I recently traveled to Anchorage for the state school counseling conference. It was my first time back in 12 years. Growing up in Bethel, Anchorage was our big city, a special place for us Bush kids, with all the people, cars, stoplights, restaurants, hotels. "Grandma!" my brother exclaimed on the phone on a visit to Anchorage as young children. "This hotel is so nice! It has flush toilets and everything!". Back then, I puzzled over the men I saw wearing suits in downtown Anchorage "There are a lot of Mormons here!" I told my mom. In my world, only Mormon Missionaries dressed up.
Indeed, the counseling conference was full of school counselors with the tell-tale signs of Bush life. They were the ones dressed in hiking boots, jeans, puffy jackets or fleece. I know what this is like, having been an itinerant social worker to 6 Yupik villages. Back then, my wardrobe was best suited for stuffing myself into small 4 to 8 seater bush planes and keeping myself warm and dry as I walked between the landing strip and schools, schlepping my overnight bag and sleeping bag. I went years without wearing a skirt. Forget about fixing my hair --mostly it was static-ey from wearing a warm hat so much. Itinerant folks and people who live in rural Alaska deal with the challenges of extreme weather, travel, isolation, running water, lack of access to things such as fresh produce and dairy. Not surprisingly, the turnover at these schools is high.
"You look very nice," a professionally dressed older women at my table tells me. "Where do you live?" I tell her Metlakatla and she looks surprised. "But you look so urban!" she exclaims. Talk about a back-handed compliment. "Thank you. I think." I responded. The divide between rural and urban Alaska is big in so many ways. She managed to come off like a snob, and take a swipe at bush Alaskans all at once.
Counselors fresh out of graduate school and new to Alaska were the most fun to talk to --the adventure of it all burned bright in their eyes. For my part, life in Metlakatla is easy and comfortable in comparison. "Alaska light," I think of it. We have paved roads, a nice supermarket with fresh produce and reasonably priced goods (compared to the rest of rural Alaska), and, very importantly, flush toilets. Not sure I could live with a honey bucket again.
The School Conference itself was well done, similar in quality to the last three state conferences in Colorado. I mentioned this to the president, a counselor from Haines. "Do you know Corey and Matthew?" she asked me, referring to former Colorado school counseling presidents. Not personally, but I did. "It probably seems similar to the Colorado conference because we've worked a lot with Corey and Matthew". The counseling world is small, apparently.
Apart from the conference, I visited Robin Reich and her family, and Sharon and Dan Boyette. I spent A LOT of time as a child playing at their home, and it was great fun reminiscing. On Friday I drove out to Wasilla to spend the evening with Jaci and Steve Murray and the kids. Between Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Colorado and Alaska, Jaci and I have found ways to visit each other in the years since high school.
As pleased as I was to reconnect with my roots, I was happy that we didn't live in Anchorage. Cities are not my thing, and Anchorage traffic is especially annoying. (Not nearly as bad as Denver though).
Traveling home, I was on the milk-run to Ketchikan, with stops in Sitka and Juneau. I wasn't happy about all time spent waiting around, taking off and landing, but at least we were graced with clear views of wooded islands, glaciers, tiny inlets, occasional homesteads. Whale spotter that I am, I saw a few spouting whales from above, the dark outlines of their bodies just below the surface. SouthEast Alaska is stunning, and I felt blessed to be there.
Thanksgiving!
Where do folks far from home spend turkey day in Metlakatla Alaska? Answer: at a potluck with a small crowd of teachers. Lots of food, conversation, and games, late into the evening. Naturally, it was cold and rainy, but we were toasty, warm, and happy.
I hope your Thanksgiving was as fun as our was and that Christmas season treats you well. Happy December! As always, I'll keep my eyes peeled for whales.
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