So many stars

I'm once again reminded about just how far away from everything I'm living. We've had quite a few clear nights recently and that's let me really take in the millions of stars that are in the sky way out here in the middle of nowhere. Being right next to the school makes it not quite as dramatic as it was standing on the shore in Port Heiden looking up but still amazing, none the less. 

It's a good things I have those moments taking Macy outside to go to the bathroom because otherwise I don't know that I would have taken the time to stop and look up this week. Chaotic/Crazy doesn't begin to describe my week. Some stuff I simply can't go into but when I say it was chaotic, just believe me. Let me also say that there is a lot that college just can't prepare you for when you're actually out in the classroom. BUT, I'm hoping for a better week coming up. 

I'm doing better in Yupik class with my kids! I can now count from one to five, say "Hi my name is Marisa", and I even know some of the months and some random words. I'm pretty proud of myself and every time I say something right in class or Louise calls on me and I answer correctly, my class cheers! They're the best. 

This past week we started working on research papers. We're researching three different volcanos in Alaska - Aniakchak, Veniaminof and Cleveland. Some of you might recognize the first two since they were in my backyard in Port Heiden! After we do our research papers, we're going to get with groups and make posters and present about them and then we'll make our own volcanos in our groups. The kids have been asking me since the first day of school if we could make volcanos this year so I decided this would be a good way to let them! I may be just as excited as they are! 

This weekend started with dessert for the teachers that we started last week. It's a new thing we do every Friday after the kids leave one of us brings a dessert and we all get together and celebrate the week being over for a short time! This weekend was a basketball tournament at the school. It was for the entire village so there were teams of older people, high school students, men and women. It started Friday and went until about 11 on Friday night, then it continued on Saturday during the day into the evening time. It was fun to go hang out and watch the games - everyone is so great at basketball here because that's something they all love and grow up doing! I also got to meet some family members of my students and other kids parents. It was a fun weekend! I had dinner with LeEsia and some of the kids on Friday before the tournament and then Saturday we had our usual Saturday dinner. This weekend it was at my house and I made two pizzas! Made me think of my pizza nights in Port Heiden and it made me miss them. But it was a good night with good friends and two very cute puppies. : )

Oh and we did our weekly trip to the post office and the store this Saturday as well and you all will be proud of me. I only spend $16 at the store and then $20 on a new pair of earrings but that has to be some sort of record!! 

Salmon on the charcoal grill

So much for my neat desk... it shows how crazy my week has been

Getting my hair done at the basketball tournament

This greenhouse is behind my apartment... although it's seen better days because of the wind we've had recently

I'm not sure if this is Macy's dad or not but they look a lot alike!!

Puppies!! So, so tempting to take another.

My lunch date every day : )

Steak and Caribou on the grill!!! I was in heaven. 

The other day we had ice!!

While I'm writing this she's sleeping, such a rough life!

Another picture of these two!

Well, that's all for now... back to planning for the week! I can't believe it's already the start of October! Christmas will be here before I know it!

Here comes colder weather....

Sometimes I forget that I live in Alaska and then I walk outside in my winter coat and hat and gloves in September and I am quickly reminded. : ) This past week has been sunny and clear but definitely colder! Last night we could even see our breath.... apparently there's been some frost in the mornings, too. It's only a matter of time before the snow starts falling and things start freezing....

This week was a crazy week. I mean most of the time in my classroom is crazy but this week is even more so. I don't know about anyone else but most teachers will know what I'm talking about when I say it's been a full moon almost all week so that has not helped. Pair that with MAP testing an hour a day for the kids and their schedules are ALL sorts of off. 

And call me crazy but on the most chaotic week so far this school year, I let some of my kids visit AND even bake while they were over. I had about 10 of my students - all boys but one - in my kitchen baking muffins from scratch while I was trying to make a dessert for the teachers. It got a little chaotic while some of them were running around with Macy at the same time but all in all it turned out just fine... however, someone put a little too much salt in the muffins so they weren't so edible but it was fun. And of course I made them do the dishes and help me clean up and with a little push, they did! 

My kids have started calling me mom so now when I leave them for lunch or at the end of the day or when they leave my house from visiting, I hear "Love you, mom!". Some people may think it's weird that I answer but they know I love them like my own kids and if they want to call me mom, of course I'm going to answer them. I spend all day with them and then usually see most of them after school at the playground until the 9 pm curfew. The started quite the trend so now the kids in the 4th/5th grade classroom have started calling me auntie.... I was even called grandma at one point this past week. Hey, whatever works for me! : )

"Marisa, let's run away!" Was also said to me this week... along with, "Why aren't you married? You should be by now..." I swear I get that every single day. I also get asked if I'm 40 on a regular basis. Last time I checked, I didn't look near that age but hey, I could be wrong. 

One of the girls that's been here since I got here is Tara's cousin who was babysitting Tara's daughter while her husband was working, left yesterday to head back home so Thursday night a group of us got together for a going away bonfire! It was a fun night of just sitting around the fire and talking/hanging out. Fires really are my favorite!

A Macy update... she is doing well and getting big! We're still working on the potty training thing but she is getting better - a little bit! I talked to the vet in Dillingham on the phone and she is sending me the shots that Macy needs and she said she's probably about 8 weeks old if her puppy breath just went away so she's still young... I'll need to be patient on the potty training! But she's so stinking cute that I let her get away with too much, she's a tad spoiled. ; )

Today we did our weekly trip into town to the store and the post office... this morning we came back with all the usual things, frozen pizza, soda, odds and ends, fruit (they actually had some apples and oranges!!), and eggs, bread, etc. But we also came back with a cute little puppy that Amanda and Scott are now the owners of. There was a whole CUTE liter right behind the store so we walked down there to see them and we ended up walking away with one that looks just like Macy only a little darker carmel color! Macy of course loves him but he's so tiny he doesn't love her yet! After a day of cleaning and laundry, we'll do our weekly dinner with the four of us. One of my students brought me a big bag of caribou meat the other night so I'm going to take some of that up and we're going to grill it! This kids are so great to me!! I haven't had caribou since carnival time in Port Heiden so I'm excited to eat it again! I love it!! I'm also hoping for a fire tonight because it's a gorgeous day out! : )

Still waiting for the crate to come in the mail for Macy for during the day... she's getting better at going in the house but I still want to get her crate trained. It's been almost a month since it was supposed to be here!

Thank you to those who have sent me packages since I've been here... I really, really appreciate it and like all the other teachers, I check the mail every day. We all joke that we get so excited about checking the mail but as I've said before, it's like Christmas morning for us when we have a package in the pile of boxes that arrived!! So thank you guys!!!

Also, I'm welcoming visitors at ANY time ; )

My girl

 Here's a better picture of all of us. All fourteen of them were finally here! 

 We have been studying landforms so we made our own landform maps out of graham crackers and colored icing! I tried to tell them that we don't eat maps when they were all done but they put up a good fight and got to eat them. ; )

 Some beautiful days recently!

My new handmade Yupik earrings that I LOVE! They're made out of beads!

 I made muffins with my berries I picked! They weren't the best but not too bad for my first time making muffins from scratch!

 Kennuth and David at our fire the other night. Kennuth is one of the guys who is in charge of this whole road redo project here in Manokotak. He is here along with a bunch of other construction guys and they work around the clock to redo the road and other things from here to the main village. He lives across the hall from me in the other apartment while he's here! He's super nice - so are the other guys I've met! David is a student here in KMO. 

There's a few of the boys who were baking! The other ones were running around at that point...

Well only about 92 days until Macy and I come home for Christmas. Keeping our fingers crossed that all of our flights can get out because of weather but our flights are officially booked! Very excited to get home to see everyone and for Macy to get to meet everyone. : )

A bonfire makes EVERYTHING better : )

I know it's been awhile since I posted last. I've found that I don't have a ton of free time and when I do, I spend it doing just about nothing because I need that time to relax. So I'll do the best I can to recap from where I left off last!

First I want to start off by saying that I am really upset to be losing a follower to my blog. Mrs. Glassmyer who I am almost certain was my most faithful blog follower past away a few weeks ago and I can't tell you how sad that makes me. Most of you probably have no idea who I'm even talking about but she was a lady that I consider to be very close to my heart. My gram and grampa delivered meals through the Meals on Wheels program before they just moved away. Mrs. Glassmyer was an older lady who lived on her own and was in a wheel chair who they delivered meals to. My gram told her about my blog while I was in Port Heiden and she faithfully read it every single day. She knew Kasie and Derek and Jeff and the rest of my friends in Port Heiden like she had met them in person. She would talk to my gram and grampa about my time there every time they dropped off her meals. When I came home this summer I went with my gram to visit her. We spent an hour or two at her house sitting with her looking through my pictures from my trip and I got to tell her stories that weren't in my blog and just talk to her. I also gave her a glass float and she teared up. She was the sweetest lady and I wish that I got the opportunity to sit and talk to her more about her life and find out more about her. I was hoping to be able to go back and visit her again but I won't get that opportunity. I'm very, very thankful to have gotten the chance to go meet such an amazing lady and I know now instead of reading about my time in Alaska, she'll be watching it all happen. Again, I know you all don't know her and even though I only got the chance to meet her once in person, she was important to me and really made at impact on me. RIP Mrs. Glassmyer <3

Now, my weeks have been going pretty quickly. Some days are better than others but like I've said before, I'm very thankful that my kids are my kids. They're still crazier than ever and sometimes they have me wanting to pull my hair out - typical kids. ; )

This weekend that is coming to an end started on Friday after school with a cross country meet here at Manokotak. A few different schools flew in for an after school meet for both girls and boys. The other day LeEsia and I took the truck out for a drive around to clock the distance and find a good course for the runners for Friday. LeEsia is the cross country coach so she was in charge of running it all - I helped where I could! So we had teachers at each of the spots to direct the runners and then there were four of us plus some student helpers at the finish line to take times and names so we had the right positions. It was off really smoothly - followed by an awards ceremony before the other schools flew back to their villages. Then as usual, Friday was my night to relax and head to bed early - 8:30 has become my new bed time. ; ) 

Saturday we had our weekly trip down to the post office to check the mail and to the store. After that I spent the day cleaning and doing laundry - finally putting away clothes that I folded last weekend! I hate that part... and doing some other odds and ends around my apartment. I had a roast in the croc pot all day for our weekly Saturday night dinner that LeEsia, Ryan, Jason and I have. This week it was at Jason's house and of course Macy tagged along. It was a gorgeous day - hot out! Windows open all day and the sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky! A day that made me wish I had a boat or a four wheeler - but I'm too broke for either one. So after dinner we decided a fire was necessary! It was nice because we sat by the fire listening to country music - the only way to go ; ) - and we had some visitors throughout the night because the kids saw the fire and HAD to come see us, plus the smores we had were a big help. It was a fun evening until about 11pm when us teachers were ready for bed, we had to put an end to our bonfire party and make the kids leave so we could all go home, haha! They are too funny.

 LeEsia, Ryan, Jason and I by our fire! 

 Perfect night for this!

 The girls of the Manokotak Cross country team and LeEsia!

 Gorgeous day!

 LeEsia and I

The three girls from Manokotak that placed in the tournament 

 The mountain behind the school

 Muddy Macy

 On September 11th, we took a big portion of our day and dedicated it to learning about what happened that day. Most of my students weren't born yet or had just been born. We talked about what happened, watched videos and looked at pictures. I told them what I was doing exactly when I found out. I was in 6th grade - just like them and it was picture day - just like it was for our school. All too strange... although my kids can't say they remember what they were doing that day, nor do they have any idea what NY, Washington DC or PA are like, they were genuinely concerned about the people that lost their lives that day and why would anyone want to do that. I have a great, great group of kids. <3

97 days until Christmas break! Until next time, from Macy & I  :)

Another week down!

Another week of my first year of teaching is done and I have officially been back in Alaska for a month, as of Sunday! Time is going by quick, on most days. I do have days that drag on that make me miss home but that's normal I think. This week was much better than the last and we're getting into a good routine in my classroom.

My kids are really sweet and continuously try to do their best and make me happy - most days, they are still kids though ; ) We have a lot of fun and they quite comical most of the time! Especially those 10 boys of mine! 

This past weekend after our weekly trip to town on Saturday morning where we stop at the post office and the store, we came back and it was a pretty nice day out so me, LeEsia, Chisana (who is one of the teacher's cousins who is up here watching her daughter while she's in school) and LeEsia's son Reilly decided to go berry picking out behind the school. I had never gone berry picking but always wanted to go. We missed some of the berries but we were able to collect a bunch of blackberries/crowberries/huckleberries - they have multiple names around here - as well as a handful of cranberries! This is a really tideous process and it takes an awful long time but I got enough to maybe make some muffins or a loaf of bread with. I may try that tonight! The one down side to doing anything outdoors this time of year is the bugs. They are TERRIBLE. I can't even describe how bad they are. There is always, always a swarm around your head/face and they all bite! Needless to say, that made it somewhat miserable. I'm waiting for the colder weather so set in just for them to disappear! (And tomorrow is picture day and I have five visible bug bites on my face - more on my neck and ears btut they can at least be covered!) Macy also went along for the berry picking - her first real Alaskan adventure and she did really well. Some parts in the tundra were too overgrown that she couldn't walk through or she got stuck so I had to carry her a few times, along with Reilly's help 

Later that night I headed over to LeEsia and Ryan's for dinner with them and Jason again - of course Macy joined along in that, too! She's a lucky little puppy! It was spaghetti and homemade bread for dinner and oh my goodness was it good!! I love, love homemade bread. And then I took over brownies for dessert and they were pretty good as well. It's always a fun night of the weekend when the four of us hang out - lots of laughs and I need that! 

Sunday was spent cleaning my floors and doing laundry as well as a few hours over in my classroom getting work done and I even had two students come help me check some work and pass out papers - I can't turn down helpers?! ; ) I ended my Sunday with a nice FaceTime session and then cuddled with Macy for bed! It has been pouring ever since so that was nice - I always like falling asleep to the rain! I'm sure I don't have too much longer until that rain turns to snow. It's been chilly! 

For all of you wondering, Macy is doing really well! We're still working on the bathroom issue but she's getting much better. She knows how to sit for treats when I say sit and boy does she love to eat... and play. She's a crazy puppy but I love her. : ) We're still waiting on her crate to arrive so that she can go in that during the day while I'm at school because she has continued to get out of my bathroom every single day - I can't seem to make my blockade good enough to keep her trapped. I watched her today before I left and she has now gotten just big enough that she can jump in the totes and then out of them to the other side! Crazy, smart girl! My plan is to bring her home for Christmas so hopefully everyone gets to meet her : )

 She loved just hanging out and being able to run - well kind of run.

 The clouds started rolling it at one point and we made it in right before it started to pour!

 That's not a bird - it's a bug! 

 Another gorgeous sunset!

 At one point I thought I lost her - turns out she just burried herself in a hole in the tundra, haha.

 Chisana, Reilly and LeEsia picking away -- Macy was down there somewhere with them!

 The blackberries/crowberries/huckleberries... kind of bitter but they were a nice snack while we were picking. ; )

 I don't remember if I posted this picture before so I'm going to post it now... this is where Macy thinks she can sleep at night. 

My hard work got me these berries... : )

 Macy loves the mud puddles which means she's gotten lots of baths lately - which she does not love!

 My kids and I made a thankful chain... it has 102 chain links on it because it's a countdown to Christmas break (so there's 102 days until I come home - just fyi ; )). On each link, the kids and I and our aid wrote things we loved and things we were thankful for so each day when we take a link off, we read them and then hang them on the wall. They loved doing this and it's a good little countdown for us all!

Every other day my kids go to Yupik class (the native language) and I go with them and I've been sitting in and trying to learn some words. I've gotten a few down and the Yupik teacher has even been great at helping me. I wanted to incorporate some of the words into our classroom so she gave me a list of the Months and days of the week in Yupik and I printed them out for the kids to paste and cut out. I laminated their work and we hung them up in the classroom so we can all practice them. : ) We also have the numbers one through ten written and they're hanging up above the countdown chain and the windows!

Here are the days of the week - the kids think it's hilarious when I try to say these words but they are very helpful - even while laughing. ; )

There they are - my first class - the kids who have stolen my heart and will always have a special place!

Yeah - all our pictures were chaotic and crazy, I'm lucky I got one nice one. ; )