Recent Happenings
8-13-03
We arrived on June 30th and spent the next couple of weeks setting up our apartment, going back and forth to the post office getting more incoming boxes, and setting up Tam's classroom. Then it was off to Portland and LA for 2 different weddings. We were so glad to go and support and love our friends getting married, and we got to see the Richards family in Portland, as well as many old and dear friends in LA. On the way back home from that trip, we went to REI in Anchorage and bought 2 kayaks (Old Town Otters), paddles, and PFDs! We had been wondering what we would do for exercise, but now we feel pretty set. We have kayaking in the summer for both of us, and skiing (T) and basketball (P) in the winter. The story of how we got the money for that purchase is pretty amazing. The kayaks arrived on August 2nd, and were immediately put to very frequent use, by both us and many of the young people here. I think I'm already hooked and there is an excellent chance we'll be upgrading to bigger and better boats in future summers.
Tammy has been in Bethel at a district-wide training session this week for teachers new to LKSD. I have been...mostly working on this site. She returns tonight, the 14th, along with 3 other teachers. So the next few weeks will be full of getting to know our new neighbors, fellow gussacks and partners in teaching. We still have not made any strong connections with anyone here, though we've of course played with a lot of kids. We know that lasting, meaningful friendships might be a long time in coming. But also, maybe not! We are so excited to be here. May God help us to love at least one or two neighbors as ourselves this year.
The last thing I'm going to talk about for now is my job situation. I feel pretty in limbo as far as what I'm looking for. Something just for the year? A career? I decided this Spring, after 6 months of subbing, that I would not teach this year as a full-time teacher. But I am still unsure if teaching is in my long-term future. Should I try to commute to Bethel, where there are many high-paying jobs available? Could I find a job where I could tele-commute over the internet? Or should I take a job here in Kasigluk, which could be difficult to find, and would probably be a position a native resident would otherwise have? As in East LA, Tammy and I are rich here. In the meantime I'm looking around and trying to ask God about it. I will talk to LKSD's business manager on Monday about working in Bethel for them, we'll see what he says. If I'm around, there will probably be fairly frequent subbing opportunities at the school, like once or twice a week. So I wait... And I hope that I'm waiting faithfully, and not being lazy or blind. Anyway, that is some of our latest news. Check back often for more, and thanks for reading and sharing some of our lives with us!