My Journey North: Alaska Bound

For some of my friends, tonight marks the last night of freedom before Spring semester begins. A few weeks ago, I would have expected to find myself in their shoes. However, tonight, I find myself preparing for my fourth day of work teaching in the small village of Stebbins, Alaska. It amazes me how quickly life can change. Thankfully, so far, this life-change has been a wonderful experience. It has been made easier with the help of my family; blood-related and not. I have received such an outpouring of love and support that bridges the gap between home and Alaska. My dad was also able to fly up with me for the first week, which helped with the transition, and the easing of worried minds.

Dad & I on the flight from Dulles to Denver, CO

On January 2nd, right after the start of the year, I left everything I've known to head into the unknown. I had done quite a bit of research on the school district via their website, as well as speaking with teachers in Stebbins who offered helpful advice. No matter how much research or pictures I googled of Alaska (or how many reality shows watched on the state) nothing could fully prepare me for what I was about to encounter, or the preparation it took to get there.

I was...

Once the decision was made to come, my family and I had quite the task ahead of us. Not only did I have to invest in a VERY warm wardrobe, I had to begin buying food to ship up ahead of me. The village has a small store containing basics and some frozen items, but the prices vary. Most things in Alaska are quite expensive. Produce, diary, and other frozen items are best bought in Anchorage along the way. In the days leading up to Christmas, shopping for gifts was mixed with shopping for essentials for my trip. Mom and I spent two long nights scanning the aisles of the local grocery store for what I might need. Things I bought included soup (LOTS of soup), oatmeal, pancake mix, packs of water-tight salmon, spaghetti/sauce, canned vegetables/fruit, boxed rice milk, various 100-calorie snack packs, you name it. Also, Friday before Christmas, my boyfriend, Daniel, took me to Cabela's to buy me the last of my wardrobe necessities for living in -30 to -40 degree weather.

Despite added hustle and bustle to an already busy season, the peace and joy that comes at Christmas was not lost. I was grateful for the peaceful Christmas I spent with both my family and Daniel's. It's my favorite time of year, and I was glad that the preparation for Alaska did not overtake the importance of the season.

The week after Christmas flew by, and before I knew it, January 2nd had arrived. Daniel, my parents, my brother, and my grandparents had breakfast before Dad and I headed to Dulles International Airport. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 2:50. The district scheduled all our flights, as well as our stay in Anchorage. Having a midday departure time helped with the goodbyes. We were able to take our time, but not too much time that it became hard to leave. I do not like goodbyes even though this was not a sad occasion. It was a very bittersweet day. The extent of my trip had not yet sunk in, and I think that made it easier for me to say goodbye. Like I said, I had no idea what to expect.

We arrived at the airport and checked our bags without any issues. I was nervous my luggage would exceed weight limit because I am NOT the best packer. How do you even begin to pack your entire life up for a 6-week to possibly 5-month move? It was hard to narrow it down to, "What do I need/want the most?" "What should I take to make it feel like home?" The only glitch came when we went to board the plane. I, as well as Dad, am use to turning right after boarding a plane. We did not even think to look left. We almost reached the back of the plane before realizing our seats were up front, and we SHOULD have turned left. Needless to say, we had quite a few people irritated with us as we maneuvered our way to our correct seats. It was well worth the effort, though. The school district hooked us up with some of the most comfortable seats I had ever experienced on a plane-lots of room and leather...sigh.

We flew from Dulles to Denver and then from Denver into Anchorage.

A view from the plane en route to Denver, CO

A view of the Rockies from the Airport

We overnighted in Anchorage. I was so excited to finally be in Alaska! I could not wait to step outside and experience cold like I have never felt before and was it COLD! The moment I stepped outside, it felt like my eyebrows froze. It was about 20 degrees below zero. Other than the cold, Anchorage was beautiful at night! It reminded me of Marietta, GA, the way the city was laid out, as well as the shopping centers they had. It looked just like Marietta (where my Mom was raised) except covered in a TON of snow. I have never seen so much snow! I could see the mountains in the distance, but when I got my first glimpse of them the next morning, I was in awe.