Rural Alaska Questions

I was reading through old posts recently and realized there were a lot of unanswered questions in my comments section. So here are the answers to some of those questions!

Someone asked about recess outside.  And actually, the students just play in the gym.  They love basketball, so it works out.  Josh's class only has recess after lunch, which is monitored by a staff assistant.  Then every afternoon he teaches PE for a half hour. There is no PE teacher, no music class, no art.  They do have Yupik class, where they learn their native language & traditional ways.

*

Someone also asked if there were wolves in Marshall.  Wolves often wander into town, especially the outskirts and along the river.  Two weeks ago it was announced on the VHF (the radio everyone has) that a pack was in town on the main road.  Whenever there are sightings of wolves or bears, I am reminded of just how remote we are.

This article about an Alaska teacher who was killed by wolves broke my heart when I read it earlier this year.  We really do live in the wild.

*

Someone commented on the twins wearing "summer clothes" and I had to laugh. It's true. The boys often wear shorts. Let me assure you (if you're worried) that our house is kept very warm.  They just love wearing shorts, and it's not worth the battle, unless we're going outside, to make them wear cozies everyday!

*

Sophia asked about why we moved to Alaska-- We moved to Alaska solely so my husband could find a job and I could be a stay-at-home mom.  He had had multiple interviews in our hometown, but teachers with years of experience were getting laid off, and he was never hired. He applied for jobs in Washington & Oregon, close to home, as far east as North Dakota and as far south as Texas, along the Mexican border.  But we never heard back. We estimate that he applied for thirty to fifty jobs.

He always had Alaska in the back of my mind, but it took a year of unemployment on his part and a surprise pregnancy on my part to convince me that it was the place to be!

*

My sister was telling me how much she loves her new flannel sheets.  I have to say, we do not have flannel sheets.  But my boys do.  I don't like feeling "stuck" like velcro, so I have high thread count cotton instead.  But I do have a heating blanket (courtesy of my mom) and I don't know what I'd do without that thing!

*

My mom mentioned that if I ever want to go to Twinsburg for the Twin Days Festival, she would love to join me.  I think going to the twin convention would be so much fun!  I don't know how much the boys would love it, but just imagining all the great people watching makes me smile. Plus I love talking to other moms of multiples.

*

S-J asked for my chocolate cake recipe, which is so sweet. But I will let you in a little secret-- it's from a box! Ha! It's just yellow cake mix with canned chocolate frosting. I credit my mother with it looking so good because she taught me how to spread frosting (nice & thick!) to make a cake look good enough to eat!

*

I want to take this opportunity, after answering your questions, to thank you. Thank you for being involved and invested in my life. Thank you for reading the blog, for cheering me on, for being here.  Your comments, support & well wishes the last few months as I have struggled with anxiety and panic have buoyed me up and made me feel less alone.

***