"EXPOSED FLESH CAN FREEZE IN A SHORT TIME RESULTING IN FROSTBITE."

the air hurts my face

Current Temp: -3 F (-19 C)
Wind Speed: N 17 mph
Wind Chill: -24 F (-31 C)

Sunrise: none

Sunset: none

pretty

The sky was pretty amazing this afternoon.

The color of the horizon in the winter time here is my favorite.

iluaqsi | to become well, to be healed

I've been MIA for the past few days, sick as a dog, at home, lying on the couch. I'm pretty sure my substitute teacher who filled in for me doesn't speak English. In other words, what did my students do for two days? That shall remain a mystery, and I'm not sure I want to know.

Once upon a time, being sick was fun. You got to stay home from school, watch cartoons all day, and drink Sprite.  But as an adult, all you want to do is chug the vitamin C and pray for divine healing. 

No, actually, all you want is your blankie, Cheerios, and your mommy.

But thankfully, I was feeling much better today, and I even felt energetic enough to take Quya for an evening walk in some rather blizzardy weather. (Winter weather advisory is in effect until 6 P.M. tomorrow. WILL THERE BE SCHOOL? [cue suspenseful music])

By the way, the sun didn't come up today. It will come back up on January 23rd, according to Master Google.

Current Stats:

Time: 8:45 P.M.

Temperature:  13 degrees F (-11 C)
Wind Speed: East 31 mph
Wind Chill: -8 F (-22 C)

Sunrise: none

Sunset: none

Quyanaqpak, Father, for...

saltine crackers

moments of unflappability

promise of eagle's wings

one month till I meet Liam

hearing "FINALLY! You're BACK!" today

student who created sticker chart to motivate herself to stay drug-free

Chill, Mother Nature. Well, don't chill, but you know what I mean.

What is this -- the arctic or something? Wind chill around 65 below?

C'mon, Mother Nature... Calm down so I can take Quya outside for potty breaks without my getting frostbite within a minute.

I think I'll stay in tonight.

Time Lapse Video of the Ice Break-Up

This is a time lapse video created by Willis Ferenbaugh, the other high school teacher. It's pretty amazing to see how quickly the ice broke up.

Tornado in Georgia

I've been meaning to post for some time now, but this has been a crazy week. We were stuck in Nome on Monday night, and then miraculously, we were able to take a whirlwind trip to Diomede... as in "Wake up, we're leaving for Diomede in 30 minutes!" kind of surprise trip.

Wednesday took me by surprise as well because my hometown of Ringgold, Georgia, was devastated by a tornado. Eight people were killed, and the business district is practically nonexistent. The high school and middle school are both destroyed as well. But praise God -- my entire family is safe. God even spared our neighborhoods. A family in my church lost their entire house, and if they had not been in the basement of a neighbor's house, they probably would not have survived. It's been amazing to see how their family is praising God in the midst of their loss. God is glorified despite the tragedies in the town.

Thank you to those of you who have asked about my family in Georgia. I appreciate your concern and prayers.

School Trip - Part 2 (Alyeska Ski Resort)

 

After a few days in Anchorage, we headed to Girdwood, AK, which is approximately 40 miles from Anchorage. We skiied for two days at Mount Alyeska and stayed at the Alyeska Ski Resort. Most of the students enjoy cross-country skiing; in fact, you often see Diomeders cross-country skiing between Little and Big Diomede when the strait is frozen. Downhill skiing, of course, is quite a bit different, but I was impressed by the fact that every student at least tried it out. Some didn't care for skiing in the end, but a few really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun.

We took the tram up to the top of the mountain and ate at the Seven Glaciers Restaurant.

To get to the top of the mountain, we took a tram. None of the students had ever been on a tram before, and if you watch the video, you can see their excitement (and trepidation -- i.e. the part where they all scream).

 

On the tram!

 

Happy girls.

Praise God for the beautiful weather we had while skiing. The sun was shining, and the temperature went up as high as 50 degrees. Perfect.

Inside Seven Glaciers Restaurant.

 You can't tell by this picture, but the view was incredible -- mountain peaks surrounding us.

The food was extremely fancy at the Seven Glaciers Restaurant. In the words of one of my students, "This place is too fancy...and I love it."

crabbing & beluga whale watching

The week before last, the school was visited by our school counselor, Barnabas. One day after school, Adrienne, Barnabas, and I went out on a snow machine and drove around for awhile. I thought it was going to be a short excursion so I didn't bring my snow pants. Big mistake. We got adventurous and went off the beaten path, which resulted in the snow machine tipping over. I bruised my knee pretty badly, but no major injuries, thankfully. We tried pulling the snow machine backwards while it was in reverse, but to no avail. So, we pathetic inexperienced snow machine drivers were humbled when some men in the village came over and pulled the snow machine out onto open space with ease and smoothness. I'm glad they pulled our machine forward instead of backwards because it allowed us to have an amazing afternoon we would not have otherwise experienced. I felt like totally naive tourist, but hey, that's part of the fun. We got to see a few people digging crabbing holes and pulling fresh blue king crab out of the strait's icy waters. It was amazing! We also hung out with a couple of men for awhile as they were looking for beluga whales at the edge of the ice. Keep in mind: I had no snow pants. I was wearing flimsy jeans. I was dying. It was so cold, and I had to bail out a little early and hitch a ride back with one of my students. I tried to tough it out, but when you can't feel your feet or hands, it's probably a good idea to head on indoors.

I tried pulling a crab out, but he swam away. C'est la vie.

Watching for beluga.

I love this picture because it shows how big the islands are. They can be deceptively small from a satellite's view, but the cliffs really are sheer and steep.

Becky, one of the teacher's aides, was kind enough to boil a crab for us and let us eat it for dinner. We sauteed it in garlic and butter, and it was delicious!

I'm not sure of the proper procedures in taking the shell off of a crab, but we used scissors. Is this normal?

 Barnabas & the clean plate. The crab was too delicious!

I didn't bring my camera, so all the pictures you see were taken by Adrienne. Great pictures, huh?

sundry

Sunrise: 8:17 a.m.
Sunset: 10:02 p.m.
Temperature: -4 degrees

I am currently reading A Dream in Polar Fog by Yuri Rytkheu, a Chukchi writer. It is the story of a Canadian sailor who is stranded in Chukotka and is taken in by a Chukchi community. So far I am really enjoying it. There are so many things that make sense to me as I am reading. I can envision the landscape so well, and there are moments that I read and know exactly what Rytkheu is trying to express. For example, some days are blue this far north in the world. Literally, blue.

Rytkheu writes, "The air became more and more blue, as though someone enormous and invisible were thickening the color. The snow that stretched ahead was blueing, the bumps, the hillocks and snowdrifts were blueing, and the sky too, lighting up the stars; the blue seeped into the sleds' tracks, into the dogs, the harnesses, and Toko's face, framed by wolverine fur. Night was descending over the tundra."

 Everything blue.

 Among other things, this has been the week of care packages. The dentist has descended upon the island, making his yearly two-week visit, and he brought a box of fresh vegetables and fruit from the Nazarene Church in Nome. They have been so kind to Adrienne and me.

 Grapefruit & tea. I think yes.

 Not only did I get fresh food, but I also received a package from Russia...specifically from Anyisk, a small village of 500 people in Chukotka. My teacher-friend Evgeny in Anyisk teaches English at the school there, and he sent our school a box of beautiful artwork made by his students.

 This one I found to be particularly beautiful.

 I also received a package from Tacy, my sister-in-law. :)
(P.S. Check out her blog at Vox Luminis!)

 So, in my care package, I got Hello Kitty pants (yes), tea, coffee, Phase 10, pens, candy, and hot chocolate. Thanks, Tacy! :)

Yummy!

 The other package came from the lovely Amber. She sent me a handmade purse made out of plastic bags (so cool), postcard from Rome, Mardi Gras beads, and a handmade necklace. You're awesome, Amber!

 The crocheted plastic bag bag. :)

Other musings:

Life is hard, but good.

God is merciful, gracious, and redeeming.
I have seven more weeks on the island.

My time here is going so fast.

Life is a breath of air.
Death is a comma, not a period.