WHAT DID I DO TONIGHT?! What Did YOU Do Tonight?!

I CUT UP A MOOSE.  Yup.  You read right.  I have cut up a brisket of a moose.  (is it the chest or the back bone or what?)  Stella told me at work today that Cunnie (my student who graduated last year) caught a moose last night.  His FIRST moose.  Yay!!!!  So she wants to know what meat I want.  "I told him that he better give some to Miss Chomic or she'll be pissed."  And right she is! :) The tradition is that they have to give away their first moose.  So, I said I would make roasts and stuff, so whatever.  Maybe 2 or whatever.  She said that wasn't enough.  She'd give me 6.  Okay, as long as I'm not taking too much away from anyone else.

Cut to Cunnie texting me at 4pm asking me where I was.  I told him I was still helping students and I was wondering if he could bring it by around 6pm.  He said that was okay.

Cut to 6:04pm and Cunnie is calling me.  I was at school helping kids still.  I answer the phone: "I'm coming!  I'm late!  I'm sorry!  Don't take my moose meat away from me!"  I ran to my house from school, turned the corner, and stopped dead in my tracks.  Cunnie is standing in front of my house with a garbage bag with a bone/leg/meat/ew sticking out of it... "What is that?" Cunnie told me that it was my moose meat.  "Oh. Um, is it a leg?"  He informed me that it was a brisket.  "Oh. Thank you Cunnie."  Cunnie leaves.

Before...The Moose Meat I was given...

Cut to me taking the bag into my house, putting it in the back porch and immediately calling Laura.  "Help.  Please come help me.  I have a hunk of a moose and I don't know what to do.  I have part of a dead moose in my house.  Help."  Laura: "I'll be right there."

We get out the cardboard, get the moose meat, and look at it.  It's covered in mud, grass, and moose hair.  Which is worse?  Dead moose or all the things I'm afraid of being on me: mud, grass, and hair?  Laura started cutting, and I "helped."

Laura-the savior of moose meat

After the first piece, it was all me.  I was cutting, I was washing, I was cleaning, I was separating... I rocked it. 

First cuts

I'm getting it...

And I've got the hang of it!

However, we needed to break down this 3 foot long brisket... CUNNIE!!! So we're weak, I was scared, and we didn't know what we were doing. We called Stella for support. She said we could get Cunnie back. I called him to come back.  After 5 calls, he finally shows up.  So he came (finally) to help us cut up the bones. I bet him $10 he couldn't cut through the bone. How was I to know that he had a Magutcher Eskimo way to feel where the weak spots were and he'd be able to figure things out? Yeah, lost 10 bucks... Darn Natives and their awesome ways...
 

Cunnie breaking bones...Don't ever REALLY make this kid angry...

All in all, it was an experience.  All in all, I feel like I'm even farther into the culture.  Laura told Cunnie before he left that the next moose I had to help cut up with skin on...No.  He said he agreed.  Urgh... :p 

After :)  It's all in the freezer and ready to eat

Thanks

Mom and Dad sent me a couple of packages over the past few weeks.  I just wanted to take a minute to say, "Thank you."  The greatest part by far was the food that you sent up for the kids.  They were so grateful!  They have been asking for them constantly, so we've had to go over the rules a few times of when they're allowed the food (when they didn't get breakfast, when it's a bit before lunch, and when they're hungry a while after lunch).  They're so thankful.  We'll probably FaceTime with you soon for the thanks.

I REALLY appreciate the socks that you sent.  I've been meaning to get more tall socks for when I'm wearing my boots.  They are perfect!  (Is there anyway you would be going back and able to get some more...:) Remember: You love me...) And the MSU Socks were awesome!  I'm waiting to wear them until they play again. 

I've put up the pictures of the Chomic kids all over the house.  It's exciting to feel like you guys are here.  I wish you could come by and see where I live and how the village works.  It sucks to think about the fact that you can't get the exact feel of the village.  It's amazing here.

I finally got my dance fans yesterday!  Laura's mentor from last year is Katie's mentor this year.  I gave her some money last year to buy some for me, but she never found some.  She finally gave some to Katie last week to give to me so I could have them.  They're awesome!  Mock said she made a pair of men's dance fans, too.  So I'll be able to show those too!  I'm excited for them!

I had gotten the box with the Red Wings Starter Jacket in it the other day.  A bunch of the high school boys were working in my room for study hall.  They looked in it and asked what it was.  I said that you had sent up some coats and if they needed any they could have it.  "A" took it immediately, put it on, and was so excited.  However, the other four want ones now.  If there are more back home, send them please!  I told them there were some in the counselor's office that have been sent up, but I don't know if they've checked.  I was excited "A" got it because whenever we would go to the coast last winter, he would wear a sweatshirt and a thin coat that was ripping a lot.  He's going to be so much warmer!  His dad called me a couple days later to thank me for the coat.  I had completely forgotten about it.  It was nice that they appreciated it and it wasn't going to waste.

Laura and I went to Pool Hall tonight for dinner.  We met some of the graduates there and ate with them.  Then Sister challenged me to a game of pool.  I won, but only because she scratched the 8 ball.  The kids here rock at pool.  But think about it: it's the only thing they can possibly do here in the village consistently.  It's fun to watch them make the shots.  I want to incorporate it into the math lessons.

Laura, Katie, and I had a "dinner and a show" night last night.  Laura made Sweet and Sour Chicken with rice, Katie made a Pumpkin Angle Food Cake with Cream Cheese, and I supplied the wireless access for 2 episodes of Grey's Anatomy Season Premier. :)  It was fun.  Katie stayed late, so we didn't want her walking home alone.  So I walked her home and then walked back.  I knew I'd run into kids on the way home.  It was nice to see them out.  I saw 3 of the graduates from last year and some that I hadn't talked to in a while.  So we chatted for a while.

I give makeup HSGQE's next week Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  So, once again, I won't have a consistent schedule that I feel like I'm able to get through to my kids.  Urgh.  Oh well, I'm excited to have the kids try to pass it again.  They have to pass the HSGQE (High School Graduate Qualifying Exam) in order to pass high school.  So we start them in 10th grade and then they get 4 more tries in high school and they can keep trying afterwards.  I have 4 taking it next week.

The New School

It's coming along! The school looks amazing and we're getting so excited. It's amazing to think about how new and awesome out school will be next year. Tom took Laura and me on a tour of it again yesterday. It's awesome. I think I'm going to make the workers lunch sometime next week. They are amazing!

Look at how much they have gotten done!

First Snow

It's happened. It has been lightly snowing here for a couple days. When I walked out of my house Monday morning, this is what I saw...

It's official. We have snow in Alaska. It didn't stick. It's gone again. It's fun to watch the newbies with snow. Today I got out my parka. It's cold! It came in handy. We had another fire scare today. I was ready! All of the kids were jealous!

Sunday was Mock's birthday (she's the one who made me all the beautiful Eskimo stuff). We had lunch with her nephew (also his birthday) and then watched some movies. She really appreciates the gifts mom and dad got her (it came the day before her birthday!). She thanks you very much. 

We have no school Thursday or Friday due to inservice. So, I don't have to go anywhere this year for inservice, just VTC. I am now doing a lot of posts on my phone through blogger app. If you have an iPad or iPhone, it's a good one to have so you could easily check the blog. Only a suggestion!

Water and Internet Are back!

We received news today that the water is safe to drink again. Yay!

I was also able to have my nice friend, Sam, set up my Internet when he was here last week. So I have Internet at home now. :) 

We were all entertained by Sam putting my Internet together. 

It was definitely a bush job. He held it in place with cable wire. :)

I've been a bit sick since last week. I finally got into the clinic and they have me sinus infection medicine...Ew. So I'm hoping I feel better for tomorrow. I didn't do well at work today and I really don't want to leave my kids. We have a lot of people out of work right now. 

We had a fire at school today. It was a little scary but everyone got out okay. It was a fire started in a trash can. It was able to just be contained to that and didnt get out of the can. I was luckily that I was by my student who has a physical disability. We had to carry her down the stairs because we don't have a ramp out the exit that was closest to her. But I didn't care. She was getting out of that building! Everything turned out great and I was proud of the kids for doing well even though we hadnt practiced how to get out yet. 

New School, No School, and School Dancing

The other day, we took a tour of the new school being built.  It got us all excited for next year.  It's supposed to be done by the beginning of next year.  They're planning to get the roof and walls done before winter, so that they can work on the inside all winter long with the snow.

This will be where the library is

This is the hallway.  Classrooms on both sides.  I'm standing where the entrance/office will be

Front of the school (opposite the library/where I was standing in the last picture)

Walking down the hallway through the classrooms

Second entrance, right outside the gym.  There will be bathrooms here.

The gym.  Why we left one part of the roof open, I do not know...

The gym.  We will have 6 nets and bleachers on both sides.  So excited!

They fixed up the elementary wing and basically gave us a new elementary school and classrooms.  Now we get a brand new high school and gym.

We have been having plumbing problems in the village.  First, we lost pressure.  Then they fixed it.  Second, we had to boil our water because our water treatment center wasn't working.  Third, one of the two pumps overheated and there was smoke coming out of the water treatment plant.  So we lost pressure again in the village.  So we couldn't use the toilets, or shower, or anything.  Because there was no pump to get rid of the water.  Then they fixed it.  We still need to boil the water to drink it, but it's getting better.  It's been a mess.  It's better than Mountain Village though.  They have had a boil water notice for over a year.  And when you shower it's dirty water with some brown in it.  Sometimes rocks.  It's fun.  :)

So we canceled the second half of school on Thursday when all the water problems happened.  Yay, free day.  Or not.  Meetings, paperwork, and collaboration time was spent.  It was productive.  I have to take a moment to talk about my students.  I am so proud of them this year.  We have moved from a level system to the traditional carnegy system.  It's a big change.  To make a long story short, it's something that the students haven't learned from before.  They haven't had letter grades before.  It was pass or fail.  And if you didn't do it, you could make it up later.  Now, it's percentages and grade point averages, and eligibility.  The kids are worried to be eligible to play sports.  So they're all freaked to get a 2.0 GPA in order to do Junior High NYO, Wrestling, and Volleyball this semester.  After Christmas, they have to have had an overall 2.0 this semester to be eligible for High School NYO, and Basketball.  They're worried, but they can all do it.  They are working so hard.  Students that have been behavior problems in the past are staying in class, raising their hands, and completing their work.  I'm holding study hall after school everyday and a lot of kids stay after to finish homework they didn't finish in school.  A lot of the teachers keep telling me how proud they are of the students for working so hard and answering questions.  Yay kids!!!

We went to SPED teacher training in Mountain a few weeks ago.  Here are some pics.  We had fun as always, but we'd rather be back home teaching the kids, as usual.

A beautiful rainbow with beautiful girls.  Me, Dianna, Amy Jo, and Alondra

Berry Picking (and Alondra snagging my photo)

Me and Amy Jo

Amy Jo and I got slushies... :)

The plane was full...

We had our Back to School Eskimo Dance yesterday.  The community gives the students supplies for the school year and then has dancing.  It was great to see what the students got and then see the new teachers' reactions to the dancing.  I was a little embarrassed because I walked in a little late (not a big deal. People come and go from the dances all the time) while they were passing out the supplies to the students.  As soon as I came in, about 20 students screamed out, "Hi Miss Chomic!"  I was so embarrassed because a.) they brought attention to when I walked in, and b.) they shouted out while the community was passing out gifts.  It was nice to have the greeting and see the kids, I just hope I don't get in trouble for the interruption! :)

He is an awesome dancer.  I love to watch him.  I don't remember his name though...

The kids' dance is by far the most popular. When the drummers start playing it, everyone starts to clap.

One of my students.  He got excited when he saw I was taking pictures.

Our Home/School Coordinator, Tommy

Ellen, one of my student's mom.  She is awesome to watch dance.  She gets so happy.  And it's so natural for her.

My Assistant Principal, Jerry, and his wife (second grade teacher), Brenda

Our Middle School English and Social Studies teacher, Chuck, and his wife, Shirley

It never fails that when I go out, I always end up with a baby.  This was one of the student's nieces.  She is about a month old.  So Beautiful.

I just thought you'd like to see a picture of Amy Jo, the other sped teacher