Blogger Rookie

I was told I needed to blog an email I sent about my move to AK, so I guess that takes care of not knowing what to write for my first blog!

Here it is:
These past three weeks have been a whirlwind for me. On July 23 I accepted a counseling position here in Unalakleet, AK and on July 29 I completed my graduate program in school counseling. That left me 6 days to pack!

I got to the Albany airport at 10:55 Monday morning and arrived in Unalakleet at 1PM on Tuesday (5PM EST). In the 32 hours it took me to get to Unalakleet, my first flight out of Albany got canceled, my second flight was 1.5 hours late taking off, I had to run to catch my connecting flight in Minneapolis, and I spent the night at the airport in Seattle. Now I am in Unalakleet, which is on Norton Sound, which feeds into the Bering Sea.

Unalakleet is absolutely gorgeous! From my front porch I can see Norton Sound to the right, the hills to my left, and the school straight ahead. Everything is within walking distance: airport, beach, hills, post office, 2 small grocery stores, pizza shop, and a coffee shop with the best coffee I have ever had and home made cinnamon rolls that are mouth watering!

The villagers here have been incredibly warm and welcoming. They offer assistance when asked, but are more than happy to help out without being asked. The teachers and administrative staff are wonderful as well. The district is extremely organized and has a comprehensive system in place, which helps create the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.

I am an itinerant counselor for grades K-8. This means I will be traveling to three villages. However, I get to come home every weekend. For 6 weeks at a time I will be traveling to schools: one week here in Unalakleet, the second week in Shaktoolik, the third week in Koyuk, and then back to Unalakleet, etc. The 7th week will be spent here with all of the district counselors so that we can collaborate, debrief and further develop the guidance program. On the 8th week the traveling will begin again. I have really established Unalakleet as my home, so it will be interesting to see how things will be arranged when I am traveling. I have already been offered a couch at a teacher's apt. in Shaktoolik!

This is about all I have time for right now. In a few minutes I am going to go berry picking in the hills with my house mate Ming, and two other teachers. I think we are going to hop on some 4-wheelers and head into the hills! It amazes me how dependent the villagers are on vehicles, even though the village is so small. Right now they get around using 4-wheelers, pickup trucks, and bikes. In the winter they will travel on snow machines. I cannot wait to try out my new snow shoes!