I had only planned to stay in Alaska for two years. And until about February, leaving was my intention. But the more I thought it over, the more I knew leaving for good was not the answer for me. At least not right now. Life out here is simple and it's genuine and the people are some of the kindest, most accepting people I've ever known. That kind of appreciation makes my life meaningful and fulfilling. And I'm not ready to give that up yet.
While I love my life here in Manokotak I also knew that I would be ready for a change and a new challenge. But at the same time starting over and abandoning my life in Manokotak entirely sounded daunting and felt premature. There was however a 5th grade position opening in New Stuyahok, a neighboring village, so I decided to inquire. I was granted the transfer and on February 26th, I signed my contract to teach in New Stuyahok, AK for the 2010 - 2011 school year.
The move has been relatively easy logistically because New Stuyahok is in the same school district as Manokotak. In these last few weeks I've been able to catch a couple of district chartered flights, making moving very inexpensive. And by inexpensive, I mean free. It's also comforting to know that I'll continue to have many opportunities to be involved with Manokotak, my friends here and of course the kids because of all of the potential inter-district travel for sports, cultural events and other opportunities. New Stu is also a Yup'ik Eskimo village, so culturally things will be similar, which is a huge relief. After the Bronx and my first bush experience, I'm ready to know what to expect. I feel like I've got it coming.
Another big appeal is that I have several like minded friends in New Stu already. I'll get to coach cross country running and one a small airline flies direct to Anchorage, making holiday travel much less dicy and stressful. New Stu is also a damp village which means that alcohol can be carried in, but not purchased (alcohol is a Class C Felony in Manokotak - meaning jail time, loss of teaching license, etc.). I'm also a big fan of the principal there. He has a vision and a plan for academic growth and progress. He's a guy who finds little room for excuses and I like that. A lot.
I have visited New Stuyahok a few times now, first for wrestling in the fall, then for an observational visit to meet my new students and finally, to move my belongings for next year. I moved last weekend during graduation/prom and there was a big turnout. Everyone, from little kids, to elders were invited and everybody danced the "two-step" to the notes of New Stuyahok's live band. We also took a boat ride, saw some moose, had a swim the freshly thawed Nushagak River and before I knew it, 22 hours had passed and I was back on a plane, flying home, but with a few unforgetable stops along the way...
John, my favorite pilot, picked me up from New Stuyahok on Saturday around 5 p.m. He had some fun flying to do and invited me along for the ride. Of course I agreed. We landed on this beach first to pick up some bear hunters to transport them to a different beach.
John flew two flights over to the second beach. Here he's returning for me and the last bear hunter and most of their stuff. There's his little blue plane beneath the tiny mountain.
Heading with one of the bear hunters to the other beach.
This was our second beach landing. You can see the "runway" we landed on. To me it looked a little sketchy, but we were on our way down already.
So when people ask me why I continue to stick around, well, this is my answer.
I think you can see every ounce of his spirit in this photo. It makes me smile so much that I made it my screensaver. 
Kite construction
It says, "In memory of Lida" and the date. I said, "But I'm not dead!" She said, "But you're leaaaavvvvving!" I'm not going far. Thankfullly.
Showing his little Brother...
