Blogs from Nome, Alaska, United States, North America

It was cloudy last night but the Aurora was pretty active so I took my camera outside in the wee hours of the night and put it on a long exposure. You can't really see the northern lights with the naked eye, but they come to life through the lens.... read more

Suprisingly, Nome does not feel as foreign as I thought it would. Yes, the weater is incredibly cold and looking out the window and seeing a frozen sea is quite a change from Los Angeles, but overall Nome feels oddly familiar. I noticed on the plane that the closer we got to Nome the more talkative people became. Everyone was friendly, chatty and accessible- quite a change from the behavior of people in Los Angeles. It reminded me a lot of Louisiana. And maybe that's why Nome doesn't seem so odd- it is kind of like the south on ice. The house I am staying in is cozy, if not a little like a hunting camp, most people get around by pickup trucks, snow machines, or ATVs, and the people here are hard working and rugged. ... read more

I'm sitting here in my new classroom looking out the window at the Bering Sea. It's amazing that we're finally here!! After finally leaving Seattle and all the headaches associated with selling a car, we arrived in Anchorage. We were there for 4 days shopping, shipping things from the post office, meeting new teachers, and getting our fill of Alaskan beer before heading to our dry village. We finally left for St. Michael on August 6th, the day after Mike's birthday and the day we got engaged! Flying from Unalakleet to St. Michael was pretty scary as the plane was so small I was 2 seats behind the pilot and Bronko was free to wander around out of his kennel! We've been rooming with another couple until our housing is finished being built. The place looks ... read more

Having successfully escaped Kotzebue, we flew to Nome. I know this is going to shock you as much as it did me but the flight actually departed and arrived on time. I nearly fell out of my seat! They even had my bags, I was awe-struck...I figured my odds of winning the lottery were better. We received a warm greeting in Nome where the FAA sent over one of their technicians to meet us, give us directions, and assign us a government owned vehicle. He gave us a tour of the facilities and proceeded to give us the low-down on Nome. He was your typical ex-military type: thin as a rail, smoked a lot, had a moustache and use the f-word more often than any other word in his sentences. All in all, he was a ... read more