Basketball Basketball Basketball

Basketball.

Indeed they is.

Everyone here loves basketball. Which is sort of a shame because I grew up resisting its existence, but the students love it so I can too I guess. ;)

I have been helping out at the games on the weekends and have had to learn the rules of the game. There was a tournament this weekend which Golovin won (woot!). I did the books and the timer for some, which was a lot of pressure for me since I am still learning what is even going on out there when they're playing. It was also slightly stressful because I had two days where I got up at 7 am and was either doing things for school or the basketball tournament until 11-11:40 pm.

This Monday made it worth it, though, because I could tell the tournament had made the students really happy.

Ice cream walk fundraiser

It is nice because the entire community comes to watch the basketball games and cheers on both teams. I love the community here. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming to me. 

Golovin at Last

A friend I made at the airport.

I have officially been to the smallest airport ever and on the smallest plane ever. I got on the plane and sat next to the pilot. It was a quiet 45 minute plane ride to Golovin, mostly because I was terrified if I said anything the pilot would get distracted and crash.

Right outside my door.

When I got on the plane the pilot said "Okay, so you've been on one of these before - the two exits are here and the fire extinguisher is right there." And then we took off. The two exits were the doors next to me and the fire extinguisher was in between us. I had also never been on a tiny plane before.

Goodbye, sun.

The flight was actually very enjoyable and smooth. I was picked up from the airport (I use that term loosely ;) ) by the principal's husband. When I got to the school, the janitor played a trick on me and told me that he sent my luggage to Unalakleet. He thought it was hilarious and kept up the ruse all day. I believed him, but I did not freak out like he wanted me to.

Hello, neighbors.

I have been here since last Wednesday and  am enjoying Golovin so far. It is very pretty, and am told it only gets prettier when it actually snows.

Chilling in Unalakleet

 

The building where we slept.

Unalakleet is where the district office to the school district is located. The store is stocked pretty well with things like cheese, meat, and Twinkies. If you need something, the store probably has it.

Worth it?

There is a yummy pizza place in town called Peace on Earth where we ate twice and they catered sandwiches for us another time. A large pizza was $36. If I was there, it would be totally worth it.

A pretty good snapshot of what Unalakleet looked like.

There were a lot of dogs in Unalakleet. All of the dogs were very friendly and wanted you to pet them. One dog even laid on my feet to try and get out of having to go inside. You could probably walk around the entire town in about 20 minutes.

Our last evening there some of us walked on the beach and watched the sunset. It was absolutely beautiful. There was driftwood, trash, and bones everywhere on the beach.

I was super willing to touch bones for some scary reason.

A beautiful 5 o'clock sunset.

After a pizza dinner, the interns got together and played games for one last time.

Flying in Bush Alaska

Flying to Unalakleet was an interesting experience. I didn't get a picture of my plane to Golovin, which was even smaller than this plane, but before that flight this was the smallest plane I had ever been on.

Tiny plane!

It was a much bumpier ride on this plane than the large commercial flights I had been on. I honestly felt a little sick, but looking out the window helped.

Looking at the scenery/propellers.

Powdered sugar piles.

There were two flight attendants on this flight. Snacks and beverages were offered - I didn't take any because I wasn't feeling too well.

The airport.

Getting off the plane in Unalakleet!

It was very windy in Unalakleet. If there were no wind it would be very warm, but the high winds made it a little chilly walking around.

Grabbing our luggage from the mud pit.

Anchoring in Anchorage

We landed in Anchorage and stayed there for two nights. To me, Anchorage looks like Sheboygan with mountains. The mountains are a plus. I got there last due to my crazy flight schedule, so I didn't get to meet everyone until the morning. There are nine other interns besides me and they are all wonderful people.

The bustling metropolis known as Anchorage.

We ate at two restaurants, the Middle Way Cafe and Spenard Roadhouse. They were both very delicious and I would eat at both again. The Middle Way Cafe was one of those organic/vegan/local cafes. Spenard Roadhouse had pretty much anything you could want. I had a salmon taco and tator tots.

I can't get over how beautiful these mountains are.

Still beautiful.

Meh.

When we weren't eating we were hanging out together in the hotel lobby. We played card games and talked about pretty much everything. We all decided bonding before we were separated would be a good idea.

The sidewalk was flooded. This was fun but terrible.

After Anchorage we flew a smaller plane to Unalakleet, the first school we would see in the Bering Strait School District.

ALL THE INTERNS!

One Day More

I leave tomorrow for Alaska. I leave Milwaukee at 12:45 pm and get to Anchorage at 10:50 pm. Long day of travel (even taking into account the time difference).

Save travels, food!

This past week I have been packing and getting ready to go. I sent some packages of food up to Golovin so I won't have to worry about getting groceries in Anchorage.

Wow, it looks just like a suitcase full of stuff.

I'm not really nervous about travelling or anything yet. That will probably kick in tomorrow once I'm on the first plane. I am fairly certain I have everything I will need. If not, oh well! I'm sure if I haven't thought have packing it I don't actually need it. The things I really need I can't pack anyway - family, friends, and pets.

Javerna is ready for her Alaskan journey.

I am excited to get to Golovin and start meeting everyone. It should be an amazing two months!

Tis a Fortnight til Golovin

I have about two more weeks until I leave! I am finishing up my student teaching, and then it is off to Oostburg to pack. I still have no idea how many clothes to bring, but it should be fun figuring it out back home. I am excited to see my family before I go.

This past weekend I went and visited my boyfriend, Kyle, for the last time before I leave. We went to all of my favorite places - Half Price Books, Cosetta's, Barnes & Noble... 

Kyle hugging my jacket

It was hard to say goodbye, but it is only for two months which makes it a little better.

BTW, in the picture is my new jacket. I like it very much. However, it is super huge and makes me feel like a marshmallow. At least it is warm! It has been nice for the cold days we have had here in Wisconsin.