Tuesday News! Be ready!

First Monday night we got invited to go help butcher a seal.. I know a seal and they asked if we wanted to help! My jaw hit the ground to! Mark, Sasha and me (Kayla) went with Erica (college student) went to a local house to help with the butchering of the seal. The experience was an amazing one. The blubber is full of oil. They use the blubber to make oil for cooking. Under the blubber is the meat.
Here are pictures:

Eating Seal

After butchering the seal we got to eat it. It was pretty good! 

Me and the heart! 

Today

Bethany and I didn't have to go to school because we have another Gustavus Student Teacher coming up today. We went to pick her up today from the airport. The weather this morning was terrible blizzard and very windy. I was surprised that the plane flew in. Here is a picture of Kiersten rolling off the plane. 

She is so happy to be in Barrow here. We looked forward to her coming as well because she is coming into our classrooms to teach art and because she is a mommy! Some of us really were looking forward to a new familiar face who is also a mommy! We are so excited to show her around, we tried to do this but the weather was just way to nasty out! On our way back to the college with Kiersten we say cars lined up looking out at the Arctic. We pulled up because we wanted to know what was going on. We didn't see anything so we continued to campus. Later David (bus driver) tells us two POLAR BEARS were out on the ice. We just missed them!!!!

Here is what is looked like. Around 2:20 we had to go get the student teachers from school because the college was closing and our transportation wasn't going to run anymore. So we picked the students up on the way David the bus driver was telling us that a whaling crew got stuck on the ice then the ice broke away from the wind and the were floating at 1.5 mph. The search and rescue crew finally tonight was flying and picking them up. If they were picked up by helicopter which is what we heard there whaling camp which includes boats snow machines etc gets left. That can be up to 30,000-40,000 dollars per crew. It is good to know they were safe. Everyone in the community knew about this whaling crew who floated off to which I think is pretty amazing. 

We got back to the college and Bethany wasn't feeling well. I mean really wasn't feeling well so we took a trip to the hospital. For a girl who has a high pain tolerance she was in a great deal of pain. She is now back in the campus and sleeping! Huge improvement! However we got to the see the new hospital. On the way back to campus the weather had past and we now can see open water! And a crew out whaling!

Also to add one more detail last night Mark was locked out his room so he got a ladder and climbed in through his window to get into his room. His reasoning he didn't want to wake anyone up because that is the Minnesota nice in him. 

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Monday Funday...

Friends, family members, acquaintances, strangers, anyone, welcome to another edition of "Mark vs. Alaska... and there are some other Gustavus students too.." Once again we have survived the weekend and we all are now in the midst of full time teaching in our school. Before we get into the the goodness that is my classmates and I being able to teach our classroom let us first rewind to Friday. On Friday some of us Gusties were able to take over full control of our classroom while others were not, but Friday was awesome. Wait, I don't think you get it. IT WAS AWESOME. The third and fourth grades had a large dodgeball tournament in which the teachers played against the students. Sam says this is not true, but I like to believe that she beat the entire fourth grade with her left hand, I swear it happened... So that was awesome for those two, the rest of us first graders (Sasha, Bethany, and myself) got to take our students on some sled dog rides! Yeah, sled dog rides. If you are an avid reader of my blog you know last time I compared our sled dog experience to the movie Balto. Once again, it was exactly like I remember Balto being, except smaller, cause you know, there were a bunch of first graders, and they are small... Anyways, it was a great experience and the kids loved it(Sadly can't include any pictures of the kids for legal reasons). Alright, lets move on to the weekend. Friday night, we sat around and worked for the most part and a couple of the girls finished their atigluk, which is a traditional shirt/dress that is worn here. They are pretty sweet. Over the rest of the weekend, we were able to go and learn about simple machines that we can do with future classrooms from a college professor, we went and saw some caribou or tuttu in the native language, shot some guns(don't worry, we were very safe with it), eat a whole bunch of sushi with Kayla's CT, and did some sledding. It was a great weekend. Alright, I'm gonna cut it short, because some of us are going to butcher a seal. Which will be an experience, never though I would butcher anything, much less a seal, but I figure if someone asks you to butcher a seal you say yes.So here are some pictures. Thanks for reading!

 The aftermath of our sushi experience. Actually, I think the aftermath was the delightful nap that followed, anyways... sushi is weird... but alright.

 Saw some Viking stuff in a shop and got probably too excited about it. Oh well, GO VIKES!!

 A shop in Barrow that is for some reason called La Bamba? Nothing spanish about the inside, must have just been a big Ritchie Valens fan. For those of you who got that reference, I appreciate you...

 We totally taught that hill a lesson it shall not soon forget.

 Building some sweet small machines!

 This is midnight, check those eyes out. Thats pretty neat!

So this is us, just scouting out the herd. You know, like hunters do, staring off into the distance, pondering deep thoughs...

And, finally... we found a caribou head in the freezer...

The Snowbirds are Out!

the Snowbirds are out!

Which means the snow will start melting soon (in the words of our friend Erica, who is native, so the word "soon" is all relative).  The presence of the migratory birds is exciting nonetheless.

Snowbird

Animals we have yet to see:

- P Bear *

- caribou *

- snow owl *

- walrus

- seal

- bowhead whale (a dead one) *

* these are the animals that are definitely around this time of year, and I will personally be pretty disappointed if I don't see them while I'm up here. I've seen all of these animals taxidermy-ed though, so I guess that kind of counts?

a typical evening at Ilisagvik College (pictured with Erica, who is leaving us for Hawaii for a week on Wednesday.... it's a touchy subject)

This week, there has been a 'Qitchiq' (keet-cheek) over the ocean; a dark cloud over open water.  This means that the whalers are at their camps looking for a catch to bring back to their people.  The winds have been blowing in a Northeasterly direction, which is ideal for whale harpooning apparently.  So keep your fingers crossed for a catch!

Icicles outside Fred Ipalook Elementary remind us winter is still here (but at least it's not coming).

A little native girl named Flora wasn't happy to get up this morning.  A lot of random people have been staying at the college because yesterday was graduation day, and I have had a lot of fun playing with this crazy lil thing.  Kids here are often cranky in the morning because their parents let them stay up till past midnight due to the presence of the never-setting sun, so that makes teaching difficult sometimes.

We will all be teaching full time starting next Monday until the kids are done with school (May 13th). Hope you have a relaxing weekend! 

Two full weeks....

We have officially been here for two weeks! It's been a wonderful time and we have already done so much!

Next week we will all be starting our full two weeks of teaching - this means that we will be in  complete control of the classroom. I know we are all very excited for this as we will be implementing new strategies and experimenting with management techniques. Today Kayla's classroom went to the swimming pool and Sam's class held a science fair for the school to visit! Tomorrow the first grade classrooms will be going dog sledding in the afternoon. The students are extremely excited about this!

Outside of school we are continuing our adventures! As the ice is breaking up we are starting to notice a dark blue cloud over the ice. This is where the water now is. It looks like when a thunderstorm is rolling in and you get those dark blue clouds, one these don't move or bring rain! It is really pretty to see, however the pictures don't look as good! Kayla and Bethany have been spending their nights with Ruth, the school's dorm mom. She has been teaching us how to sew. We have been making a traditional Inupiaq dress and we didn't screw up! When we are all done with them we will upload some pictures!

Wednesday!

Hi All!

Today was a typical day in school for most of us. Except..... we got CORN DOGS for lunch! Also, it was a short day, because it is Wednesday. Today, we all got to see our teachers put together next year's classes during the workshop time at the end of the day. We have all been busy preparing lessons for our full teaching period. We all get the privilege of preparing a culture board for the culture fair in the school!

Also, tomorrow is going to rock, because the third grade class is having a science fair! All of the younger grades are coming to see it! It will be a blast... literally a blast... it's science!
During the past two nights Bethany and Kayla have been working hard sewing a traditional piece of clothing with the dorm mother, Ruth. Sasha is going to start one tomorrow!

To end the night. We all curled up in Bethany and Kayla's room to watch an episode of 7th Heaven... yes... it was awesome!

P.S. This weekend is going to rock!

Tuesday News

Welcome to the Tuesday news: 

There isn't to much to say today other than everyone made it through yesterday! Mondays are hard in school because some students haven't slept much all weekend but we all made it! 

In 4th grade news: Good old puberty class is coming up soon, the students are really looking forward to it. We are also starting our unit on the 50 states. 
In 3rd grade news: Sam is enjoying her time and looking forward to implementing great ideas next week.
In 1st grade news: Mark had a sub yesterday, Bethany and Sasha are starting to take their classes over. 

Tonight was steak night and let me tell you it was delicious!! Yummy! People in the community really look to steak night 

We look forward to the weekend of Caribou hunting. 

Hi ho there dear readers, it is time for more of "Minnesota Winters, Minus the Trees, in Alaska". So, while our polar bear count is still at zero that doesn't mean that the excitement count is still at zero! Once again this weekend we were able to get outside and participate in some very cool activities and get to meet some very cool people. One of the main things we did this weekend was participate in a local basketball tournament with some of our friends from the college. Sadly we lost our first two games (one of which I swore they said we were playing the high school team, turns out we lost to a bunch of middle schoolers, but one of them dunked twice, so not your average middle schoolers up here, they have grown big and strong on whale) but we were able to come back strong and win our final game of the tournament. Anyways, the tournament was a great experience for us and we were able to really develop some relationships with people from the college which have helped us to get more involved in the community. Another cool thing that happened was that we were able to meet the son of a famous children's literature author: Jean Craighead George. She most notably wrote "My Side of the Mountain", which I just happened to teach to my class at my previous student teaching experience. Also this weekend many of us were able to learn of the Glory that is the Chinese/breakfast/burger joint up in Barrow called Sam and Lee's. Some of us even thought it was so nice that we did it twice *cough cough, Kayla and I.... Anyways, both times were just a blast, it has great food in large portions but the people were even better. That makes it sound like we ate people... We were able to go first with our basketball team, then we also went with a friend of ours youth group friends. Another thing we were able to do this weekend was going sledding and ice skating with some friends that we have made. Finally, Easter was this weekend!!!! Yay!!!! It was great to experience Easter with some friends who live in Barrow and it was very nice to be able to take a Sunday off after a very busy Friday and Saturday.

On, Monday we all returned to our classrooms and we are continuing to get integrated into our classrooms bit by bit. Also, today my teacher was out watching after one of her sick children so I was able to see my how my students responded to a substitute teacher, we will just say that it was interesting and leave it at that. Anyways, I'm gonna stop talking and share some pictures. So thanks for reading and enjoy our wonderful photography.

Our picture at the local boat landing, which so happened to also include a valuable lesson for future teachers.

Some directions given in Barrow, after thinking about it we have ruled out a weekend trip to Ayachucho, Peru. 

Some of us and our friend Erika AT TOP OF THE WORLD!!!!!!

All of us in an igloo that some residents of Barrow create every year. It was nice, but a little short for some of us taller people...

Finally, sick air right? It definatly impressed the 4th grader who was there, so you should be impressed to. Anyways, this was sledding at the local gravel pits. 

We've been here a week!

Happy Thursday everyone! Today was a pretty typical day in the school. Everyone is getting into their routines both in and outside of school. The food at the college continues to be great and we always have to much to eat! However, the ice cream machine has been down for a while, which is disappointing! After school today we ventured to find stamps, yes just stamps. We were told earlier in the week that you do not want to go to the post office because you will wait in at least a half hour line but that you could get stamps at the AC. So we go to the AC, which turns does not sell stamps - go figure! However while we were there, we snapped some photos to share:

Yes that is Froot Loops priced at $8.39. Things up here are obviously more expensive. We are definitely glad that we do not have to do grocery shopping up here! We were told by Stephanie, another teacher at the school, that one time the freezers in the AC broke and there was a sale on all frozen food because it had to get sold. According to Stephanie, there were lines throughout the entire store and people waiting in like for hours - much like our Black Friday I assume. We simply found this entertaining. This is the key to the bathrooms which is attached to a water cooler top so that no one can take it. Rather large item to be attached to don't you think?

We did eventually find stamps, at the post office, where there was NO line. The person at the post office also told us that the bank sells stamps. Needless to say, we got enough stamps for the rest of our time here so we didn't have to go on a wild goose chase again!

Our adventures continue as we hope to either go looking for polar bears or tutu (caribou) hunting this weekend! Many of our classes are taking field trips or doing projects as the school year ends. Next Wednesday, we have a Cultural Day - celebrating all the different cultures in Barrow. Kayla's class will be going on a field trip to see the underground tunnels in Barrow while Bethany, Sasha, and Mark's classes (all first grade classes) will be going dog sledding!

Midweek Malts...JK

Today was a typical day at Ipalook Elementary, but with an early out. Every Wednesday is an early release for the students, and this allows the teachers to have PLC meetings. We have picked up the routine to workout after school. There is equipment at Ipalook, the Middle School, and the High School. We are trying to keep each other motivated! Well... actually... Sasha, Bethany, Sam, and Mark are working out... Kayla's teacher keeps her busy well past everyone else, BUT Kayla gets the best work out from keeping up with her teacher in the hallway... wow, he walks fast!

A local community member taught Kayla's class about simple machines. This was a fun experience for the class as they got to build a machine that flicked a ping pong ball and measured the distance!

Kayla's classroom working on a small engine! 

Wednesdays are also supposed to be midweek malts, but we all forgot until it was too late... bummer. Next week :)

Tuesday News

Not much happened today. We ate breakfast this morning- pancakes, eggs, sausage, fresh fruit. etc. It was delicious! The food at the college is pretty good most days which is nice. Everyone went to school and had a wonderful day! Sam and myself (Kayla) went around and observed other rooms because our teachers were busy or out today. We have seen all grades except 2nd grade not sure how we missed that. We really enjoy Mark's teacher. She is welcoming and using Doterra Oils in her classroom. We also got to see a 5th grade room today. At the end of the day she gave them free time so a 5th grader and myself played NBA 2K8. Lets just say I had to tied up at the end then the teacher said to put everything away so I started and the kid dunked the ball so he won. I was still proud of the fact that the kid didn't demolish me! 

Tonight is STEAK night and people in the community come to eat at the college because they can't get a steak for 12.50 anywhere else.  I'll post pictures after supper. 

Next we are going to watch a movie on the ice with the college mother! 

Alright, buckle up dear reader, because this one is gonna be a life changing blog entry! I say this because our first weekend in Barrow was a fantastic one. We were lucky enough to arrive just in time for the spring festival here in Barrow, Piuraagiaqta. There were many great events this weekend and we were able to already start forming some meaningful relationships here in Barrow. Despite all of these great experiences our search to see a polar bear lingers on, however, one of the van drivers for the college has his heart set on helping us find one out in nature. On Monday we were able to spend our first full day in Fred Ipalook Elementary School and even though Sam and Kayla's teachers were not there today we all had a very productive day and are looking forward to getting more involved with the school. After school we were able to go the heritage center and see some articles of Barrow's history as well as visit with some local artists and watch them work. These artist work is absolutely fantastic and it was really great to see them in their workshop. In related news one of the artists was able to show us their plans for making a chess board out of ivory from mammoth tusks(yes, woolly mammoth tusks, how sweet is that? Those bad boys are extinct, but apparently they find some remains every now and then up here), some walrus ivory, and many different parts of whales and maybe some polar bear pieces. Anyways, as you would expect its gonna be a little pricey, when we asked how much it was going to be the artists simply started laughing... So, if you are feeling generous, you can send checks to the Mark Nissen wants a sweet chess board fund, please only donations of 2 grand or more. Anyways, I feel like I am rambling now, so I'm just gonna stop and attach some of the pictures that I have taken over the past couple days. Tune in tomorrow for another exciting adventure of Gusties in Barrow!

 Full scale whale in the heritage center that we saw!

 Polar bear scull on a whale vertebrae, I think it cost like $1000.

 This is part of a huge carving on a whale jaw bone, believe me, it is incredible.

 Bethany vs. Woolly Mammoth

 sweet snow carving, not quite done, but awesome nonetheless.

 Just kicking it on the beach under some palm trees.

 In case you were wondering, this is what whale meat looks like, and yes... its chewy...

 Childrens snow machine race all the excitement of a normal race in twice the cuteness and half the size(here they are snow machines, not snowmobiles). 

Oh my gosh! I almost forgot to mention that we got to go dog sledding!!! How sweet is that!!! It was like living in the movie Balto, except minus the plot, medicine, and about an hour and a half. Even in the short 3 minute ride we all had an incredible experience and hope to do it again.

Initial Sightings

We've seen and done some pretty awesome things so far in the desolate tundra. It's lots to write/read about, so I'm going to break it down into pictures for you:

Landing on the Arctic ice, plane didn't even break through the sea is so thick!!!!

The People of Barrow advocating for healthier lifestyles. Also, I was just kidding about landing on the sea ice.... the Arctic Ocean currently looks like this and is being roamed by both the Polar Bear and whaling teams that are monitoring the ice to begin harvesting the Bowhead Whale. Here is the ocean:

Side note: the harvesting of whale in Barrow is an Inupiaq (native Barrow peoples) tradition. The community depends on harvesting whales to eat... food is very expensive in the tundra. Whale "harpooning", as it's called, is a very spiritual task. It is said that the soul of a whale gives itself to the people of Barrow, and whale hunters cannot kill a whale until they have made eye contact with the animal. Also, I we just tasted whale blubber: very rubbery and fishy. Not too big of a fan myself...

House in Barrow are typically on stilts and on top of geothermal vents so heating is easy

a local artist sells whale baleen and ivory jewelry

steep.....

the Arctic Sea around 10:00 pm, the sun is just setting!

Our school!!! The buildings here all look barren and simple on the outside, but are all gorgeous on the inside... the school is absolutely state of the art. Two sinks/drinking fountains and bathrooms are in every classroom.

"Joe's Museum"has been featured in National Geographic and on the Discovery Channel. Sarah Palin also visited the house once (cause that's what it is.... a house... Joe's house) and left behind her autograph. The main attractions of the house were taxidermic animals (including the arctic fox, brown bear, POLAR bear valued at $72,000, wolverines, bobcats, a moose, an elk, etc.), lots of whale bone and baleen, and other native treasure from both land and sea. 

This is what happens when Elementary Education majors find a book sale with children's books for 25 cents each... gonna have to figure out how to get these home now.