On Thanksgiving, all staff and immediate family were treated to a wonderful evening dinner. We had a huge turnout. Each teacher was given a turkey to cook and we had more than enough food for everyone. The kitchen staff and teachers put in a lot of effort to make the holiday extra special.
Christmas with the kids was a lot of fun. I got Christmas lights for the room and had the kids make decorations. Each year the students hold a gift exchange. I've never seen my kiddos so excited! Before our Christmas party we discussed the importance of family, and how our class is a special kind of family. The kids really seemed to respond to this idea, and I feel like it brought us closer together.
After Christmas, the teachers started making their way back home to visit family and friends. Most of us didn't make our original flights out of the village, such is life in rural Alaska. I was scheduled to leave on the 20th, but ended up in Bethel on the 22nd, and finally made it home to Washington on Christmas morning. I learned that a lot of people schedule their travel on Christmas Eve or Christmas day to save money. If you're willing to travel at this time you can save anywhere from $600 - $800. All told my round trip tickets cost around $2,000. It was wonderful to reconnect with my family in Washington, and then I visited some long time friends in the San Francisco Bay Area.
I returned to Kipnuk two days before the first day of class. Next year, I'm planning on returning a week early to have time to prepare for the new semester. I was excited to see my kids after the long break, and they had all kinds of fun stories to tell me about their Christmas vacation. To my surprise, a lot of them told me they were bored and wanted to come back to school. That made me happy. I showed the kids pictures of my vacation and let them ask all kinds of questions. It was so cute to see how curious they are about life in the lower 48.
All told, the holiday season this year was a unique experience, and a positive one. I'm looking forward the rest of the year with my students, and Kipnuk is beginning to feel like a real home.
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| My Aunt Linda sent a care package with all kinds of goodies for the class. |
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| Leaving for Bethel. |
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| Mom and Dad reading letters from my kids. |
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| Best friends since second grade. |
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| James, Laney, Me. |
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| Hams and I. |
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| 8 hour layover in Anchorage. 9 hour weather hold in Bethel. Finally back to Kipnuk. |
