En route to China via Anchorage…

Well… since I last posted the school year ended and I left Oscarville for the summer. The year ended well. It was joyous… but that is to be expected. It was a bit sorrowful… but that is to be expected. And mostly, it was busy… and that too is probably the most expected.

As I have experienced in all five years with LKSD we had a great end of the year picnic. Unlike most years it was sunny and bright and picture perfect weather. Before the “feast” part of the picnic we had about an hour of outdoor freetime. It was used mostly for “junkyard” and “Bat”.

“Junkyard” is a game played with any number of people and a basketball. I have seen it played countless times before but this was the first time it was both named and explained in words to me. “So… he shoots and if it hits the rim the one closest to it has to defend before he can make another shot. Otherwise you're out.” That’s it. That’s the game. I understood the last part all too well. I was first “out” the three rounds I played.

I left that game and joined the much larger crowd playing “Bat”. “Bat” is a great game. The rules are similar to baseball but really… not at all. There is a team at bat and another in the field. Once you hit you can choose to run or not run. You’re out if the ball is caught in a popfly. One out and you switch sides. So let’s say the first 5 people hit the ball and don’t run. Well now you have the sixth person up to bat and a possibility of six runners. Let’s say batter #6 hits it way off in what would be a “foul” in any other field but is actually considered a GREAT HIT is bat. As the fielders scramble to retrieve the ball all six people run to the other end of the field. Once the ball is back in field it is thrown at the runners. If the ball hits a runner any of the member of that team has the opportunity to throw the ball at any other member of the team. The game becomes a free for all as everyone scrambles to get the ball and “tag” the other team. Positions change back and forth a dozen times before eventually the ball is retrieved from base or all players are off the field. At that point the last team “tagged” is in the field. As you can imagine it’s utter chaos but rarely is there a fight. You just start again hitting or fielding the ball while waiting for that perfect hit that’ll have a whole mess of batters running at once. Score is never kept and no one ever wins or loses. It’s over when people stop playing or in this case, time is called to eat.

The play deck was stocked with burgers, hotdogs, chips, Capri sun, corn cobettes, and assorted condiments. The students, staff, and community were all invited.

There was quite a crowd. One of my favorite elders in the community, Andrew Larson, came to the feast and I was able to snap these photos.

After a couple of clean up activities the school year closed and I said a “pleasure mixed with pain” goodbye to Qugcuun Memorial School year 2007-08.

In the couple of days that followed I watched Erin be a champ and clean the house and pack like it was her favorite pastime. I, rather, took part in my favorite pastime and bitched about not wanting to clean and pack. Once I got over my own sloth-like behaviors I helped out where I could but really Erin was near done with our house. I guess in Oscarville they cut power to the teacher’s housing unit in the summer. Every year, in every village, they threaten this but it never happens. I guess in Oscarville they really do it. So out refrigerator and freezer are empty and salad dressings and butter needs to be purchased at the start of the school year along with all of the other frozen vegetables and meats I end up pick up before that first trip out.

Then on Saturday I hitched a boat ride from Chris, my Site Administrator, a car ride from Faith, my Site Administrator’s daughter, and a plane ride from ERA Aviation to land here at Richard’s place in Anchorage. Richard moved from LKSD last October accepting a computer tech position in the Anchorage School District.

When his six months of probation was about to end he was called into his boss’s office and told he wasn’t really picking up stuff quick enough and that he should start looking for employment elsewhere. That was about two month ago and he’s looking a lot. His furniture-free apartment is one big ole job search. He’s submitted several applications all over the state and had several phone and face-to-face interviews but so far his search had been fruitless.

While I have been in Anchorage I have been reading next year’s Battle of the Books books. There are 12 this year. I have read two so far. “The Graduation of Jake Moon” is the shortest of all of the books, and as such, the first one I chose to read. The second book, “Touching Spirit Bear” I read yesterday. I had heard so many good things about that book. My Aunt read it with my cousin’s son about 8 years ago. Since then it has been brought up in all conversations about good Young Adult Literature. In fact, last year, I recommended it to a collogue of mine. All the while, I myself, hadn’t read it. Well I am proud to say, yesterday, I finally read “Touching Spirit Bear.” And I totally meant all of those things I have said about it in the past. It really is a good book. Chalk full of blood and anger and self worth and everything else one would want a jr. high boy to read. Next year, I have five boys (and two girls) all lined up for a read of it. 
So yeah... when I am not looking like this…

I have seen the new Indiana Jones, been out to dinner at the Outback with Dirk and Erin, and taken walks with Richard.

I leave on Thursday morning for China. There will be a several hour layover in San Francisco before I actually am on a plane to China… but essentially… it’s Thursday morning.