Trip to the BIG City... BETHEL!

So we had an inservice in Bethel today... we were supposed to leave at 5:30 yesterday. Our plan didn't come until about 8:45!!!! I started waiting for the plane at 4:00 (me=dummy). But hey, at least we got to go. We arrived around 9:15, went to the store and then headed to district office where all 1st year teachers were sleeping for the night. It was really good to see everyone for a few hours at least! This morning we were up by 7 (on a weekend) and then had a speaker for the day. He brought up some interesting points. I am currently sitting at Grant Aviation with Garnet and Sheila waiting for our plane to arrive. It better not be 3 hours late again!!!!
As far as I know I won't be leaving the village again until Christmas.... CRAZY!

We have had frost the past 3 mornings... some villages even have snow! (believe it or not I am excited for the snow)! In the afternoons it is probably about 40-50 degrees still)

I just wanted to send you all a few links about the big news in Kongiganak (and really the Lower Kuskokwim School District). This article is about the husband of one of our teachers here in Kong. I got to see pictures of the bite marks and the wolf itself. The wolf looked HORRIBLE! Apparently it had tried to eat a porcoupine and had quills all over its mouth/nose, tail, and legs. It also had a wet wipe stuck in its mouth??? He must have been desperate...
http://www.adn.com/3437/story/940028.html
http://www.adn.com/front/story/940618.html
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/ap_alaska/story/941224.html

I have had a pretty good week... Yesterday one of my aides brought me a crocheted case for my cell phone (it was green with a purple flower on it). SO NICE! Another aide brought me a few pounds of Moose meat! They were too good to me yesterday:) I cut up the meat and made my first Moose Stew ever! It actually turned out to be tasty! Garnet came over for some stew and my corn bread. She brought the stuffing. (I need to be dieting and claim to be on a 'diet'... can you tell the way I have been eating?!)

Moose seems to have hit his teenage years. He constantly walks to the trashcan wanting to pick out his snack for the day. NOT OK WITH ME! He knows better because for a while I had stopped him of this behavior. Good news is he hasn't had any accidents in about 3 weeks. He really is a good dog I just want him better :)

Time to get to work!

Moving onto week 6...

I don't have much to say (except we had an AMAZING chicken dinner last night- thanks Rachel) ... BUT I would like to share Garnet's blog with you. She just posted and has some pictures that I don't have up. So if you are interested check it out: http://mayoadventures.blogspot.com/


P.S.- I have my first IEP meeting tomorrow!!

Happy FREYDAY!

After such a long week I had a GREAT FREYDAY!

After I used my Wendy's grill skills to make burgers for Rachel, Garnet, and I- a student knocked and invited us to go fishing. Garnet has been sick this week so she stayed back with the dogs but Rachel and I put on our boots and coats then headed out. I figured we would have to hike through the tundra to get there but it turns out that there is actually ANOTHER boardwalk I did not know about! Pretty exciting stuff, I know! 3 girls ended up walking to the river with us to go fishing.

(They used bird stomach as bait... I can't even begin to tell you how horrible that smells)
I did not have a pole so I found a stick and a student made a pole for me :O)

I let her paint my face...

Tide was low therefore we had to climb down closer to the water. The mud just sucked you down in some parts and 2 of us fell...


While we were fishing we saw some boys hunting-- turned out to be 3 of our students! We had quite the crew by this point. The boys were all 13... Eric's age... and they reminded me of him in many ways ;)

When one boy saw a seagull- he lifted his gun and shot it but it landed in the water so we couldn't get to it. The boys kept calling the birds and within a few minutes saw a duck. These kids have GREAT aim! Although he shot the duck it did not die right away :( It too landed in some water but they were still able to get to it.

(Sorry Colleen...)
While J was getting his duck, S saw another Seagull (???) and shot it- it went straight down. The kids were so excited but I was nearly horrified to see them dig right in.

They got the birds together and started tearing them up/digging inside of them. The girls wanted to stomachs for fishing bait and I think the boys were just having fun.

I taped some of this excitement... (I will try to put it on Facebook)... including when they pulled out the heart of the duck and noticed it was still beating. While I was taping the beating, all of a sudden J put it in his mouth!

Apparently it is good luck to swallow the heart of an animal you just caught (I will take my chances with bad luck). Now I know Rachel and I haven't swallowed any hearts... and I am wondering if this is why no one caught any fish yesterday. Although Rachel was nearly devastated and very unhappy about the lack of fish, I had such a GREAT time! They were a fun group of kids and I learned a lot from them. They would tell me something that I thought was gross and follow up with "We are Eskimos, that's what we do!"-- for example one boy asked me if I used to eat my poo when I was little. I quickly followed with, "No, that sounds disgusting-- I can't say that I have ever eaten poo." When I said my hands were cold he suggested I 'piss in my hands'... that's what he does to keep them warm. (they all say piss... boys and girls of all ages). He later ate a chip (which nearly made me sick after watching them tear apart animals) and commented that 'Ew, still smells like piss'!!!!

I am sorry if you are totally disgusted right now- but that was my night and I had a BLAST. We may get to go out on a boat fishing this afternoon-- I'll have to get back to you!
Here are some more pictures from the night...



The sky and its reflection was SO BEAUTIFUL so I had to take a ton of pictures!









PLEASE keep my family, especially my little cousin and my Grandpa, in your prayers!

Call from the Cops

Yesterday was QUITE the day!

All started when one of my aides didn't show up and we couldn't find a sub for one of my intensive needs students. I'm not going to even go into the behaviors this student displays on here... let's just say it was a long day. I didn't even get my lunch until 2:15 and if you know me- that was killer.
At about 2:45 I returned from lunch and needed just a break and some time to work on IEPs in my room. As soon as I sat down my phone rang. To answer or not to answer? Well I decided to answer.
"Is an Amanda Frey there? This is ______. I am a STATE TROOPER here in Bethel. We are just calling because you have a package here that was going through the post office from a 'Patrick Lecher'. Do you know anyone by this name? Well it is illegal to send alcohol to the villages. We can hear a liquid and want to know if we have your permission to check it out. Don't worry, you are not being arrested right now" (Oh, that's comforting). SOOoooo they put me on hold and the whole time I was thinking (I didn't tell people they can't send alcohol, he makes wine I bet that is the liquid they hear, I'm losing my job, no one will believe me). 2 minutes later the trooper was back on the phone to inform me that it appeared to just be some canned foods or something (oh thanks)."
About ten minutes after I got off the phone I was still recovering when my principal walked by and asked how things were going. I told him he would never guess what just happened... the State Trooper called... He then said 'shhh' and shut my door worried something big happened as well. He totally enjoyed the story and said he has never heard of such a thing happen out here.... only to me.
As if my week hasn't been crazy enough (a guy from the District Office came to walk me through my 1st IEP, the speech pathologist surprised me by showing up not once but twice, a couple of my aides have been out, a call from the trooper... AND last night at about 10:00 I got 2 e-mails. Apparently the psychologist AND the HEAD of the District's Special Ed. Department are coming out first thing this morning! I better get to work!

more pictures up!

Just wanted to let you know that I added pictures to previous blogs from this week-- check them all out :)

I also updated my Flickr photos... http://www.flickr.com/photos/41196114@N06/sets/

Also-- Garnet FINALLY updated her blog ;) http://mayoadventures.blogspot.com/ I think you would be interested in reading it... she put in stuff that I forgot to add :O)

ENJOY!

GO WOLVERINES!

We had out 2nd/LAST meet this weekend at Toksook Bay! It was BEAUTIFUL there! I brought ten kids again (4 girls and 6 boys). They were such a great group to travel with. We left Kong at about 3:30 and arrived to Nelson Island at 4:30.

A 4-wheeler picked us up at the Toksook runway and brought us to the school.

After settling into the classrooms our first stop was the store- most important stop for the kids! We went to two stores first and after dinner went to one store AGAIN

We also took a walk along the coast- gorgeous is all I can say- the pictures show it all...




The kids played basketball in the gym until THEY decided they were tired (I know, amazing right- I didn't even have to make them go to bed!) We got up this morning, had a pancake breakfast, walked the course and then the kids ran.


Toksook Bay has hills/mini mountains where as Kong is FLAT. I tried to condition the kids for hills by running stairs every day. The Junior High Course was only 1.5 miles... it went up a hill and then back down. My top JH male came in 4th and female in 2nd! There was much more competition here this weekend and considering the difficult course- they did pretty well. (I was NOT HAPPY to see some of my girls WALKING however....)
The Highschool kids had to run a 5K on THE MOST DIFFICULT COURSE I have ever seen!!!! We walked the course this morning and it was ridiculous. You begin by walking up the JH course... then continuing on a 'barely there' path through the tundra. This path went down a hill then up a 'mountain'.

Once you got to the top of that 'mountain' you went down a hill...

and continued up another 'mountain'. At the top was a BEAUTIFUL view and the kids ran along a ridge for a few minutes...

...then down a HUGE HILL on the tundra- SO FUN!

There were parts of this course that went straight down ravines (without a path... it was like running down the side of a cliff) with water at the bottom. The course constantly went up and down... so exhausting just walking/jogging it with the kids. I really worried about my HS runner for this course because of its difficulty but he finished in 3rd place!!!!! (so close to getting second!) I was so excited for a great end of the season. They were a great group to coach.

Our group was scheduled to have the first flight out but we were the last to leave. Because we were flying with two smaller planes and there was fog, we almost didn't get to leave.

Since the Kong airport is closed for construction on Sundays... that would mean I'd be with ten kids in a different village until Monday. Luckily- the fog lifted and I am back! :O)
Garnet watched Moose while I was gone- he still has worms :( I have a few guesses as to how he got these worms: 1).He eats dirt... a lot. If we go outside he comes in with a mouthful of dirt. 2). He ate the dead goose head that was sitting outside my house for a few days (the kids set it there after I asked them not to... imagine that...) 3). He drinks nasty muddy water when we go on walks. His meds should be here any day.

Life in Alaska quote of the day:
Rachel: "I have a rotten moose in my trash can"
Me: "MOOSE, get out of there!"
Rachel: "No, really, it is dead moose meat"

Random Thoughts

So I can’t believe I am almost finished with 4 weeks of teaching- they have gone by fast! I think I am adjusting to the way of life out here rather well- things don’t seem so different anymore when they happen therefore I forget to tell you all things which you may be interested in hearing. I will TRY to think of those things now...

-Today the aide of one of my intensive needs students was sick and couldn’t come in. We COULD NOT find a sub for her so I got to be the sub. Long day- enough said. Love the kids- but still a long day... I need to start bringing in treats for all of my aides!
-So while I was subbing today I went to lunch with my student and starting thinking about differences between school and here. Now there are SO MANY differences but for right now I can only name a few.
1- the kids eat in the gym- there are about 8 tables set up I believe. When they are finished eating they play in the gym for a little bit before class (their ‘recess’) We don’t have playgrounds here because, well, you would just sink into the ground. There is a ‘basketball court’ outside of the school but it is made completely of boardwalk boards and there are big holes in it which kids can easily get hurt on.
2- Kids are obsessed with guns here... but it is normal. In the lower 48 we don’t talk about/draw/pretend to have a gun. In Kong- my students are constantly pretending to be shooting something. When I gave my boys blocks today- one made a gun and the other an airplane. I can’t even tell you the number of times I walk through the hall and see a student ‘aiming’ at something.
3- My number one excuse for a student missing cross country practice is- HUNTING
4- When people come in from out of town- they stay in the classrooms. My room is the popular room because it has a ‘bed/changing table’ in it. I have visitors in my room from today (Wednesday) through Monday.
5- Any teachers out there will understand this.... at the end of the day you are ready to just go home and have your students go home. HERE... your door will be knocked on endlessly with students ‘wanting to visit’... every day of the week. I am sure this means they want to play with Moose more than visit me though.

---I am sure there are many more differences but I can not think of what to compare. I will take any suggestions...


**I recently heard from another teacher that the only flu virus in Alaska currently is Swine Flu. I have also heard various rumors about people in my village and in Bethel with Swine Flu..... any one else hear anything about this?

~And now I need to leave you with a FUNNY story! I mentioned that on Sunday Rachel, Garnet, Midnight, Moose and I went on a long walk to the graveyard and back. What I forgot to mention was the highlight of the trip... sorta. As we were walking on the boardwalk.... we go over a long elevated (bridge) section of the boardwalk which goes over a large creek/little river. I was in the front of the group and noticed a large board was missing. It was about the width of my foot... pretty big. I stopped and said “O wow someone could fall through this!” just as the others were approaching. Unfortunately I was not paying attention (imagine that) and Moose walked right up beside me and fell straight down. Actually... not exactly straight down- he tried holding on with his front paws... they slipped and he his the board that fell on his way down. He landed in this tall grass on the tundra below and was soaked!

The grass was taller than him- he tried hopping around and then just started crying. I felt SO BAD for him but still managed to take a couple of pictures. LUCKILY one of the students had been following us on his bike and ran into the wet tundra to save Moose’s life!

I hope you enjoyed that story at Moose’s expense...~

Moose still hasn’t made many friends- except Rachel’s cat. They LOVE to play together! He has however been watching the other dogs and learned to growl and bark- lovely. He doesn’t do it much but I am worried about what is to come.


OH FYI! So I THINK a teaching position is opening here in Kong in January for a maternity leave sub. It will be 12 weeks long- let me know if you are interested!

Great Weekend BUT not a fan of today...

Today is INSERVICE DAY!!! Since I am the only special ed. teacher- I got to sit alone in a room alllll day from 8:00-4:30 in front of a TV. We do VTC conferences/trainings- so basically people in the district office can give training or an inservice in front of a camera which goes out to all of the villages. It wasn't all that bad because I was given snacks throughout the day- so I am happy :)
I was NOT HAPPY however at lunch! I went to Rachel's and took Moose out for a potty break. Long story short- he has worms- and I cried- a little. Gagged too.
Now for better news- I had Rachel, Garnet, Margaret, and Jean (the 2 secretaries) over for dinner last night. We had SKYLINE CHILI 3 Ways & 4 Ways!!!! GO CINCINNATI!!!! They all liked it surprisingly- unless they just didn't want to make me feel bad.

We also went on a LLllooonnggg walk to the graveyard that I am always taking pictures of from a distance.



One of my students walked with us on the way back- he had fun with Moose.

I FORGOT to mention over the weekend that I ate Moose!!! (not my dog). When I was at the meet on Friday, the teachers were invited to someone's house who had hunted a Moose. Everyone shares here so they cut off a slab of Moose meat and brought it home. Sadly I wasn't there so I didn't get any- but on Saturday night Rachel donated the meat then Garnet & Megan cooked it :O) It was delicious- NO LIE! I would eat it again.

(Garnet cutting up the Moose)

I am attaching the link to Garnet's blog- thought you may be interested in reading her's... although she NEEDS to UPDATE IT! http://mayoadventures.blogspot.com/

SUCCESS

1st Cross Country meet was yesterday and the kids did AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So our plane arrived an hour early... I was at home eating lunch and got a knock on my door that the plane would be here (to Kong) in 10 minutes. Soooo I had ten minutes to get my stuff, gather my runners, and get to the airport... O, and eat lunch. BUT we made it :)

The 5 girls and I took the first plane out while the 5 boys and our male teacher took the 2nd plane. I was co-pilot and even flew the plane! The girls were screaming (rightly so, I couldn't keep the plane level and I was scared to death myself). I only flew a couple minutes and asked the pilot to take back over ;) The girls then started asking for roller coaster ride. This is when the pilot goes straight up then straight down and back and forth. YIKES! I WAS SCARED... it REALLY does feel like a roller coaster! LUCKILY we made it to Akula about an hour after we took off. I was RELIEVED!
Once the boys arrived, we had plenty of time before the race (I felt like Coach Roberts at Marian... we were the first team to arrive and had plenty of time to 'relax' which is REALLY hard to do before a first meet!) Anyway, we took a small 1 minute walk to the store and then all of the teams walked the course at 4.


As soon as we finished walking, the junior high boys ran.

I don't think any of them had raced before so I had NO IDEA what to expect... so when I saw the first place runner was from KONGIGANAK I was thrilled- another JH boy came in 3rd! I had two more who were close behind :)

Next race was the Junior High Girls.

I had 5 girls racing out of 11. 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 7th, places went to KONGIGANAK! Again- can't tell you how proud I was of them-- they all felt REALLY SICK after the race too.

(The kids started picking berries once they felt better after running... suddenly they were starving!)
Our last runner was a High School male- and he ran his first race ever too!

He finished in 5th out of eleven :) All the kids did such a great job and from what I have heard other students and villagers are really excited about the results.
After the races we had dinner in the gym (eggrolls with salsa.. not soy sauce, rice and pears... YUUuummmm.

Luckily I made the best friend at new teacher inservice and he lives in a neighboring village to Akula. He brought over some salmon, stuffing, lima beans and tomatoes for a few of the coaches. 2 of the other coaches were also 1st year teachers I had met at inservice and had no idea they would be coaching so it was a lot of fun to get to see them! They will both be at the meet next weekend as well :)

On our return flight today... apparently there was a mix up and the pilot thought we were going to Newtok... we weren't.

(boys about to take off)

(girls about to take off)
We flew for about and hour and 15 minutes (beautiful flight) and made it back to Kong.

Moose, Garnet, Rachel, Megan, Midnight, and Lacy were all on the runway to greet us- nice homecoming.

(Back in Kong)
So here I am now--- posting all of this and waiting around. Apparently I may get to go fishing this afternoon- and if not fishing then berry picking. I'll be posting again soon! Happy Labor Day Weekend!