Getting Settled in Alakanuk

Welcome to Miss Culea's classroom!

Well I've been living here for two full weeks, I had my first two days of classes and my first Eskimo dance to celebrate someone's life, and I've made so many new and interesting friends. It feels so natural being here, like this is where I belong. Like this is the place I'm supposed to be. I can't help but thank the Lord on this beautiful morning for all that he has given me. I have a wonderfully cute little house. I have a great roommate. My students are amazing. The other teachers and staff have been more helpful than I could ever have imagined. For a while before I came out here I wondered if this was really what God had in store for me. After two weeks, I'm 100% sure, this is exactly where he wants me to be!

I do miss my family. It is hard knowing that I can't just decide to go home for the weekend. I hate missing out on my baby sister's first year playing competitive basketball. It is weird to not get to see granny anytime I feel like it. Phone calls are great, mail is wonderful, but it doesn't take away the sadness of not seeing their faces whenever I want.

Holly and I outside the cafe

Our first two days of school went by so well. I was expecting to go into the classroom and be this mean, tough, no nonsense teacher, but I didn't have to be like that at all! The kids in my class had their previous teacher for three years straight and she basically trained them. I haven't had any discipline problems with them... yet! lol

After our first day of school seven of us teachers went to the cafe in our town. It is a small two table restaurant that serves some amazing food. I had a chicken bacon ranch sandwich. Yum! There are only two villages out here with cafes, so while we were there a few teachers from other villages showed up. They had driven their boats down here just to get some yummy food. We had a great time talking and laughing and just blowing off steam after a hard day of teaching. The woman who owns the cafe is actually Filipino. I thought that was interesting. Even though it cost almost $20 for just me to eat, the prices seemed just right out here in this village. I plan on visiting the cafe more and more as the year goes on for the fantastic food and fellowship with other teachers.

All ready for the kiddos :)

We had our first Eskimo dance last night. It was for a member of the village who passed away a few days ago. We danced and giggled and had a wonderful time celebrating the life that she had lived. I met some of my students' parents. One little boy sat by me the entire time and he played with my hair. It looked lovely, haha. He laid his head in my lap and listened to the ringtones on my phone. Looking down at him falling asleep I realized just how much I am falling in love with this village. The people, the children, the culture, it is all so amazing.

I know that two weeks is a very short time. But it feels like it has been so much longer than that here. It feels like home. This place is where I want to be. It is where I am meant to be. God has a plan for everyone and right now, this is His plan for me. Your continued prayers are appreciated. Next time I post, I will put some pictures of the Eskimo dance on. Have a blessed day, readers!

Welcome to the Village

We are finally home!!! It took us forever to get here, but we finally made it :)

This is the airstip, no airport, our things were just tossed off the plane along with us

This is the barge at the slough- it is about 60 ft here and has a strong undercurrent

My family and friends have been begging to hear more about my tiny village out here on the edge of Alakanuk, so here is my first update letter for everyone.

The village is actually the biggest one in Alaska at 3 miles long. We have three stores, two churches, and a cafe. The teacher housing, which is a double wide trailer, is actually the nicest housing in the village. We have two bodies of water, a slough and the Yukon River.

Here is one view of the Yukon River, doesn't do it justice at all

My favorite thing is the view of the Yukon River. It is a beautiful site and I would spend all day out there if I could. Unfortunately, it is just down from the dump, so it has some stinky driving to get to it. But when you get past all the garbage and look out on the river, it is an amazing view that could leave you breathless! The water doesn't get deeper than your knees until about 50 yards out, so you can just walk right on out to the middle and not get too wet at all.

My first walk in the Yukon River

Here is a view of the deck of the school, it is also where the students have recess

I was able to get into my classroom yesterday and it is huge! Plus, the teacher left loads of stuff that I can use. I've already started moving the desks and such around, so I can't put on a before picture, but when I finish setting up the classroom, I will put a picture on to show you all how huge it is. I'm in what we call a portable, which means the classroom isn't connected to the rest of the school. Because of that, I have a bathroom in my class, which I like because it will cut down on kids leaving the classroom. However, since I'm not connected to the school, I don't have a hallway to send the kids out to cool out in. Fortunately, on that end, someone offered to have my students go to her classroom if they need a cool down time.

Many of the villagers that I have met are extremely friendly. One young lady was teaching us Yup'ik words, which was really fun. These people are so fun loving and love to joke around, so it has been a ball to get to know them. They look serious, but they so aren't! I've truly enjoyed getting to know the people in the village.

My house is super awesome! I have a nice little bedroom with a connected bathroom. Then, we have a cute living room with a couch and two chairs. The kitchen is small but so well laid out that you can easily move around. We have a spare bedroom, where my friends Holly and Nathaniel have been staying while they wait to move into their house. Then I also have a washer and dryer room that is narrow, but wide enough to move around when you do your laundry. It is a cute, comfortable place and I love living there already.

That is a small nutshell of the village and the first few days we have spent here. I will continue to update family and friends on my journey here as things happen :)