What's new in the AK

Hey from the great white north!

I'm really starting to feel like a local here in Sitka, Alaska. I know many of the streets, I know some people pretty well, I've done a lot of the things you're "supposed" to do, and - most importantly - I own a pair of Xtratufs. EVERYONE here has the same exact pair of boots, Xtratufs. They're even in the same color, brown and tan, because that's the only option. If you don't have them on, it's obvious you're not a local. People even wear them out to the bar.

Another funny thing about clothes - people wear the same outfit for days in a row. Everyone showers daily because they all smell like fish, but they just throw the same clothes on for about two-three days. I'm not sure if I'm going to get to this point, but if I do, please stop me when I get home!!

I have done a lot of really cool things since I've been here. I've gone hiking up a mountain which was insanely beautiful and stayed overnight in a remote floathouse that had no electricity or running water. We had to collect wood from the forest during low tide to make a fire and boil ocean water. I feel pretty resourceful! I've also gone kayaking a few times already. Kayaking in the ocean around a bunch of sea lions... there's really nothing like it. One time we stopped off at the causeways. This is a place that was used during WWII as a bunker. The rainforest is overgrowing the bunkers, but you can still hike around the little island and investigate. It's neat to see something so historical that hasn't been touched by tourism at all.

I have also gone out fishing with an Alaska fisherman and a friend. We fished the "cheater" way with a sockeye hook. There is no bait involved, you just go out into the ocean near the shore and toss the hook out hoping to just snag a fish and reel it in. Once you reel it in (this is going to get graphic... get ready), you jab it with a big metal hook then hit it with a wooden club until it's dead. Fishing is pretty bloody!! We caught some nice salmon but that's not what the real fishermen are after... the salmon are simply bait for the halibut. So, once you catch about four salmon, you cut off the head and tail then cut the rest into slices. The slices are then put onto hooks for the skate. The skate is a 160 ft line dropped into the ocean with bait attached. Halibut then come to eat the bait and end up getting hooked. Fisherman reel in these skates the next day and hopefully have a big, hundred pound halibut attached! When I was fishing we unfortunately didn't reel in a halibut because there was a ton of sea lion around and they eat the halibut before it gets pulled into the boat. It's a sad day for fishermen (everyone here actually hates the sea lions), but it was really neat to see for me! The sea lions were doing really Sea World like tricks like flipping on their sides and jumping in unison. They celebrated snatching our halibut by tossing the fish parts around back and forth to each other.

The bears around here have been a big focus of the town the past couple weeks. They're apparently more aggressive than ever because it hasn't rained and the salmon aren't coming up the streams as quickly. A few people have had bear run-ins. People aren't really going out hiking as much. I had my very own bear experience to share. I stayed in a cabin one night out at this campgrounds where a sow and two cubs live. We went out to look for them from this bear lookout and saw them. It was sooo cool to see! We didn't think we would have any troubles at our cabin, though. Funny us. So, we're in the middle of the woods, pitch black with really no moon and definitely no electricity. We just had our campfire. We kept hearing these weird noises and we eventually stopped to really listen. We decided it was a bear in the creek that was about 25ft from us and ran into the cabin. We got brave and came back out but we kept hearing the noise. This very tough, very stereotypical Alaska fisherman friend of ours decided to go investigate. He took bear mase and went down into the creek. A few minutes later he came back and said he thought the noise was just salmon jumping in the shallow creek. A bit later we heard the noise again and thought that it really sounded like a bear. This guy, out to prove us wrong, went down to look again. ...The scariest thing to experience is the toughest guy you've ever met running full speed toward you screaming "Run! Bear! Into the cabin!" Needless to say, we all went running into the cabin. The bear didn't come up after us, but we did now know we had a scary neighbor next to us the whole time. We even had fish with us, so we were lucky the bear didn't come up. It was pretty crazy at the time, but now I have a cool bear story!

I'm enjoying my job very much so far, but I'm excited for what is to come. I have just been working in the office of the school preparing for the teachers and kids and doing paperwork. I keep hearing how cool the kids are though. They come from really remote places, many without running water. It's going to be an interesting adjustment for many of them. I'm a little worried about discrimination. I've heard some of them have a hard time with white people and nearly all of them have a habit of being very quiet and not looking people in the eyes. It gets better with time I guess, but for a while I think I'll have a hard time getting through to them. I'm excited to learn from them though. I think they're really going to have some amazing stories and experiences. I get my first taste this Thursday when I will spend 48 hours straight in the school - office/training in the day then chaperoning the kids two nights in a row. Should be crazy!

Things I've learned:

- To commercially prepare a fish: turn the fish over and cut from the butthole up to the neck. Remove the eggs/sperm and cut out the liver. Then cut out the gills because those are the first things to go bad. Lastly, pack with ice.

- Bear mase is not bear spray. You can't spray it to prevent bears, you spray it if the bear gets dangerously close. Once you spray, you have to leave the area because with time it attracts bears.

- If you're ever trapped in an avalanche, the hardest thing about climbing out is figuring out what way is up. Just make an air pocket then light a match (which you should have stored right on the front of you) and see which way the flame goes.

- Black bears are virtually dead when they hibernate. You can crawl into their cave and pull their hair and they won't do anything about it. Brown bears, on the other hand, will eat you alive.

- The word "eskimo" is like saying "colored people" - it's an outdated and bad term. "Inuit" was the next step from "eskimo", but now that is outdated too. The term to use is "native Alaskans."
- ALL of Alaska has the same area code: 907. In Sitka, your number can be 907-966-#### or 907-747-####. So, when people give you their number they say "6-####" or "7-####". Five digits!

As with last time, please let me know what is going on with you. I want to hear your good stories too! I definitely miss home, but I'm really starting to feel like this is home now, so I need to keep informed of what's going on in the Lower 48!

I attached a few pictures. The first is from my hike and the second is one of the harbors.

Love from AK,

Katie