The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 2 - Arrival

The day finally arrived. After two days of delays due to mechanical issues with the first plane in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and weather issues to the west of Anchorage, Alaska, I finally made it to my destination, Mountain Village, Alaska.

I spent last night in a town called Bethel, where heavy rains grounded flights, and left me with no choice but to find a place to stay. I would’ve slept in the airport, however they close after the final flight for the day comes in. There was only one place with rooms left in the entire town, and I found one in the oasis known as the Hawaiian Inn. Surprisingly, it was nothing like Hawaii. I’m not sure why, but the roads my cab driver took to get there, left me with a horrible case of hemorrhoids. Just kidding, but I think you get the picture. Unfortunately, not one person I spoke to since I’ve been in Alaska, had anything positive to say about Bethel. Sorry Bethel, but I have to agree with everyone else.

When I arrived, the tiny little manager man was very friendly and at least made me feel good about being there. I asked him if there were any place to get something to eat and he told me there was an attached restaurant. He was very honest and said that I could get a hamburger for $25 and a soda for $5. After seeing that I was a little discouraged at the $25 hamburger and passed politely, he offered me a sweet deal on two bags of Doritos and two Pepsis, normally all $2 each. I was going to eat like a king. Once you took a left or a right out of the main lobby, the rooms were in a very close, dormitory arrangement. The rooms were humble, with linoleum floors and the basic necessities that you would need for sleeping and bathroom duties. I didn’t mind at all. After sitting for hours upon hours the last two days at airports, a hard floor, concrete block and burlap bag would’ve been just fine. Ironically, the bed was unbelievably comfortable and I slept like a rock. The only part that took getting used to, was looking out the window and seeing that it was still light at 11:30 at night.

I woke refreshed in the morning and was excited to see that my flight was on time, and still projected to depart, despite the fact that it was still pouring outside. I made my way to the front counter to ask my friendly, little manager if I could have another bag of Doritos and soda to satisfy my palate before leaving for the airport. I was pleasantly surprised, when he said, “No, no, no. I have a special breakfast down the hall. You go get some food in your stomach.” So he sent me down the hall for a complimentary breakfast that he had set up for other guests who payed extra. I was extremely grateful and thanked him emphatically for everything. I just knew there had to be some good things coming today.

I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, and again was welcomed by the news that the flight was on time and going to depart Bethel. I had a couple more hours of thinking time, which added to the plethora of other thinking time that I had in the past couple of days while sitting in the airports. You know, just pondering my life and thinking about what I’m going to do for the next 50 years. Just like we all do, right?! I came out of the deep thought to hear music to my ears, “Flight 3445, to Mountain Village, now boarding.” So myself and the other five passengers who could fit on the small plane boarded and took off to Mountain Village.

I have to be honest, I get very, very nervous when flying, but that was exacerbated today when I was aboard the smaller airplane. The loud propeller and more noticeable rocking back-and-forth in the wings, made me put every ounce of confidence I had into my pilots that they have done this countless times and that I didn’t have to worry. The first half hour of the flight was in complete cloud cover so I read a book to take my mind off any worry. However that all stopped, when the scenery on the way to the village came clear. It was absolutely breathtaking. I cannot even begin to describe the color of the green that made up the landscape down below. Beautiful trees, bushes intermixed with the flowing tributaries of the Yukon River made it absolutely beautiful. The mountains you could see were smaller, but still added a incredible beauty to what you could see out the window. Every bit of nervousness that I had flying in the small plane, peeled away when I looked outside. It was really amazing. I was so excited when the landing strip came into view and we are making our way down toward the village. We landed safely!

Upon arrival I was very happy to see that my new colleague, friend and Principal Tim Sisk, was patiently waiting to drive me the last mile to the village. We had talked on the phone a number of times and got to know each other pretty well. It was great to finally meet him in person. He was every bit of a nice man that I talked to on the phone. As he helped me with my luggage, I was even more pleasantly surprised to see and find out that he had purchased a large amount of groceries and basic items for me, and my new apartment. I was speechless.

Tim decided he was going to take me on a tour of the village first that I could get acclimated with our surroundings. It was very eye-opening and humbling. What I want to say, is that so many people

complain about their life, or how rough they have it, or how minuscule things in their life aren’t working out...and they need to stop! Just don’t! Most people just don’t realize how good they have things in their life. I realize that I made the choice to come here, with the hope of doing something great and making a difference in the lives of these kids and their families, but I also realize how important it is to value and appreciate what we have/had when it’s gone.

As we continue to visit and go slowly through the village in one of the few trucks that were in town, I got to see some pretty neat things. Tim took me down to the Yukon River, where we filled up a large container of spring water that flowed out of the side of the bluff going down to the river. It was some of the clearest, cleanest and best tasting natural water I have ever had. I joked with Tim how it reminded me of the days growing up where we drank out of the backyard hose of my house. We also stopped in the local grocery store, and got used to some of the sticker shock of food compared to back home. Obviously, the fact that everything has to be flown in here causes prices to be a little bit higher. The neat thing about the store visit was, that I got to meet a great number of parents and villagers who had students in the school where I would be teaching. It was a really nice way to get introduced to several families in the village. Everyone was very, very nice and welcoming. My tour with Tim completed at the school, in the central part of the village. The school is made up of kindergarten through 12th grade. It is a very nice school and I was able to have a chance to step into my classroom. I kind of got butterflies and goosebumps, standing back in the classroom for the first time in a long time, imagining my little third-graders coming in for the first day. It felt really good. My day ended with Tim showing me my apartment, which stands 50 yards from the school. No excuses to be late or miss school. Especially since they ‘never’ close school regardless of the weather or any anomalies that may take place.

I’m not going to lie, and I have to be honest, there is a tremendous sense of loneliness that overcame me today. Knowing that I’m here to stay, left my family behind, left my friends and my life behind in Wisconsin, and realizing I’m starting a new life in an unfamiliar place. I’ll be a man, and admit that I’m a little scared, yet equally excited about all the amazing people I am going to meet and experiences that I’m going to have. I making this up one day at a time, staying positive and hopeful. If anything changes, you will be the second to know.

Stay tuned...