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!