Year Number 4!

That time of year has come... school is back in session! The past few weeks have been busy-- shopping and shipping, traveling, unpacking/getting settled, setting up the classroom, and getting set for the school year... WHEW! :)

Bethel to VAK... ready for my fourth school year!

I am super happy to say that my mama came to Chevak with me to visit for a few days. The weather was cruddy, but we still managed to have some good mother/daughter time. My mom got to see my cute little apartment, meet all of my new co-workers, and meet many of the wonderful faces of Chevak that have been part of my life for the past few years. We both shed some tears when she got on that plane :( It was a little hard to see her go, but I am so proud of her and so thankful that she came out... it meant a lot! <3

Mom and I at Bethel Beans Cafe waiting for our flight to VAK

Mom about ready to get on her first bush plane!

Mom-- Chevak style :)

Our ride from the airstrip to my apartment

Giving mom a tour of VAK (dump, cemetary, post office, stores, river, etc)

Mom at one of our local stores (where I do most of my shopping)

 This year has already proved itself to be a whirlwind... we have many new staff members (great additions!) and there are many new changes, overall. I have moved up to the third grade (I looped with my kiddos from last year) and that has been AWESOME. It is sooo nice to already know my students, they know my expectations and classroom routines, and I know their academic levels... love it! Teaching has begun! :)

Send-off dinner for mom, welcome dinner for staff

Aside from teaching a new grade, I am working on my master's project and have the goal of graduating in the spring (2012)!!! There is much to focus on and some steadfast work to be done, but I know I can do it all if I just set my mind on it! (a Cup'ik value). It has been interesting trying to get my mind back in school/work mode... I have been EXHAUSTED every day after work this week! Lol. I ask for your prayers and good juju as I work on getting my master's project together, perfected, and submitted all in good time. Thank you so much, in advance ;)

I am looking forward to a great fourth year of teaching here in Chevak and will do my best to give the occasional update, however, I am thinking I will be pretty focused on work and grad school this semester. Thanks for following my Alaskan blog!

Until next time,
Misty Dawn

Bears in Denali

Though I rafted the Nenana River a few years ago, I just had my first real visit to Denali National Park! This particular visit was a course entitled "Bears in Denali" with the instructor being Pat Owen. There were about 12 participants total, spending 3 days and 2 nights learning about grizzly bears and bear safety, in general. We were very lucky in that we saw 3 grizzly bears total... and, I spotted the one we saw out in the field! It was pretty darn neat! My dad absolutely loved bears and used to play this grizzly bear game with me and my sisters when we were at parks during our early years. I like to think he sent this one just for me :) There are a few pics here, but my camera died after the first day so I might upload more later. Thank you, Alaska, for a beautiful and special summer!

Murie Science and Learning Center (sponsor of the "Bears in Denali" course)

My welcome to DNP!.. No idea whose vehicle this is :)

Camp

Where we ate meals and had lectures

My bunk

Our transportation

This coyote had himself a little snack...

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous... God's beauty is BEYOND gorgeous...

Ready for our first hike

Fireweed tat... you are calling my name...!

Sheila!

Some of the other participants

Denali... yay!!!

Berry picking... they sure were plentiful!

Forget Me Not (Alaska state flower)

This picture doesn't do the view justice.

Staying dry :)

Craig, AK... a Visit with the Grandma

Wow. As I wrote in May, this summer was to be an Alaskan summer... and, I am happy to say, that it is has been! I have just returned from Southeast, Alaska... Prince of Wales Island, to be exact. What an incredibly beautiful place! I have been to Juneau (our state's capitol) twice, just in the past couple of years, but this was my first time to Prince of Wales (aka POW, which consists of Coffman Cove, Craig, Hollis, Hydaburg, Kasaan, Klawock, Naukati Bay, Point Baker, Port Protection, Port St. Nicholas, Thorne Bay, Waterfall, and Whale Pass).

Rosey and I on the ferry to Ketchikan from the airport!

Alaska's first city... Ketchikan! We got lucky and had nothing but sunshine there!

You can't see here, but we saw humpback whales on our ferry ride to Prince of Wales Island!

Great Grandpa Nelson (1/2 Haida, 1/2 Swedish) is the fifth guy from the left, second guy from the right. This photo was on a wall at Ruth Ann's bar.

The Hughes family! I used to work with them in Chevak and their daughter was in my first group there :)

One of Dorothy Nayamin's dolls from Chevak sitting next to a SE piece that my grandma is making me!

On the Totem Trail in Kasaan. Beautiful!

I had to have seen at least 4 or 5 deer over my stay on POW.

An untouched, traditional Longhouse!

They are much larger than today's replicas!

Kasaan with grandma

As I have written before, my dad was part Haida. He was born in Wrangell, but spent some of his years in Craig. My dad's mom is not Haida, but lived in Craig from the time she was 5 until she was 16, as her dad was a logger. I don't have all the exacts, as I am just learning more and more... but, basically, my dad had lived in Craig with my grandma at some point in his youth and really enjoyed it. After my dad passed away (2005), my grandma decided to move back to Craig (2008) where she has many friends and family and the beauty is beyond majestic.

In the Cup'ik community where I teach, we are always teaching the children to honor and respect their elders, to learn their cultural roots, etc. Grandma is now 71 and I had a strong desire to visit her in SE, AK this summer. It almost didn't happen, but I am sooo thankful it did. I was also blessed to be able to visit a family in Kasaan that I used to work with (and I was also their daughter's teacher) in Chevak my first year! To top all of that off, there was a girl on my flight-- the "milk run" (ANC-JUN-SIT-KET)-- whom I met in Chevak a couple of years ago! As awesome as fate is, Rosey was heading to Craig for work!

Just a skeleton one of the kiddos found me on the beach in Kasaan :)

Totem Pole

Great Grandpa Nelson's grave. Xuuts Digwiyaas. Jan. 6, 1912- Sept. 19, 1996

As one of the kiddos said, it's a bit like the Jurassic Park setting on this island :)

View near my grandma's apartment

Ketchikan... Creek Street area

Playing dress-up at Dolly's House! Fun, fun, fun!

Ah, the history!

Needless to say, I believe this trip was meant to be, had to be, and I am beyond thankful that it happened. On so many different levels, the stars were aligned. I now know way more about my Haida/Nelson heritage on my dad's side (even visited my great grandpa Nelson's grave), I got to see the beautiful little town that my grandma and dad love so much, I got to visit with former colleagues and a former student whom I adore, and I got to know a really cool gal. This trip will always be treasured dearly. Thank you, Southeast, for the hospitality! You'll never know just how much it meant <3

*Fun note, Holly Madison lived in Craig from ages 2-11 :) On one of the Girls Next Door episodes, her and the other two girls made a visit! Hope you have enjoyed my journey to SE!