Entry 1: Before Travel

I am so excited! I have never been to Buckland or near Kotzebue Sound. I have traveled north into the Brooks Range for a 100 mile hiking trip, canoed the Yukon River twice from Dawson City to Circle, and lived in Unalaska for two years in high school. I have traveled to Bethel, Nenana, Ninilchick and many other villages and cities to play basketball, and I hope I get to play with Nunachiam Sissuani students. For the past three summers my husband has been part of a beach set net crew in Clam Gulch, pulling in thousands of pounds of silver salmon to pay for college. We have moose breakfast sausage in our fridge along with crab and shrimp from our friends in Prince William Sound. I truly love Alaska and all that it has to offer, and I am truly honored to be able to take part in village life and perhaps try some Caribou jerky.

I hope that someday Alaska school districts can learn to honor subsistence lifestyles and alternative ways of knowing, along with the vast cultural and traditional knowledge Alaska Natives hold of this amazing land and its animals and resources. The required rural practicum for student teachers is a great step in this direction. I am ready to learn all I can about rural lifestyles, students and teachers. Let the relationships begin!

3/5/10