Summer So Far

Here is kind of a calendar-recount of what I've been up to all summer:

June: After 25 hours of travel, I finally arrived back to my Homeland. It was raining (go figure) and light (Oh, how I've missed Alaskan summers!) and my mom and sister and friends were waiting for me at the airport! I was in a happy delirium: happy to be with my family and delirious from lack of sleep.

My first few days were spent absorbing culture shock. I unpacked, and did laundry, and used the dryer! I drank the delicious fresh-brewed coffee I'd come to appreciate. I shared stories with my mom (my Dad was in China, so I hadn't seen him yet!) and reconnected with my friends. It was very twilight-zoney...to be in such a familiar place as such a different person. And to be such a different person while really not changing at all.

Also, my mom and I both joined a Ruhi Book 8 Study Circle, and that's been very fun. I continue to learn so much through the Ruhi sequence!

About a week after I got home, my dad did. We picked him up at the airport, with his 'chopsticks' and swollen knee (he had surgery a few weeks before taking an international trip to China). It was fun to hear about his adventures and yes, see the thousands of photos of his journey. It was best, though, just to have him back home.

July: My July started out with a trip to Girdwood and then to Seward to work at the Forest Fair and then the 4th of July. I got to see Kikkan Randall win Mt. Marathon!

Dennis with his grandson eating ice cream!

Kikkan on the final stretch!

 My next trip was North. Elika works in what can charitably be described as a town (and not so charitably, a gas station/truck stop) on mile 175 of the Dalton Highway. Because of the amazing benefits that she gets by being an employee, her brother Zayn and I were able to visit her, live with her in a tent, and go to Deadhorse, Alaska (think oil fields and giant mosquitoes).

Zayn and I on the 9-seater plane to Coldfoot!

Wasilla to Deadhorse. Coldfoot is where the dark green turns to white.

This was truly an amazing experience. Not only to see Elika,  because I missed her to almost-death (and still do) and spend time doing things together, but also to see what life is like above the Arctic Circle. It turns out, its a lot more Deet, and a lot more hiking, and a lot more living in a tent. There was very nice food, and very nice people, and a lot of adventures. Including....

JUMPING IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN!

 

 

 

 

 

Post-jumping in the Arctic Ocean

Uke Jumping in the Arctic!

Coldfoot Emotional Twins!

Coming back from Deadhorse

My next summer adventure was more of a tradition: SALMON. (for those that are not aware of this fact: my family dips our nets in Kenai every summer and then spends a few days putting fish up in our house. For that week or so, our lives kind of revolve around fish. And for good reason: these fish keep us fed for the next year! Hurrah for Omega 3!

Dad, me, Kaden...and Fish!

Deep Sisterly conversations. Actually, I think we're singing songs to attract the fish, but it COULD be a deep conversation.

mmm...the two tides we fished yielded 50 delicious salmon! 

August brought more work and thinking about the future. It brought plans for this school year (UAF! COLLEGE!) and vacations (ITALY!?!?!?!?!?!? More on this later). It brought a lot of lists of things to take to college, things to buy, etc. It brought a roommate, and a room, and a PO Box, and a meal plan, and an Honors College, and geez, its only the 8th! I'm currently in Fairbanks, working at the Ice Cream Booth at the fair. I work here until the 14th, when I return home, pack frenetically, spend time with Elika, and then come back to Fairbanks for school!

The rest of my summer has been filled with friends, and family, and hiking, and enjoying all the beauties of Alaska.

Climbing the Butte

The Butte in the Rain

Yay!

 Thanks to Dad for a lot of the photos! You can see more here or on Facebook!

Memorium

Hi again, blog followers.


My Blog is over a year old now. I know that because when I logged in today for the first time in (let's be honest) a very many weeks, it told me to update all my info. Which I need to, still. Because I don't live in Ecuador any more. I have a new phone number. I am now a student at University* and my new experiences are not from the equator.

Its a very bittersweet feeling.

In my next post, I'll talk about my summer. It's been great. Really. But just now I'm going to remember Ecuador in a way that only one person can really relate to, and then update my information.


And then get back to blogging.

*although I don't have my ID card yet, which sucks because I want to ride the busses for free and use the pool.

North

Alaska is in North America. In the Northern part of North America.

I live in Wasilla, which is North of some places, like Anchorage. But Fairbanks, where I'll be going to college, is more north than where I live.

North of Fairbanks there is...a lot of nothing. Nothing in this case being mountains, mosquitos, and occasional larger wildlife. And Coldfoot.

My Emotional Twin is working in Coldfoot this summer. And her fabulous brother and I are going north--a lot north--to visit her!!

And after we go north, we're going even more north to the Arctic Ocean. Hello, frigid swimming!

Goodbye, Southern everything. At least for 4 days.

Trying out mobile blogging

Countdown.

In 55 minutes, I will be getting in a taxi and saying goodbye to Geoconda and Jose Luis, who have been my family for the past 9 months.

In 5 hours and 30 minutes, I will be sitting on a plane, and saying goodbye to Ecuador.

I'm not sure how I feel. But sad. Excited. Heartbroken. Happy. Scared.

Almost goodbye, Ecuador.

Today.

So many very special things happened today.

For the first time, I wore an anako, the indigenous dress here. I borrowed my neighbors, and felt like a princess as I was literally dressed in an intricately embroidered shirt, a long white underskirt and black overskirt that was folded around me and then cinched with a belt that was almost as tall as me. Then came the necklace, the scarf that goes over your shoulder, and the long strings of beads that get wound around your wrists. Throughout the morning, I was complimented by my many, many friends here. Tourists and indigenous people alike took pictures of me (not gonna lie, this was awkward) and it was interesting to see how strangers related to me differently...they didn't slow their Spanish down, or look at me like a tourist (although I was obviously still a gringita).

The reason for this dressing up was that, at this time of year, Otavalo celebrates Inti Raymi, an indigenous tradition. This time of year is when the corn, a staple of the diet, is planted, and the celebration especially honors the sun god Inti (Summer Solstice is the official celebration). The way they celebrate is by dancing San Juan (the circle dance), stomping the ground and being surrounded in this huge mob of people and music and colors.

The school dances San Juan in this huge public procession. There were two bands, one of relatives of one of the students, and one made of some of the high school students. Everyone came dressed in anakos, or gauchos (big hairy chaps with leather cowboy hats), or this mask that covers your whole head. Parents lined the sidewalks, taking photos and bringing water or juice to their kids as they got tired throughout the 6 block parade that goes from the Bahai institute to the town center, a park, and back.. At every intersection, I heard "vuelta! vuelta!"* and the parade swirled around the musicians and the kids, some bewildered, some totally into it, and some (Kendy) whining and going to sit in the truck, get swept into the circle dance.

Halfway through this parade, the camioneta from the radio started leading the parade. And Mauro was sitting in the back seat! I think my past week or so here alone has really made me feel the importance of a good friend. It was so nice to just fall into step with him and have it be completely natural. And Kendy's whining abruptly stopped (Mau is Kendy's big brother, best friend, and idol).

Then I came home and packed, talking with Mau and entertaining Kendy. I watched a movie (Mulan) and made a fort with Kendy and Dagmar, and got to pretend I was their big sister/mother/mischievous baby(my favorite). And then I went to go eat at the institute with my neighbors. Except that was just a cover for the surprise goodbye party that was waiting for me.

My party was perfect. From the moment that I walk in to see Pepe's "caught in the act" face lit up by the computer screen (the only light there) and hear a giggle, to dancing with Carlos as he does his techno-robot-Shakira style dancing. It was wonderful. I was given beautiful gifts: a picture and note from one of my 2o students, a shirt with a picture of Kendy and Dagmar (do you know what I'm wearing on the plane? Oh yeah) and the community gave me a hat and gloves to "keep me warm in Alaska," which fit me perfectly!

I also got a gigantic wooly Inti Raymi mask from the community. I think the people here know me pretty well!

Even better than the gifts, though, were the words that each person said to me. I almost cried, although as I did not want to. The caring that people have here...the love that they can show to someone who has been here such a short time: these people are my family. From Kendy, who asks me to come play zombies with him while I'm dancing with someone else, to Freddy, whose eyebrows say more than his words. I was just surrounded by this engulfing care that the community shows.


Today was a good day.


*turn! turn!

A Pie update

Today, Kendy and I (and Kevin and Jerry, and Dagmar, and Patricio) made a pie. I hope its not too runny, but it just came out of the oven and I am very excited about it. I didn't measure for the crust and I think it came out just about perfect!