Genevieve Pearl wants to go to Alaska.

Tomorrow I fly to Anchorage at 12:40 p.m. Pray for me, friends! 

meeting people

It's hard to believe the Success for All conference is almost over. I've made three good friends -- Jack, Barbra, and Jenny. Jack, Barbra, and Jenny are super-cool. Jack & Barbra are going to teach in Shishmaref; Jenny lives in Kenai and teaches in Tyonek. I have an open invitation to visit Kenai now -- whoohoo! And Jack and Barbra are going to teach me how to fish! Hopefully they'll come visit me in Diomede too! I may be more remote than they are, but at least I'll have indoor plumbing. Shishmaref still uses the honey bucket system -- hard to believe!

Check out the map of Alaska that we drew on our paper table cloth that the Rusty Scupper in Baltimore, which is probably the most expensive restaurant I've ever been to.

The first shipment.

Today I mailed 74 lbs. of my possessions to Diomede, Alaska. It's becoming more real -- the fact that I am moving to Alaska! Some days I forget.

I used two 20 gal. Sterlite totes which were about $6 each. I packed them full -- dishes, towels, sweaters, the inner-liner of my parka, my Sorel boots, etc. One tote was 32 lbs. which cost about $36. The other tote was 42  lbs. costing about $46. Total cost including confirmation notices for each box = $86.

 Dad used his drill to make six holes on the lid and tote. I used zip ties to keep the lid sealed tight. 

The school address. Everything will be kept at the school until I get there. I hope everything arrives safely. I have heard that the cold can shatter Sterlite totes, but I think they'll be okay in the "heat" of August. I still have two more totes to ship up, but I have to pack them first!

I thought about packing Luke, but I considered the legal implications of such an action and decided against it. I sure will miss him!

On a side note, tomorrow I leave for Baltimore for the Success for All conference. I'm excited that I'll be meeting a lot of BSSD teachers there! Can't wait!

a girl getting married

When it comes to Alaska, I'm like a girl getting married. Like a wedding, it requires:

- a plan
- a dream
- a budget
- help

- a little notebook to keep organized
- patience
- excitement
- joy

I love the excitement involved in going to a new place. I'm genuinely excited about moving to Diomede -- equally excited as I was for Moscow. Once I've lived in Diomede, I will have experienced both extremes on the population spectrum -- a city of 10,000,000 and a village of 130. In Moscow I determined that I didn't want to live in a city that big; I wonder what I will determine after living in Diomede. I'm looking forward to finding out!