I've Arrived!!!

Well, I got stuck in Bethel. Not because of the weather mind you, oh no....I got stuck because my plane was delayed & the company my school district hired does not fly past 8:00. So I spent the night in Bethel.

But it wasn't all bad....I didn't have any kitty litter, so a teacher from another village who was stuck with me walked me to a grocery store (some kids call "the mall") and I found the perfect bag of kitty litter. Then we stopped by a cafe. Overall, not a bad night. I had to kennel my kitties and they weren't pleased. Daisy rubbed her nose raw trying to find a weakness in the kennel. She couldn't find one...not because it was a great kennel but because she was looking up & not down. The bottom part was velcro.

Then we found out that our 10 a.m. flight was delayed due to fog. The pilot says "I dunno...you guys mind flying low? We could try it." We said yes, just because we wanted to get to our villages. The pilot asks us again because he says we have to be sure we agree to this. Then he stands up and says "Wanna try to fly?" So this tells me that flying low is dangerous. And maybe we shouldn't do it. Oh, but what's the fun in that!?! So of course we say "Sure."

I really didn't notice us being that low. I expected to barely miss the tops of trees and we were way up there. He kinda got me all nervous for nothing. I looked for moose....nothing. I tell you: Alaska better start delivering on this wildlife claim they've got going. So far it's been a ginormous snooze fest as far as that goes.

So I arrive in the village and there's the school janitor waiting for me. She shouts, "Welcome home!!" and gives me a hug. Over all, a wonderful arrival into Akiak. I spent the rest of the day unpacking. And I'm pretty much done. Just waiting on some tubs to get here. They will either come tomorrow or two months from now. Note to self: always send priority mail. ALWAYS - unless you have two months to wait for something. I am not so patient.

And now for the weather. I guess me flying to Akiak bypasses the other seasons because it's cold & rainy which is very much a Northern California winter. Except it's August. I so wanted to take a picture of my ensemble today. It was a winner: I pegged my pants (hello children from the 80's) and tucked them into my socks. Then I put on my calf length rubber boots. I put on my powder blue thick jacket. Over that, I put on a reversible rain poncho. I finished my look with my purple, black, & gray backpack & my black mittens. I rocked that look!

Truthfully, I was warm & dry so I really can't complain. I intend to get a picture of it though.

I started working on my classroom today. Second grade has had a new teacher in that room for at least the last five years. I have gone through a bunch of stuff but I'm still waiting on my package of bulletin board stuff. Hope, hope, hope it gets there tomorrow.

So far, I'm happy here. We had a teacher dinner at the principal's house on Saturday and tonight I had dinner at another teacher's house. He brought his wife and five of his seven children to Alaska. Plus their dog, cat, & parrot. It was a fun night! Both nights actually. I haven't seen many people out & about but with this weather, I'm not surprised. Either that or they are berry picking. Blueberries, salmon berries, cranberries, and I think one more type are in season right now. They grow wild here & the villagers pick them.

So that's my update....mostly housekeeping. School starts on Thursday. It's just a matter of setting things up, and of course, calling my mommy to ask her to send some things to me.... :)