Rachel Stasenko, Kate's mom, showed up too. She was appalled by my choice of clothes. Tom Brad wasn't dressed appropriately either, so he was only there for a few minutes, and I left with him. I was getting a little bit worried for my toes. After I left, Matt and Fred Charlie only caught a few fish each.

Fred Charlie digging the hole.

Matt working on the hole.

First hole made!! Pretty sure someone stole that spoon from the kitchen to get the slush out of the hole.

Matt and me. I'm obviously inappropriately dressed.

I look happy, but I'm freezing.

Matt focused on his fishing.

Later, Kate called me and told me that she had heard that I had been fishing in inappropriate clothes. She told me to to come to her house and get some snow pants and boots to borrow until mine arrived. So, Sunday morning, I went and got the gear from Kate and then went fishing with Matt and Fred Charlie again. I also wore my Mad Bomber hat, compliments of the Weeks family from swim team. I was much warmer! But the fish still weren't biting very much. Between the three of us, and two days, we only got like 15 smelt.

On Monday, I saw Matt with his kiddos at Rec, and he said that he had gone fishing and got 90 fish! They said maybe there were seals in the area or the fish just hadn't came down yet, which is why we struggled. But it was a fun experience!

Oh, my boots got here Tuesday, and my snow pants on Thursday, so I am set now. :)

On Thursday and Friday, my preschoolers made Buckeye necklaces! And Ohio State beat Michigan today, so my kiddos gave them some good luck! :)

(Photos added on 01/18/2010)

Catching up...

2009-11-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

So, I went to St. Michael for district in-service. It was good, and it was nice to see some friends from other villages. And I made some new friends too.

My friend Shawn and me. He teaching in Unalakleet.

Typical Amy and Amanda face. She teaching in Golovin.

In the evenings, they had some activities planned so that they wouldn't have 200 disgruntled teachers and paraprofessionals. One night they brought over Native Dancers from Stebbins. That was really fun. It was the first time that I had seen Eskimo dancing. It is a little bit different than what I will see in Shishmaref because Shishmaref is Inupiaq and Stebbins and St. Michael are Yupik. But I still enjoyed it. A lot of people joined in too. I got some videos and pictures.

"Common Dance" - Native Dancers and teachers who have learned it joined in.

A dance about a boy making his first big kill.

So then, back to school this week. We were preparing for Halloween, which was busy. Party in the class, parade in the school, and the Juniors were holding a dance at the Friendship Center. So I was getting ready for all of that stuff. It went well, but I am glad that it is over!!

On Thursday night, there were some great Northern Lights. I was still at the school at 11PM, doing laundry, and Colleen came to get me to show me a surprise. We went down to the beach where there aren't as many lights, and it was really cool. Later, Ken the science teacher, who is our neighbor, came to get us to look at them again. Ken got some cool pictures.

Northern Lights above the village.

The Aurora above the water.

Dancing Lights.

Ken with the Northern Lights.

I am trying to get the photos uploaded on this post, but it doesn't seem to be working. I will try to add them later.

(Photos Added on 01/17/2010)

AU's Early Childhood Department

2009-10-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

This post must start with this statement:

The Early Childhood Department at Ashland University has some of the greatest people I have ever met.

Today is a work day at school. The end of the quarter was Friday and this week is in-service week. So before we fly out to district in-service tomorrow, we have a work day. Basically we have to be at school at least 7 hours, but we can be working on whatever we need to, we can go to lunch when we want, go to the post office, etc..

After lunch, I went to the post office. I had a bunch of boxes, so I went back to the school to borrow the truck. I ran into Matthew, one of my cross country runners. He came with me back to the post office to get the boxes. I had some boxes of food from my order to Span Alaska Sales that I made a few weeks ago. I also had a box from the Early Childhood Department at Ashland University.

Matthew and I loaded up the truck and brought all the boxes to my house. I went back to school, and I brought the box from AU with me. I couldn't wait until after school to open it!

I need the internet for the report cards and such that I have to fill out, so I have been camping out in Colleen's room today. I don't have the internet in my building.

So, I get back to Colleen's room, grab her scissors, and open up the box. It was full of great stuff!! Books for my class, stickers, pencils, glow sticks, coloring books, activity books, paper, candy, a hat, and books for me to read! I was on the edge of tears. I had a card signed by the whole department,a note from Mrs. Eibel, and a post-it attached to a book from Dr. Walton. It was just so amazing and thoughtful for them to think of me and my students. Books are not common in homes here in Shishmaref, and the books that they sent will be put to great use in my classroom. Autumn, one of my students, was in Colleen's room with me while I was opening the box, and she was definitely excited.

I laid all the goodies out on the table and ran down the halls telling all the other teachers to come and "look at what I got in the mail!!!!!!" Everyone was jealous, of course.

Some of the junior high girls were coming in, getting ready for cheerleading practice, and they were pretty impressed as well.

So, I used Photo Booth on this computer to try and take some pictures. They aren't great pictures, but this way I can post them right away. My camera isn't hooking up to the computer quite right yet, so photo booth will have to do.

Some of the goodies!

More goodies!

Autumn and her drawings to made today. on the left is a policeman, and on the right is a picture of herself. She does pretty good writing her name too! Her mom is a special ed aide. She was working today, and brought Autumn with her, which is why she was hanging out at school.

The box that the goodies came in.

Autumn with the smiley face paper. She can't wait to show the rest of the class all the neat stuff!

More awesome stuff!

This box just made my day! I can't wait to share it will my class! Thank you!!! :)

A quick trip to Anchorage

2009-10-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

I am back from Anchorage!

Tuesday afternoon, I left my classroom and headed for my house to get my stuff to get on the plane. I walked through the big school on my way - it's just faster. Tons of HS and Jr. High kids were giving me hugs and stuff. Mamie's advice to me was "don't get kidnapped". Some other kids were worried that I might not come back. It was kind of funny. Matthew asked if he could have my Wii if I didn't come back. He has an "I'm so tough" fifteen-year-old boy attitude, but he gave me a hug before I left. :)

I left Shishmaref around 1:15. The plane stopped in Wales first. There were five or so people going to Wales, and just me going to Nome. From Wales to Nome, I sat co-pilot. The plane was really fancy. It was the same kind of planes that they use as Medi-vacs (sp?). Basically if there is a bad illness or injury and you need to get out of the village NOW, they use the Medi-vac planes. They are designed to be an all-weather plane. They have a fancy system with a screen that shows you exactly where the runway is in real time. So if you can't see the runway through the window, you can look at the screen and see where to land.

I got to Nome around 2:30. My plane for Anchorage wasn't leaving until 8:55. So I had plenty of time to kill. My cell phone was turned on for a few days, so I called my family while I was eating at Subway, which was wonderful. Later I went to a resturant called Airport Pizza. While I was there, I ran into one of the BSSD teachers from Stebbins, Lauren. So we had dinner together and went to the store together after. It was nice.

I got to Anchorage around 10:30. I stayed at the Millenium. It was really nice. A huge king size bed, TV with cable, and a BATHTUB!!! Even though it was after 11 before I got around to it, I definitely took a bath both nights I was there. It was really nice. I never had a bathtub in college either, but I did get to shower in my own apartment, or when I was in dorms, in my own hallway. So it was a refreshing change.

I got to sleep in on Wednesday, which was nice. I got up around 10, got ready and wandered down to the gift shop. I just wanted to poke around and waste some time before I went to go take my test. My appointment was at 12:30, but I wanted to get there super early, in case there were any glitches, I could get them figured out. There were no glitches, and they weren't busy, so I started testing at 11:48. I got done fairly quickly considering it's like a 4.5 hour test with a 15 minute break. I think I was out of there in 3 hours. I am just a fast test taker. I'm a good test taker too. So it's cool.

After the test I went to Wendy's. That was very tasty. Then I went to Fred Meyer to do some shopping. I think that I spent three hours in Fred Meyer by myself. I bought lots of food. It was a lot cheaper than Shishmaref and a lot more variety. Pretty exciting. I brought an empty cooler to Anchorage and then brought all of my perishable food back in it. All the non-perishable stuff I bought I had sent to Shishmaref. The shipping costs from Fred Meyer are fairly reasonable, for non-perishable stuff at least. To ship perishable food, it costs $90, plus the cost of shipping weight. That covers up to 65 pounds of food. I spent $47 in overweight baggage to get it back to Shishmaref, and I didn't have to worry about if it would arrive before it spoiled or anything like that. I think I did it the smart way.

After Fred Meyer I met up with Angie. She was in Anchorage from Tuesday til Sunday with Student Council. There were student council members from all over the state in Anchorage for a confrence. So I met up with Angie and the three high school students and went to the movies. Freida, Angie and I saw "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" in 3D. Zander and Miizuk saw some girly romantic comedy instead. When the movies were over we played a little air hockey in the movie theater arcade. It was fun. Then we went to Wal-Mart, which was super exciting, of course! There was a McDonald's inside Wal-Mart, so I got a burger too, which was nice. I went back to their hotel for a bit and then called a cab around 11.

I couldn't sleep on Wednesday night and I didn't fall asleep til after 1am. I had to be up by 4 to get ready to go to the airport for my 6am flight, so that wasn't too fun. Less than 3 hours of sleep. Oh well.

The plane from Anchorage stopped in Kotzebue and then headed to Nome. I had a few hours in Nome, so I had breakfast at Airport Pizza, went to a gift shop, and then bought some Chinese food and Subway to take home to Shishmaref for the next couple of days.

I made it back on Thursday afternoon and life basically went back to normal.

Even though it was a pain to have to go, I kind of wish that I would've had another day. I didn't get to go to the mall or anything while I was there. I wanted to look for snow pants and boots so that I wouldn't have to order from a catalog. Oh well, I guess. It still was a successful trip.

What a mess...

2009-10-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

This past week has not been so great.

So, when I got hired, there was some miscommunication. I was told that I had a year to take the Praxis I for my Alaska teaching license. I found out Tuesday that I need to have the Praxis I now. So, I am technically out of compliance. I am placed on substitute pay until the Education Department has my Praxis I scores. I am losing $125 per day. Plus, now I have to go to Anchorage this week to take the Praxis I. I will have my math and reading scores right away, but I will have to wait for the writing results. I am on sub pay until those results are in. This trip to Anchorage is going to cost me about $1300 (plane tickets, taxis, hotels, food, etc.). I am leaving Tuesday afternoon and I will return Thursday afternoon. So I will miss out on two days of work, and since I am on sub pay, I miss out on two days of pay also.

The confusion happened because I just graduated from college and did not already possess a teaching license. If I had an Ohio teaching license, I would've had a year to pass the Praxis I test. So, now I have sent all of my stuff to the Ohio Education Department. If I can get my Ohio license in the hands of the Alaska Education Department before my Praxis I scores are back, then I will get back on my regular pay. So I am working both angles to get this worked out as soon as possible.

In Ohio, I was exempt from Praxis I. At Ashland University, to get into the education program, you have to either have a 21 or higher on your ACT, or pass the Praxis I. I had a 28 on my ACT, so I didn't ever take the Praxis I. I have passed 4 Praxis II tests, however. These tests are harder and more focused on my teaching field. I need those test scores for my Professional Teaching License in Alaska, but not my Initial Teaching License. The Initial Teaching License requires passing scores on the Praxis I. Unfortunately, I cannot skip the Initial Teaching License and go straight for the Professional License.

That is the news going on in my life. I am trying to not be upset about it anymore. I cried three days in a row about it. Now I am just doing what I gotta do and trying not to be upset about it. On the plus side, I will get to go to Anchorage, do some grocery shopping, buy some meat (I originally bought 5 pounds of hamburger meat, 6 chicken breasts, and one pot roast), eat at a restaurant, and get a Starbucks. I can't go shopping though, because I am on sub pay!

This is my one complaining post. I will try to be positive from now on. :)

A few pictures of the cute kiddos in Shishmaref, Alaska

2009-09-30T21:59:00.000-07:00

I know people are wanting to see pictures. I haven't been able to hook my camera up to the computer yet, but I have a couple on the computer from Photobooth and from emails. So here!

Timary and me tonight using Photobooth. Timary is my neighbor. She's 6 and in the 1st grade. Her dad Ken is the science teacher and

has been here 11 years. Her mom Lisa is from Shishmaref and is a para-pro at school. I am sure I will write a lot about Timary and her brothers and sisters. Gabe just turned 9 and Sarah is 8 - they both are in 3rd grade. Timothy just turned 5 and is kindergarten. Baby Norman was born in April and we all have tons of fun with him!

This is a picture of two of

my preschoolers and me. Frank is on the left, and Carter is on the right. This was taken in the gym during our gross moto

r play time, which we get three times a week. Notice Carter's LeBron jersey? His grandpa is from Cleveland!

This isn't really a good picture of any of us. It was taken the same day as the one with Carter and Frank. My little guys (L to R) are Madison, Ida, Gary, and Victoria. I don't think any of them were quite ready.

I'll add more pictures as I can!!

Evidently I'm busy...

2009-09-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

So, sorry for not posting for awhile!

I wondered if anyone would read this, and if anyone would want to read it. But when I talk to friends and family, they usually comment on what's been written on my blog - so I guess I'll keep going with it.

However, I obviously haven't posted in awhile. I am obviously teaching everyday. Then I was also Cross Country coach. So we had practice everyday after school, plus meets on Saturdays - so I would be gone all day long. With only one day on the weekend, and just a couple of spare hours in the evening, blogging has been pushed aside.

A couple of weeks ago, I took on another responsibility. I became the Class of 2011 co-advisor. Bob the math teacher is the other advisor. So we're busy fundraising and planning with the junior class.

Cross Country is over now, so that's gives me a little more time.

I will try and be better with posting.

So, school is going well. I have been doing a lot of testing at school. The district requires some testing every fall and spring so that we can monitor progress, but the grant that pays for my job requires even more testing. So that has been kind of crazy. Last week Julie Egli from the district office was here. She helped so much with the testing. I just love her. She's so helpful and supportive and I was super glad to have her here.

Every night except for Sunday, there is rec at the school. It's basically open gym. The first hour is for 4th grade and younger, the next hour is 5th-8th, followed by the high school, and finally adults. Rec is a huge part of most of the village people's lives. The school-wide punishment is to be put on the "rec list". If you are on rec list, you can't go to rec that night or go to their sports practices. A student is put on rec list automatically for being more than 15 minutes late to school or for being tardy to 2 or more of your classes that day. Also, some teacher put students on rec list for not doing their homework or for misbehaving. The Vice Principal (Floyde) prints out the list every night and tacks it on his door. I don't put any of my kiddos on rec list because they are too little to understand that not sitting still on the carpet is why they couldn't go to rec.

I am at the school a lot anyway, so I usually stop by little kiddo rec to play around. I see who of my kids are there. All the other kids know me too. It's fun to play around a little bit with them. Wilsa and Mickey, who work with me in the 4-year-old class go to rec almost every night. Sometimes I stop in to say hi when I'm in the school during that time. They always say I should play.

Basketball is what it is all about in Shishmaref. If you aren't into basketball, you are an outcast. As you all know - basketball is definitely not my thing. In fact, sports with a ball in general are not my thing. Basketball especially though. I am trying to enjoy watching games on Friday nights, but even that is pushing it. I like the social aspect of the games though.

So Saturday, I finally went to rec. Jerome, who is 20, helped me out with my shot a bit. Basically, the women shoot around during the men's game (opposite side of the court from where the action is at the moment), and then the men shoot around during the women's game. So, I played in my first basketball game ever. I sucked, but they were nice to me anyway. One time, everyone backed away from the net and let me shoot and get my own rebounds until I scored. Then both teams cheered for me. Haha. I might go again tonight.

I stopped into rec during little kid time tonight. I was running around and I bent down to sneak up on my little Frank. Just as I was leaning to him, he moved his head back and my chin slammed into his head. He was fine, he kept on playing - but I am in pain. My whole jaw hurts and my ear on that side is ringing. I am icing it right

now. In fact, here is a picture of what I look like as I type this.

So now I am trying to decide if I want to go to rec tonight. I probably should get some exercise.

Rec is also a great place to get to know people. I am starting to recognize most people in the village. Saturday I got to actually talk to people I hadn't before, and now I actually remember their names! So that is good. Angie said that a lot of people go to rec that don't go to other things, so it's a good way to see different people.

Well, like I said, I will try to be better on posting!

Shoot me an email or call! :)

Amy - the ECE Teacher

2009-09-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hello!

School is going well! The kiddos are so cute! I just love them. Wilsa and Mickey are great to work with too. Overall, things are going great.

The names of my kiddos are so cute. In this culture, if a person close to your family dies, you name your child after them. So there are lots a little children with big people names. In my class I have a Ida, Vivian, Gary, Delbert, and a Frank, just to name a few. I do have some common children's names, like Autumn and Carter, but it's very interesting the names that kiddos have.

The kids are really funny. I think one of the funniest things that is different than in Ohio is that they all plug their ears when they flush the toilets. At school, we have plumbing. At home they do not. So they have spent the past four years of their life with a non-flushing honeybucket. They are so funny!

I am getting used to the eyebrow-raise for "yes" and nose-scrunch for "no". I even do it sometimes during school. I notice the little ones use that a lot more than the other people in the village. Some families use it more than others too. It seems really odd, but it makes sense. We shake our heads. When you are wearing a GIANT coat, you can't shake your head. All of your expressions have to be in the part of your face that the coat and hood don't cover - your nose and eyebrows. It is actually pretty cute.

All the kids in the village say "funny" for mean. Like Gary will tell me at school "Jimmy is being funny to me!" And it doesn't mean that they have good jokes.

We live right next to the school, so that is like playing headquarters. Little kids play there, big kids play there - it's busy all the time. On Thursday, I was napping in my Lazy-Boy in the evening, and a little kindergartener walked into my house and said "AMY! The little Amy is being funny to me!!" My response was "Tell her to be nice." I have decided that when I am sleeping in my own house, children's behavior is not in my jurisdiction.

So, I am going to go home and make some dinner. I didn't sleep to well last night, so I want to try and get to bed before midnight tonight. Colleen didn't sleep well last night either. Maybe something was weird in the air. Anyway, I'm off.

Peace.

It's your first birthday party... Have some Berries...

2009-08-31T16:47:00.000-07:00

There is so much to write about!

Last night, I went to my first birthday party on the island. They are a big deal. You bring a few dollars for the kiddos and then eat dessert. There were three kinds of cake, 4 different pies, jello, Dreamwhip, and a berry salad thing. The birthday boys are 13-year-old twins. Their mom is one of the 3 year old teachers in the ECE building. Colleen was like "AMY! It's your first birthday party! Have some berries!" So I did. They tasted alright. The consistency was interesting. I had one bite left, and Colleen asked a teenage girl there to tell me what was in the berries. I told her to wait until I was done before I heard. So I finished. The local ingredients were seal oil and caribou fat. Nice. But I survived! I noticed that Colleen didn't help herself to any berries though! Ha Ha!!

Well, it's Timothy's 5th birthday today, so another party tonight!!

Today was my first day with kiddos! I will write about it later, but I have to go to Cross Country practice now!!!

There's No Place Like Nome...

2009-08-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

So...

Tuesday, after school Colleen and I swam in the ocean. Ken, the Science teacher, estimated the water temperature at 40 degrees F. It was cold. We went in, went under, and got out. But we had to climb back up a rock hill to get to our towels. Cold, cold, cold!!!! Photos to come... when I have a computer of my own, and my external hard drive from home.

I went to Nome Tuesday night, and got back on Friday night. I had a good time. The conference was not so exciting, but I was good to get to work with the other teachers I will be working with.

Nome was small, about 4,000 people, but with the feeling of a larger city. It is a hub for bush Alaska, so everyone goes there. They have 2 hotels, at least 5 restaurants, at least 10 bars, at least 7 liquor stores, at least 2 grocery stores, and at least 2 taxi services. We ate at Subway and Airport Pizza a lot. We had a good time. I would like to go back soon!

Today was a work day at school. I got some stuff done, which was good. And then tonight Colleen and I are going to Steve and Angie's for dinner. We're having fajitas. I'm looking forward to it!

Well, I need to shower and get ready for dinner!

I like mail :)

2009-08-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

I got my mailbox yesterday. My mailing address is now:

Amy Cellar
P.O. Box 176
Shishmaref, AK 99772

If it is a package, it's not a bad idea to send it to the school still, especially if it is big. If it is sent to the school, Warren, one of the maitenance men, will bring it to the house for me. Also, the post office is only open during school hours, so if it is bigger than fits in my little mailbox, I will just get a slip that says I have a package, and I won't be able to actually get it.

Sending mail and packages is a good thing though!!!

:)

Sand, sand and more sand!

2009-08-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

So, I was able to get into my classroom yesterday! All of the head start employees that I will be working with are in Nome for training. Kate called Wilsa's cell phone for me, found out where she left her keys, and went and got them for me.

When I got into the building, there was sand EVERYWHERE. Gross. Like mud, all over the floor. I didn't want to unroll any carpets for move tables like that, so I went back into the main school to see if they knew when the maitenance workers would be back. Because it is a partnership with Head Start, the school workers don't clean out there. After a few phone calls, I was told that they wouldn't be back until school started, and I should just do it myself now. So I began that yesterday.

Sand was just the beginning. There was a 1/2 eaten donut on one of the tables. There was a full trash can. Eww.

The building is three major rooms. One is three year olds, one is four year olds, and one is the kitchen and prep room. There are also a couple of storage rooms. So, I called Wilsa to figure out which room is the 4 year old room, so I don't spend lots of time cleaning the wrong room.

I got the floor swept, pulled out the carpet, vacuumed it, and wiped down all of the chairs, cubbies, and tables. I still have cleaning to do, and obviously setting everything up, but I got a good start. I am spending time today reading about the Curiosity Corner program so that I know how to set things up.

Tonight, I am headed to Nome where I will be meeting up with the rest of the ECE teachers from the district for training. I guess we are staying at the Nugget Inn, which is not so nice. I leave at 6:05 tonight.

Last night Colleen and I went to Steve and Angie's to play games. We played Fluxx, which was a really fun card game. It is it's own deck - not like a regular deck of cards. Then we played Guitar Hero for awhile. They have 2 guitars, the drums, and the microphone. So that was really fun. We rocked out.

Well, I better get back to reading about the Curiosity Corner program!

"Because I don't like getting sand in my shoes"

2009-08-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

So, things are going well. Today we had a three hour teacher meeting. And this afternoon we have a work day in our classrooms. I, however, do not have keys yet. I am in a different building right next to the school, and this is the first year that BSSD has been involved with the preschool, so know one seems to have keys, expect for my Head Start employees... who are in Nome.

There is sand everywhere. No dirt. I have been wearing my pink rubber boots because I don't like getting sand in my shoes, and it is too cold for flip flops. I only have 5 pairs of shoes now for the time being (rubber boots, tennis shoes, black dress flats, and 2 pairs of flip flops), and I think these are the best choice. All the kids I meet are like "why are you wearing rubber boots??!!!" and I say "Because I don't like sand in my shoes and it's too cold for flip flops." They are all wearing flip flops and Crocs. Typically, rubber boots are in the spring when the snow is melting and there are puddles all over.

I met Steve and Angie yesterday. Steve is 3rd grade and Angie is Social Studies. They are wonderful. Them, Colleen, and I played a really fun game last night. It's like Clue, but for grown ups. Game night will be frequent, and I am excited! :)

Well, I am gonna go help Kate the kindergarten teacher, since I have no keys.

I made it!

2009-08-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

I am now offically in Alaska!

After a travel disaster that result in spending the night in a hotel in NC and arriving to Anchorage 19 hours late, I made it.

The Welcome Wagon was really nice. I got to meet some great people and it was awesome to have someone waiting for me at the airport.

Monday, I went to Unalakleet, where the district office is. I had two days to just hang out and meet people. They have a great little coffee shop in Unalakleet!!! :)

One night I went to a bridge on a river to fish. I couldn't fish, and actually only one of the six of us who went had a pole, but we had fun. We talked, hung out, and Shon jumped off the bridge into the freezing river, as some of the local kiddos were doing. I saw lots of dead and dying salmon. After then spawn, they die within 2 or 3 days. They were floating back down the river, dead or nearly there. We even saw some take their last little flip of life. The dead fish either float to the bottom or wash up on shore. So the shore was real gross.

Another night in Unalakleet we had a bonfire on the beach. That was pretty fun. We had s'mores and Jon played the guitar for us. After hanging out with great people from all over the district, I was really sad that we're not all at the same school.

Training went well. Julie Egli had all of the ECE teachers to her house for pizza on Wednesday night. It was really nice to be able to talk about what we would be doing and to meet everyone. Our kiddos don't start until the 31st (the rest of the kids start the 24th). Next week, all the ECE teachers in the district will be going to Nome for more training in SFA (Success for All - the reading program used in the district). The following week, we will be back in Unalakleet for more training.

I made it to Shishmaref last night. Colleen is really great. I think we will get along great. We went to the school last night and to the store. I have already met some people in the village, and they are really welcoming.

There is no dirt in Shishmaref. We are on a tiny island, and we only have sand. So we definitely take our shoes off at the door. I am glad to have my pink rubber boots here so that the sand doesn't even get in my shoes.

Very few of my boxes have made it here yet. My flat rate boxes of food made it though. A can of peaches exploded, which was disgusting. The box was black and damp and was rancid smelling. As I opened it, everything was wet, black, and molded. I threw away the exploded can, and one other can. Everything else I washed and peeled the yucky labels off. I think it will be okay.

I also got the boxes that were shipped from stores or online. So I had my bedding and towels, which was great. Also my slippers and boots were waiting for me.

I have no other boxes yet though. So no extra clothes. I only have what I had packed for Unalakleet, which was minimal anyway. And it is colder here, and I don't have enough outside clothes. I am currently at the school, with a load of laundry in the drier so that I have more than just the sweater and yoga pants that I am currently wearing (the only things left over from Unalakleet that were remotely clean). I hope that the rest of my boxes come soon!!

The house is fine. I didn't really know what to expect. The honey bucket is gross. I don't know if I can use it. Thank goodness there are flush toilets at the school. Also, I showered at the school today.

Things are going well, and I will be making some major adjustments in the next few months!

I will try and post more often, now that I am actually here, but I will be super busy, so no promises.

Peace out!

A quick update...

2009-08-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

So, things have been super busy.

I had a going away party, which was really great! Between my party, and other meetings, I got to spend time with a lot of great friends. It was really nice.

Now I am in Myrtle Beach with my family. My cousin/best friend Courtney joined us, which was awesome.

I am leaving tomorrow for Alaska! The time since I decided to go has went by super fast! I can't believe it's already here! I hope I'm ready!

Well, I just stopped at the library to request a transcript and make a few copies! I will try and update shortly after I arrive in AK!

Ta-ta!

More Farewells

2009-07-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

So, my life has been super busy! I am trying to find time to see people, work, and pack. It's getting a little out of control!

Tuesday, I had lunch with Mrs. Rinehart and Mrs. Eibel, two of my AU professors. I had a really great time with them! They gave me a really nice teacher's journal as well. It is filled with inspiration quotes for teachers, passages, and journal prompting. They said that when I am up there and homesick, it will be nice to have something physical to know that people are thinking about me. :) They are fantastic ladies and great role models.

Last night was the swim team going away party that Melody planned. It was really nice. A lot of people came. It was nice to make sure that I got to see people again. So many people brought cards and gifts, which was totally unexpected. The Ashland Aqua Aces swim team families are just an incredible group of people. I will truly miss being a part of the swim team family.

Saying Goodbye...

2009-07-18T23:21:00.000-07:00

Saying goodbye sucks.

Three meltdowns in two days.

I am totally excited to go to Alaska, but it is really weird that certain things will not be a part of my life anymore. Yesterday before GMAC (championship swim meet) started, Allison Weeks was talking to me about how she hadn't been able to tell Lily that I was leaving yet. We just were talking, and everything was great. When she walked away, I couldn't help but to cry. I don't know - it just hit me. Swim team kids have began to say goodbye. I have said bye to a couple that I know I won't see again, like Olivia and Katie, and both times I have cried. It's been weird.

Melody is awesome. She is a great person and friend. She has organized a little farewell party for me at the Y for this Wednesday. I am so looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. I am the kind of person that likes closure. I am really glad to finish up swim team with a little get together, instead of just all of a sudden being done and not seeing anyone. Also, I am really glad that so many people are planning on coming. It will be great to see everyone one more time. But I am dreading it as well. If I break down when I say goodbye to one swimmer, what will I do when they are all saying goodbye? Either I will bawl the whole time, or I will be numb and won't at all. We'll see.

I had lunch with Blair and Trish on Friday also, and it was weird that our goodbye hug wasn't just until a couple of weeks when I would see him next. It's for a long time.

I will be home at Christmas, but I know I will be super busy, and all of my friends will be super busy. I just know I can't count on seeing everyone then. And then next summer when I am home, more of my friends will be graduating and will be going off to do their own thing. The uncertainity of when I will see people again is hard.

That's it for now. I am going shopping in Columbus tomorrow and Monday for Alaska items. I love shopping!

Care Packages? :)

2009-07-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

Getting ready has been crazy! I have been sending stuff to the school, as suggested by the district. Mostly, all we've sent has been food so far. I should probably get to packing other things.

I got an email from Colleen, my future roommate, today. I had asked her 50kajillion questions about things. One thing that I had asked was what my mailing address will be once I get there. She said that I will get a P.O. Box when I arrive. So, I can't really tell anyone my mailing address yet. If you want to send me something, the best bet would be to send it to the school, like I have been doing. I'll keep everyone posted on my P.O. Box when I get it.

The school address is:
Amy Cellar
c/o Shishmaref School
1 Sea View Lane
Shishmaref, AK 99772

Welcome!

2009-07-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Hello!

As you probably know, I am moving to Alaska! It should be quite the adventure. I will be teaching preschool in Shishmaref, Alaska. I will be able to see Russia from my house.... on a clear day. It's pretty crazy.

I really don't know what posessed me to go to Alaska. I wanted to get out of Ohio and do something crazy! I guess I will be accomplishing that goal. I guess when I got the offer, I was afraid that if I didn't take the job, I would regret it for the rest of my life. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

Basically, my last day in Ohio is July 30th. I will be leaving for my family vacation in Myrtle Beach on the 31st, and then I will leave for Alaska from there! So, I have 16 days left in Ohio. That is crazy! I am trying to get together with family and friends between now and then, as well as shop, pack, and work. So, I guess I will be catching up on sleep on the plane.

That's it for now. Ta-ta.