February 23, 2014

Time is flying by as per usual. If I stop for a moment to think about how much time has passed since I moved into the village it feels like it has been so long yet not long at all. My Iowa roots are engrained pretty deep. Going home over winter break I expected to find that a lot had changed, that things would feel somewhat alien to me after living in isolation for months, but surprisingly it didn't. I slipped back into Iowan life so seamlessly it startled me.

However, there was something very different about it. The experiences I have had up here are so fresh on my mind I found myself talking about them frequently. I am always trying to relate things to my life in the bush. Even some of my vocabulary changed. I never used to call my grandmother "Grams", but it was the first thing that slipped off my tongue when talking about her. Just goes to show how adaptive I am as an individual, how we all are as human beings. We soak in so much of what is around us. Brings to light the necessity of surrounding yourself with stuff worth taking in. :)

Speaking of things worth taking in, here is a video a fellow teacher shared with me that was put together by some kids at her school not far from here last year. How incredible is that?!!!! Makes me feel so fortunate to be where I am and be surrounded by so many people who care about what they do.

The Special Education conference in Anchorage was awesome! I learned way more stuff than I could possibly remember, but I was very happy to be there and get more expertise in my field. The following weekend was our Valentine's Day basketball tournament. We had people here from all over the region to watch and play on the adult teams. I've never seen so many people in White Mountain. So much excitement for three days!

If I haven't already shared, I signed another contract with the district so I will be back in Alaska again next year. :) Very content with my decision! Most of the staff in White Mountain are hanging around, so we will hit the ground running next fall.


In retrospect, I suppose I haven't expressed much about the life I have left behind in Iowa this past year. I had a lot of conflicting feelings about leaving home. I love my family and friends to a fault, but I thought some space to evolve would do me good. There are some things you can't learn by staying in your comfort zone all your days. I think it's appropriate to give yourself some distance when the direction your going in life becomes unclear. Although, I am not so sure I needed to go all the way to Alaska to accomplish this end. ;) But I an happy I did. It is just like making a piece of artwork; looking at it from a distance helps you to see the bigger picture. Sometimes it takes removing oneself from familiarity to discover new things to be passionate about. And who knows, these new passions may help you to evolve into a more fulfilled, satisfied soul. It's the journey that matters anyways.

Keep that Positive.Mind.Set y'all!

Namaste,

Kelly Rae