The Rock People

I can now add the accomplishment of "climbed a volcano" to my list of new experiences!  The photo above is of some of the "rock people" that people for many years have built out of the loose rocks scattered about.  The purpose of these Jenga-like structures is not known to me, but one plausible explanation I've heard is that they were built up on the cliffs to create the appearance of a well-guarded coast to approaching ships.  Here are some more views of the top, isn't it lovely?

 Here's looking down over Toksook Bay with a pretty good view of the village Nightmute across in the distance.

The next photo is the village of Tununak in the distance, which is 7 miles away from Toksook, so I'm thinking we were almost halfway there!  

I enjoyed the interesting plant life up on the volcano, if you look closely you can see the berries growing that the natives call "blackberries".  I'll tell you more about the local berries soon.

God's creation is amazing!

Fire

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." Yeat

 

Off-duty educators + beach + driftwood + matches = fun!

On the edge of the Bering Sea, we had a bonfire on the beach.  Twisted and gnarled driftwood was collected and stacked to make a magnificent blaze that burned so hot we feared our eyebrows might be singed off.  It burned down to perfect roasting coals, and we enjoyed marshmallows and s'mores.  Curious and envious children out past curfew lurked in the tall grasses of the cliffs overlooking the beach while the staff's pets frolicked about, finding disgusting treasures such as old fish heads.

Beneath the starry skies, seated on the rocky beach,  I gazed at the fire and hoped that this year I would be able to generate some sparks of a love for learning amongst my students.  

What is there about a good fire on the beach that makes me feel like I've been on vacation?  

First Frost

I had the pleasure of having Anna's former roommate visit this week.  She is the math specialist for the district and came to bring us some math cheer.  She ran a family math night which the kids really enjoyed!  The hit of the evening was a math game called "Greedy".

As we headed out towards the school this morning before dawn, we caught sight of glistening on the boardwalk, and had to step carefully... the wooden walk way was covered in frost!  We decided to make our way along the road, which was surprisingly solid after so many days of wetness.  The slimy clay mud that lines the road dries out very quickly!

On that same note, I can breathe a little easier now... the mail brought my new snowpants from Land's End.  I had decided it made sense to order some when I got here, but I got a little nervous when it turned so cool so soon!

So, we are losing 6 minutes of daylight each day, and the weather is quite cool, especially with the strong winds coming off the bay.  What is the weather like in your corner of the world?

Fellowship

Scene 1
Setting: Before school began, at the new teacher training, in the lunch line

Mr. Science: "Janet, I don't know if you are a person of faith, but if you are interested, my pastor & his wife fly out from Bethel to Toksook every week for a Bible Study."

 ****

Scene 2
Setting: Second week of school, Parent-Teacher Conferences

Me: "Talk, talk, talk, student, test scores, etc. etc."
G's Father: "I will pray for you and your class."
Me: "Thank you!  Are you a believer?  Where do you fellowship?" (Knowing that the only church building in the village is the Catholic Church.)
G's Father: "Ah, this is the reason I came to this conference, to meet you.  I wasn't going to come, but I had a feeling that I should.  Please join us, we meet in a home on Sundays and Wednesdays."

****

I am once again surprised and amazed how the Lord's presence is here in this village!  Although neither the Catholic church nor the home gathering are my particular flavor of Christianity, I feel very blessed to find fellowship with real followers of Christ.

When I visited the Catholic church, it was an elder led service (the Priest travels a circuit of villages) and I sensed true worship in the service.   It was very crowded, all the pews were filled, and the songs were familiar.

This morning I battled the fierce winds blowing off the bay to trudge out to the home gathering, where I met with brothers and sisters in the Lord.  There were 5 guitars, a drum trap set, bongos, and a tambourine.  A lone couch up against the wall where a couple elders sat (the older people of the village, not the office) plus a few folding chairs, which were occupied by the musicians.  Everyone else was seated on the floor.  There were hymnbooks of sorts, folders containing the words of songs which were numbered... but not necessarily in numerical order.

Most of the songs were familiar, and the message was solid and practical.  I enjoyed the sweet fellowship, but I have to say that 3 hours on the floor was a challenge!  Let's just say that I came to realize that there are muscles that I haven't challenged in a l-o-n-g time.

I haven't met with the people from Bethel yet, but I am looking forward to another drink at the well.

God is good.

A Taste of Toksook

My friend, Caitlin is the cross country coach for Nunap, and she posted this great video of their team's trip for the cross country meet we hosted last weekend.  Enjoy this short peek into my world here... and yes, that is real beluga whale we are munching on! 

Wondering Why I Am Here...

“It's not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong; 

not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich;

 not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; 

and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity.” Frances Bacon

I like this quote, and find myself really pondering it today. We had a teacher inservice today and I'm struggling with my core beliefs about education and how kids learn. My heart's desire is to truly educate, is that why I'm here?

Once again, I find myself looking around me for the answers when I should be looking up. I'm going to try and stop my thinking and start praying in earnest.

Here's a view from my window of a rainbow that caught my eye and reminded me of the hope that I have. Notice the white cross on the Catholic Church peeking over the rooftop? An amazing view to behold!

Blackberry Festival 2011

This weekend is the annual Blackberry Festival (or Feastival, as the t-shirts proclaimed one year!) in Toksook Bay.

Our school hosted a Cross Country Meet, which proved to be a lot of fun as it brought some familiar faces to the village... Anna, the newly minted cross country coach of the Good News Bears showed up with with 3 contenders in tow.  They stayed at my house with me, and were a pleasure!

It was fun to see a good friend from my weeks in Atmau, as well some of the other first year teachers met in training a few weeks ago.  The race itself was in very chilly rain, and the contestants braved lots of mud and obstacles along the 3 mile course through rugged terrain.  It was quite a challenge for the teams from the flat tundra that hadn't run on hills and through ravines before!

There was a sobering event at the onset of the weekend.  The plane that dropped off one of the teams had a mid-air collision with another plane on the return trip shortly after leaving here and their pilot was killed, the plane burned.  Quite chilling to realize how fortunate they were to be alive, as well as all the other teams that arrived safe & sound!

The Blackberry Festival has community events like fiddle dances every evening, and raffles to fundraise for the community.  It's been fun to be a part of the festivities!

I'll leave you with a photo taken by a friend flying in for the meet... I snagged it from her facebook!