(no subject)
I am currently sitting on a dirty floor typing on an iBook in a school in Mekoryuk on the tiny island of Nunivak which is placed in the middle of the Bering Sea.
Among the many interesting things here, this tiny school which has 60 kids (the entire school-age population of Mekoryuk) has wireless internet, as well as an arsenal of Mac OS computers, namely iBooks and a collection of eMacs, still in their boxes.
The Cup'ik and Yup'ik people are the most friendly people one will ever have the opportunity to meet, as the following example will illustrate.
Today, after flying into Mekoryuk in a Bush Plane (the view was great, but Alanna was scared out of her mind-- afterall, a bush plane is no 747. In fact, there were only 10 passengers. And that's a scary size when you're flying over a sea. Especially one as cold as the Bering.) we rode in the bed of a pick-up truck to the school where we're staying for this portion of the trip. Because of the importance of correct weight on a small plane, they didn't bring our luggage. So once we arrived, we went to the local "store" to get something for lunch.
Now, in a village of 250, 5 strangers stand out like nothing else. This resulted in an extended stay at this store. We walked in and every single person had to talk to us; tell us their life story, their favorite fishing spot, all about their dog or children, their connections to michigan, the basics. Hence a 2 hour shopping trip in a village store that only had 3 isles.
And that's the "Alaska tid-bit of the day" brought to you, direct, from yours truly in the lovely Mekoryuk.
p.s. in front of every house is a drying hide of a muskox which is a cross between a gargantuan mountain goat and a buffalo.
Among the many interesting things here, this tiny school which has 60 kids (the entire school-age population of Mekoryuk) has wireless internet, as well as an arsenal of Mac OS computers, namely iBooks and a collection of eMacs, still in their boxes.
The Cup'ik and Yup'ik people are the most friendly people one will ever have the opportunity to meet, as the following example will illustrate.
Today, after flying into Mekoryuk in a Bush Plane (the view was great, but Alanna was scared out of her mind-- afterall, a bush plane is no 747. In fact, there were only 10 passengers. And that's a scary size when you're flying over a sea. Especially one as cold as the Bering.) we rode in the bed of a pick-up truck to the school where we're staying for this portion of the trip. Because of the importance of correct weight on a small plane, they didn't bring our luggage. So once we arrived, we went to the local "store" to get something for lunch.
Now, in a village of 250, 5 strangers stand out like nothing else. This resulted in an extended stay at this store. We walked in and every single person had to talk to us; tell us their life story, their favorite fishing spot, all about their dog or children, their connections to michigan, the basics. Hence a 2 hour shopping trip in a village store that only had 3 isles.
And that's the "Alaska tid-bit of the day" brought to you, direct, from yours truly in the lovely Mekoryuk.
p.s. in front of every house is a drying hide of a muskox which is a cross between a gargantuan mountain goat and a buffalo.