Alaska Dispatch news

Alaska... Science vs religion (fishing restrictions) [click here]


There are 2 sides to every situation, the question is... can we come to a conclusion that will satisfy both?

I understand the significance of religious points of view and wanting to maintain the culture, however, if regulations aren't followed, how long until there won't be any fish to fish? There would be no way to pass down that part of culture except through stories.

Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way, but I'm almost seeing the tables turned here. White man's regulations are trying to preserve for generations to come where the stubbornness of some threaten to kill off a centuries old way of life. Is it truly about religious/cultural freedoms or is it about sticking it to the man?

Baking GF bread

I found a GF (gluten free) sandwich bread that I really enjoy. Especially when I make it cinnamon bread. It's so yummy. The box says its only supposed to take 30-40 min to rise... It lies! I've been letting it rise for over an hour and its probably halfway there. I might get toast before bed or maybe not :(

Little Houses

I've become almost obsessed in the last few days with mini homes. I realized my apartment is in fact very tiny. Including the arctic entry which is essentially a mud room & utility room combined (housing my 2-300gal water tanks and water heater) my entire apartment is just at 500 sq ft. And absolutely no closet space.

I'm convinced that if done appropriately, with built-ins and good organization, I could easily live in a small home. I have been looking for different ways people have done this and hoping that someday I can pull this off. Hopefully someday will be within the next 5 years or so. I am reading lots where people build these homes themselves for $30k-50k. Even with contracting out certain parts of the project.

Someday

no sign of snow... but we've got ice

It's not quite as cold this year (at this time) as it was last year. We have only had a dusting of snow, though we've already had some nasty freezing rain that has left everything a solid sheet. oh- about that... I dislike freezing rain. So here's what happened on Friday...

My car was in 4WD because it had started freezing puddles the night before. My truck (OK- SUV technically) usually does pretty well anyway in that sort of condition but i really didn't want to end up in a ditch. As I'm driving to work, a car in front of me pulls over and lets me pass. I was confused because we were only going about 20 mph and i was in no way on their bumper. There was a good half a block between us. I was stopping just find at stop signs- granted I'm way better at braking sooner in the last couple years than i used to be. Then i pull into the hospital parking lot. I fishtail and correct.

I should probably add in here that I had the good fortune of learning how to drive in an area known for it's snowfall. Upstate NY. My parents wanted to make sure I knew what to do in snow and ice and my dad took me to the high school parking lot once and as a terrified new driver (BTW, he had a habit of scaring the piss out of me when i learned how to drive that year- ask me sometime about learning stick on a hill off of the main drag of Erie BLVD. I STILL hold that against him) told me to gun it across the parking lot. WHAT?!? i reluctantly did, then he yelled "SLAM ON THE BRAKES!" never has my heart beat so far out of my chest before that. That day i learned to purposely fishtail, correct a fishtail and even do donuts. Granted he wanted me to do them around a lamp-post and I dementedly refused.

That year, I learned that i disliked driving minivans and rear-wheel drive vehicles in the snow/ice. I learned to make sure your windshield fluid is rated for the cold temperatures- of it'll freeze on your windshield and let me tell you... that is a mess. I learned to keep a shovel and a winter safety kit in the trunk and much much more.

back to the original story...

I correct my fishtail in the hospital parking lot, and park. Then i go to get out of the car. I was lucky to have found a spot where i could be a full door length away from the car next to me, grabbed my messenger bag and stepped down from my car. That's when it happened. I seriously didn't even have time to think the words "oh shit"- all of the sudden I was flat on my ass and under my car. I tried to get up and failed. I literally had to pull myself out from under the car by the door and the floor to the car (the running board was icky with dirt/mud/ice and who knows what else). my entire right leg, hip and arm were wet. Luckily i was actually wearing and had my coat zipped up so no mud on my shirt. and my jeans were dark enough that if there was it didn't show. I'm pretty sure it was fresh enough ice there wasn't any/much dirt though. I'm also pretty sure that if I hadn't been working out all that much lately that fall woulda hurt a hell of a lot more. But i went down pretty smoothly. no tweeking of knees or anything and literally just slid under the car (thank god for 8" clearance). Once i got to a standing position, i had my next challenge... getting to the front of the hospital. Have you ever tried to stand on a sheet of ice with sneakers? It's practically impossible to walk. You have to use baby steps- still not all that efficient- or just skate. well... it's hard to skate on uneven ground so babysteps it was. luckily the walk-way was covered in dirt so it wasn't so bad but it was interesting. Once i get upstairs i realize i don't have my keys. I had them getting out of the car- but they weren't in my pockets or my hand. i got security to open the door and then my right had woman (who is leaving me for the big-bad world unfortunately) volunteered to go to my car and look. Luckily they had landed in my seat as I got fell out of my truck. sigh... 3 days later now and i am seriously lucky i'm not covered in 1 huge bruise but needless to say. I slid across the street later in the day to exchange my too-small-never-been-worn ice cleats i purchased last year for ones that will actually fit. Those things aren't leaving my bag for the rest of the winter.

This is what my cleats look like but there are a bunch of different ones out there.

Current Gas Prices...

 

I don't complain much anymore. Also- I distinctly remember getting off the plane last year for Christmas to pass a gas station and yelled, "Shit, Gas is half-price! Mom- we should fill up". She looked at me like I had 4 heads and calmly said, "Honey, It just went up 20 cents." ... oops.Yep, and we drill for it here. It costs that much because the pipeline sends the unrefined gas south where it's refined and then barged back up here. We pay for the expense of TRANSPORTATION more than anything. The cost per barrel isn't just the gas itself, it's every other mark-up you see.

I can't wait until we actually have biodiesel and other sustainable energy sources figured out. It frustrates me to no end that the technology has been there for decades but it hasn't been moved forward because of whatever stick whoever has stuck up their rears. Maybe the survivalists have a point. It's be awesome to be completely self sustaining and be able to live off the grid.

Random Thought

Someone would absolutely make bank if they could figure out how to open some sort of Dollar Store/Tree here. People come in from a village and go shopping. Sure it's cheap stuff, but when you're on a tight budget or live in one of the most expensive places in the country that cheap stuff goes far. It'd be hard to keep it stocked but it'd be busy always. huh... if I had a better business head I might actually think about this.

my very first Kuspak/Quspak

A Kuspak (or Quspak) is a very traditional Alaska native garment. I can be worn in many seasons depending on how it is made. It can be sewn into a parka/coat or can be worn as a lightweight shirt. Traditionally, there are different versions for men vs women- a women's version has a skirt. Many do not still wear it like this though some do. There are many designs from basic to quite detailed and complicated. They can be made for everyday wear or for dress occasions- yes, it's essentially a lightweight hoodie.

I asked one of my go-to Alaska information Guru and my Bethel-Mom to show me how to make my very own and I was blessed that she agreed. It took portions of 3 days for her to supervise me through the entire process. I was "fired" twice and she kicked me out of the drivers seat (seat in front of the sewing machine) and she fixed something I just wasn't doing correctly (completely due to my inexperience behind a sewing machine at all). I'd estimate that I probably completed somewhere between 90-95% of the project by myself with her instructing me and showing me how to start then handing the wheel to me. She was vital in making sure I stayed true to her original design and wouldn't make the entire thing look sloppy. The most difficult parts for a newbie sewer were attaching the cuffs and collar which is mostly what she did for me at the end. The most tedious portion was probably creating the hem/border piece. That is NOT a pre-fabricated hem. That hem/border was made by hand, my hand (i'm a little proud- can you tell?). I've included a few pictures but out of respect for the pattern originator I have not included enough to recreate the entire project.

Start of the Hem part of the project

Various pieces and hem before putting it all together.

Finished project

Finished with the Hood

Close-up of hem

Not bad for my first Kuspak and my 2nd real sewing project ever. I might get somewhere after-all.

A Word on Thanksgiving

I'm not much of Thanksgiving person, especially lately having been emerged in a native culture that has different views on this particular holiday. That being said, I am somewhat caught up in the thought-provoking nature of the season...

I'm Thankful for:
- running water
- health education (hygiene, sex ed and disease transmission)
- healthcare
- easy access to classroom education
- parents that have gone before me and realize & encouraged the value of education
- food in my belly and clothes on my back
- a culture that largely discourages incest and encourages the youth to pursue dreams
- and much much more

Large portions of the state are without running water to bathe, drink or even use the bathroom in. Honeybuckets are still very much in use today in our country- I do not mean outhouses, I mean buckets or in some cases coffee cans that people sit on to do their business. The sometime abysmal knowledge of personal hygiene is saddening. I can't tell you how many times I've had to explain to parents that the reason all 7 of their children now have the same skin infection is that all 7 sleep in the same beds with sheets that have gone 6 months without washing and that you do actually need to clean wounds with soap or other cleaning products- the next line is usually that soap is expensive and washing clothes isn't something they can afford. Or that the reason the antibiotics aren't working is because the child received maybe 2 days out of 10 or 14 prescribed. This is basic health education many do not have. I have seen 16 year old with 2 children- already out of diapers. I've seen one of the highest STD rates in the US- due to lack of sex education or access to birth control. BTW- a portion of those pregnancies are due to rape or incest. I've seen children with disabilities (Autism, physical impairments, FAS, and cognitive issues) seeing a therapist (pick a therapist) once a month- maybe- because the therapist have to fly from village to village to do rounds. And the 1 hospital for the region (the region is the size of the state of Oregon) has only 50 beds with no real trauma team/dept. Sub-regional and village clinics help see more minor cases but you can't go looking for a provider in the phonebook or ask for referrals from friends. You don't get to be picky here- you hope the person seeing you knows what they are doing.

On the flip side, I'm also Thankful for exposure to:
- a much more accepting view of adoption
- tradition actually rooted in STRONG family ties and culture
- a culture that values hard work and working with your hands
- a culture that values and listens to their elders!!!
- A culture that does not value your worth to the community in how many things you have or how much money you make but what you do for and with your neighbors, family and friends

All joking or somewhat scary comments aside- I've been in Rural Alaska for 16 months now and I have seen many things I never really imagined. Just like everywhere else I've lived there is a spectrum of what people have access to in every regard. There are some highly educated and/or driven individuals who use their skills to help progress knowledge yet preserve a culture that has been changing since 'our' (the white man) arrive and subsequent take-over (one might even venture to say hostile take-over). There are those who struggle to gain access to education, opportunities and healthcare but fight for it everyday. And there are those who like living the way the do and want no intervention. There are some (sometimes strong) opinions about the white man and the culture we brought. No one way is right- or wrong. One can only choose what is right for themselves and those close to them. It doesn't make me any less thankful. In fact, I think I can say that it only makes more more thankful for more.

Broom Ball

I just found out that Bethel has a Broom Ball team... interesting... Broomball (click here for link to wikipedia entry). A thought for the winter.

getting chilly

oh yea... it felt like -3 this AM when I left for work... I didn't even zip up my coat. no hat/gloves. Think I've acclimated yet?

Not live-fire... but...

We got an email after the JACO accredidation team was here saying that they commented that  visiting us was a humbling experience. I was telling mom this and this is how the conversation went:

me

so JACO visited us last week for accreditation

apparently it was a humbling experience

Mom

So why was it humbling?

me

humbling that we do as much as we do with so little

i'd assume

in some ways i feel like it's like Doctors without Borders

without the live fire risks

Mom

Yep..you just have bears, possible exposure risk between car / house, bedbugs, & patients risk plane accidents or river thawing....8 - D

 

Alaska Dispatch warnings this morning...

Alaska Dispatch

Anchorage Police have sent out a bear advisory via Twitter for Hillside residents:

Caution advised Hillside & DeArmoun area wounded brown bear in the area. Concern for children enroute school and joggers/walkers.

Take care this morning, folks

Gas

I recieved this email today...

Hello all, I just heard unofficially that gas prices will be going up .52 cents in Bethel very soon. If that is true, then you might want to fill ‘er up before gas is more than 7 bucks a gallon.

This makes me sad. OVER $7 a  gallon for gas. NYC would be cheaper.

Honeybuckets

Honeybuckets Vs. Plumbing

This is an article from this week in the Alaska Dispatch. This is 2012 and a large chunk of the US is still without plumbing. I know this is also still the case in parts of Appalachia. After seeing the impact plumbing has on health and well-being... well lets say I will NEVER take plumbing for granted again.

getting chilly

it's a brisk 28 degrees today... in the sun. I actually broke out the gloves. Still wearing a vest and fleece though. Ears are a little pink after being outside in the wind though.