The Trip

August 2nd 2007: The trip to Atmautluak, Alaska.
Let me first confess that I already miss my wife, Pam. I want to call home but, as suspected, no cell phone service and no land line in my apartment. I have not felt this feeling for a long time; lonely.
My trip started yesterday, August 1st late in the afternoon. We said our goodbyes and parted ways. It seemed weird though, because it was unceremonious. We exchanged hugs, Pam and I kissed a few times, and I wandered off. It seems like it should have been different somehow, but I don’t know how.
The flight to Chicago was typical, crowded and short. Still, it was better than driving to O’Hare airport. My flight from Chicago to Anchorage was long but better. The airplane was filled to capacity because Alaska Air stranded a bunch of people and had to put them on our plane. Families and groups were scattered all over the aircraft. Kids of all ages were without the direct supervision of their parents.
The passengers in my row were two such children. Mary looked nervously out of place when I sat down. There was a seat between us so I didn’t press getting acquainted. The plane was almost full and I was beginning to think that the seat between us would remain comfortably empty. Just then, a very large family of small boys boarded and away went our spacious accommodations. The center seat was taken up by Mitchell, a nine year old boy from the Seattle area. He, like Mary, looked very unsure of these travel arrangements.
Shortly after getting airborne, Mary started to break the ice with Mitchell. We soon learned that Mary is the oldest of four children and she is due to start the Seventh Grade in a Christian School in Anchorage. It didn’t take long to find out that Mary is also hopelessly horse crazy and plans to become a Large Animal Veterinarian.
Mitchell is not horse crazy. He is a typical nine year old boy from the suburbs. He plays baseball and is a WEBLOS Scout. Like Mary, he is the oldest child in his large family. I lost track of all of his siblings but, there must be a bunch of them.
We landed at about 11:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time (AST) which is 3:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). The sun had not yet set when we exited the aircraft. I was torn between finding a quiet corner in the airport and curling up for the night or getting a hotel. I called around to several hotels and few rooms were to be had and each one was pretty expensive. I decided to stay in the airport because the cheapest room was $150. Then, I looked at my flight itinerary for my trip to Bethel. My flight didn’t leave until 11:53 a.m. That is twelve hours from now, I thought to myself. So I ended up getting a room.
The room was a small old Best Western room; nothing special and definitely not worth $150! The shower and the bed did feel good, but still not for that kind of money. When I walked out of my room the next morning, I saw Lake Hood and it was packed full of float planes. I was in awe at the sight. I walked about half way around the lake checking out all of the different float planes and then I saw the mountains in the background. The dark overcast sky with low slung clouds and snow capped peaks made the money I spent the night before worth every penny.
I found my way back to the airport in Anchorage to start the next leg of my journey, to Bethel and then Atmautluak. I got to the airport about two hours early, so I got some breakfast and looked at the Native Art Exhibits and dead animals on display. When I finally found gate C-9 I also found about twenty five Eskimo kids and their escorts. They were returning from something called ANSWER Camp. I will have to find out more on this camp but, it has to do with getting Alaska’s native children to meet and interact with Natives from all over the state. These were twelve and thirteen year old kids and boy, did they act like it. They were just like kids of that age anywhere on the planet.
I noticed something important about those Eskimos in the airport that made me worry a little. They were wearing a lot more clothing than I was. I knew that I was under dressed but my t-shirt and long sleeved shirt nothing compared to their winter coats. I brought a winter coat with me but it was checked in with my suitcase. I thought to myself, it’s too late now, I guess this will be a painful lesson.
All of those people who warned me about the culture shock that would come with a visit to this part of the world were and are right. Bethel is like a third world country right here in the USA. I am not going to say more about it because I don’t want to form a premature opinion Bethel. I met a fellow Atmautluak teacher Virginia and her husband Moses in the airport; that was nice.
As we made our final approach to Atmautluak, I recognized it instantly from all of the computer reconnaissance and research that I did earlier. By now it was raining and had cooled off some. I half expected to walk to the village from the airstrip, dragging my bags behind me, but it was not to be. Owen and Buster were waiting for us. They had four-wheelers with trailers so we were able to ride right to our door step.
My apartment was waiting for me as promised. It was a welcome sight. What were not waiting for me were the totes that Pam shipped earlier. No tote means no food or rain gear or toilet paper. Since I brought no food with me and since there are no restaurants in the village, I would have to buy some food at one of the two local stores. The following is a list of what I bought:
• Charmin Ultra – 4 rolls $5.95
• Distilled Water – 1 g. $6.74
• Chili Cheese Fritos $5.29
• Sardines – 2 cans $1.69 each
• Kipper Snacks $2.49
• Roast Beef Hash $3.93
• Tax $0.83
o Total $28.61
The item that killed me most was the distilled water. The last I knew, distilled water costs about 75 cents at the grocery store. I will not last long with these prices.
I ate some the hash and some Fritos as I was writing this. That hash is the worst thing I have ever eaten! I am going to put on some boots and a jacket and explore this town. I am kind of tired and I would like to rest but, I didn’t bring any movies or music with me and this apartment is very quiet, too quiet. More later.