We are three days in, and today was the best day so far! We have right around 30 five and six year olds in my class. Our two high school assistants have been great and are vital to the smoothness of the day. The first two days were really hectic, but today I think we were beginning to get into a rhythm and a system that works for the kids. Yesterday, we ran out of things to do toward the end of the day, and the kids were restless. We had them inside all day because it had rained a lot that morning and the softball field where they play was really muddy. So today we overplanned, which was great! We didn't get through all the activities we had planned, but that's just fine. We accomplished a lot and have leftovers to use for tomorrow too.
So far the very favorite games seem to be freeze dance (we turn on the black light and disco ball, and the kids go crazy), duck duck goose, and doggie, doggie, where's my bone. We had one girl storm out of the room in highly dramatic fashion today because she did not get a turn to be the dog in doggie doggie (even though she had had a turn stealing the bone). Luckily she stormed out of the door and right into her grandmother. It was right at the end of the day and she continued to storm right out the rec center with grandmother behind. You win some you lose some.
There is one child who is a very young 5 year old and has never been to school before. We've had a little trouble with him the past couple of days because he just doesn't know how to handle organized play, I think. His parents are aware of it, and they have talked to him, and today he was more or less wonderful! He also never fails to produce my favorite kid-one-liners of every day. Yesterday it was "hey-want to know what my favorite protein is?...EGGS!" Today is was "my favorite vegetable is asparagus with holandaise sauce on it!" It has been really amazing to watch this kid develop; just within a few days he has matured so much and really started participating with the other kids. Kids at this age just fascinate me.
I am pretty much wiped out at the end of every day, which I've always thought is a good thing. It means you're doing something with yourself. It's also been great because after work on mondays and wednesdays I do a 4-5 mile loop with the running club here in town. It has been so nice to have people to run with. I never realized how much support and how much of a push I was missing out on while running solo in Clemson. It really helps to have someone to chat with while running, and it has really held me accountable to staying on a training schedule of sorts. Tuesdays and Thursdays I have started taking yoga at the rec, and I am quickly falling in love with it. Every class is a combination of "oh my gosh this pose is kicking my but" and "oh my gosh this pose feels so good". The combination of running and yoga seems like a really good idea and has provided a great stress release after long days with the kids. One of the other interns also brought a pilates dvd, so saturdays are going to be run/pilates combo days as well.
Alright...I know this is getting long, but some of you have been asking me questions so I'll address a few of them and hopefully get around to calling you soon, and talking more in-depth about these in person.
Not all of the kids at summercise are Eskimo, although, like in Nome, a large percentage are. Not all of the kids are overweight either; the goal is to begin proper fitness and dietary habits at an early age.
Foods up here: Many, many of the Eskimo families up here still maintain a partially subsistance lifestyle; meaning they live off the land, and eat things like seal, whale, eggs found on the tundra, greens and berries from the tundra, moose, muskox, reindeer, etc. You are required by law to be of native descent to hunt or kill a seal or a whale (and maybe a few other animals as well). I would say most of what people eat comes from the grocery store, but many suppliment that with native foods. Very few people (mostly in the rural villages) keep a completely subsistence-based diet, and most of those who do are elders. When a young person gets their first moose, their first seal, their first whale, their first batch of eggs, the first kill is presented to an elder in the village. Our friend, Myriah, just went on her first egg hunt a few years ago, and presented the eggs to her grandmother in one of the villages. This is done out of respect.
No one eats bear here. Bear meat is considered "bad meat," and people don't seem to like the flavor of it. People do hunt grizzlies, though, and from what I hear, grizzly bears are about the only animal that is hunted for sport, not for food. Also, you can't find native foods on restaurant menus up here. We were a bit dissappointed at first, but after being in town for more than a week, we began to realize that it doesn't need to be. Someone is always having a barbeque and is always willing to share their salmon, or berries, or moose.
Mentality here: Yes, you feel pretty isolated here (coming from the lower 48), but people here seem to travel a lot! Just about everyone you talk to has been to many different places around the country or out of the country. School groups take trips to Florida, and whatnot. Several states in the northwest have agreements with Alaska so that kids from Alaska pay 150% of tuition instead of full out-of-state tuition, so many of the students go to the lower 48 for college.
MA-you were asking about the way people feel toward the federal gov't here, and from what I have seen in Nome, they don't seem too different from anywhere else. It does amaze me just how much grant money they have to work with up here. The gov't pays for a lot up here, and I think people are greatful for that.
I don't know what type of flower that was that I took a picture of on the tundra, but if anyone can ID it, I'd like to know. From what Melissa's dad told us, all the flowers that grow are miniature like that. They have miniature dogwoods that grow only a couple of inches off the ground and have 1 blossom at the top. He has encountered other species with the same stature. I can't imagine what a two-inch-tall dogwood looks like! Haha it seems like something out of a fairy tale...someone sprinkled shrinking dust on the dogwood tree!!!!
Natives: The native population in Nome and its surrounding villages still has very strong cultural practices. The government has helped ensure that they are able to keep their traditions going. There is an Eskimo center in town (where we watched the seal demonstration) and another native corporation that deals with natives from the outlying villages. What we learned in our cultural orientation and in dealing with the people of the region is that a lot of Eskimos speak very slowly and give very little response in terms of body language and facial expression. It is really hard to read their reaction. We were told not to ask too many questions of the elders, that they will tell us about something when they are ready and will teach us in depth about the subject. I thought that was beautiful. Too many questions is disrespectful and means you are glossing over the issue.
Religions: Each area was settled by a different church group. King Island was settled by the Catholics, and have now moved into Nome due to erosion of their island. Nome was primarily settled by Friends church and Covenant Church I think, although there are also Baptist and Methodist churches around as well. I have not really learned much about native religions although I have been wondering about those, myself. I'll try to see what I can learn. So far it has been only Christian churches that I have encountered. Although from talking to people around town, if you go to Christian church you are automatically labeled a "good church girl". I've heard that several times. There seems to be a sort of division there between those who attend church and the rest of the population. Non-church goers hang out with "good church people", but don't really take their advice or beliefs very seriously it seems.
Ok now that this is officially tooooo long. I will close there for now. i love you all with my whole heart. :D xoxo
