Bethel: Week One

(Okay, inserting photos didn't go as I planned. So here they are and not in a specific order.)
Top left: Look close. There are blue berries, a salmon berry, black berries and a red berry (what I call cranberries.
Top right: Erin, Sandy, and our captian berry picking on the tundra.
Bottom left: The tundra (our surprise stop on our boat ride) has soft, spongy ground.
Bottom right: This is Erin, Sandy, and Elisabeth in the boat harbor waiting for a boat and a captain.

I arrived in Bethel bright and early Monday morning with a handful of other new teachers. We were greeted at the airport with a ride to the D.O. (district office). Once we arrived at the D.O. we unloaded our gear, spent the day taking care of paperwork, checking out our brand new MacBook Pro laptop computers (Fancy!), and running errands such as opening checking accounts, going to the post office, and some people even chose to purchase a new cell phone. Cell phones are fairly new to the delta, but only one provider works. I didn't buy one, which was a good idea because apparently we do not have good reception here in Oscarville.

Before the day ended I had always had many interesting experiences with Erin, also a new teacher to the district. Okay, I am going to be honest; I think the humor attached to the experiences may have been due to exhaustion and lack of sleep. No matter, because in the moment it was nice to laugh (a lot). So, as I am writing this I think that although I may still think those were funny moments no one reading this may agree. So I won’t bore you, the reader. When we went to the bank, Erin and I did, however, have contagious laughter because even the deposit counselor who help set up our accounts was laughing (she may have been laughing at us and not what we were saying though).

When the time finally came to be taken to our hotel, Erin and I decided to wait for the next ride because between the two of us we had quite a bit of luggage and we really did fill up the back of the suburban. Mary dropped us off at the Long House, the hotel where the new teachers were staying, and then we hauled all of our luggage inside (steps at every level – no ramps) and remember I had two carry ons, two checked bags, and now a laptop in a backpack. Thank goodness for my new luggage set with wheels!!!

As it turns out, we were not staying at the Long House!!! Mary came back, picked us up, and then we were off to find our accommodation. I say “find” because it took a few tries before we landed in the right location. It was worth the wait. Only four of us new teachers (Erin, Sandra, Jessica, and I) were staying at this place along with a principal and his wife. It was a beautiful multi-level home (bed and breakfast) and Erin and I stayed on the top floor/the loft. The house was gorgeous with an amazing view of the river. The windows were floor to ceiling; now I know how it would be to live in a glass house.

It was weird because after coming so far I still hadn't made it to my destination, my village.

One of the evenings we were given the opportunity to go out boating or fishing. Erin, Sandra, and I went out in a boat together. We weren’t really wanting to fish, but we were definitely up for a boat ride. Our guide took us down river and showed us Napaskiak (where my mail will be delivered), Oscarville (my future home), and then we had the opportunity to pick berries. What a nice surprise!! The tundra was soft and squishy like sponge.