It's a Labor Day Miracle!: SEPTEMBER.
Said Liz upon waking up in a boat on the sunniest day Sitka has given us so far! I don't even know how to go about describing the last four days of my life- there have been so many times where my roommates and I question whether or not this will actually be the hardest year of our lives as we lay in a giant hammock by the ocean, spot sea lions in our harbor, or kayak across coves near Sitka.
Last week I finally felt like I was beginning to really understand my job and its corresponding daily tasks- which felt awesome. Since, I feel like I've started to make real progress with consumers and events. We are planning a dinner and dessert auction for Disability Awareness month at this really adorable cafe in October. I'm really excited about Disability Awareness. And desserts.
Our ORCA (Outdoor Recreation and Community Access) group that I'm in charge of went trail walking and berry picking yesterday! Our consumers are so freakin wonderful. One of our consumers carries around a stuffed animal purse of a cat she named Salem. You never know if she will respond to your questions or if Salem will, but you can count on Salem to carry around a crinkled magazine cut-out picture of the Beach Boys and a portable radio that's always playing 'Jamaica.' Another one just adores the coast guards, who can blame her! Another one carried around a US flag yesterday to honor labor day and helped me with another consumer's wheelchair! These people have ginormous hearts and make me laugh so frequently with their lovely quirks and one-liners.
Tonight I'm making stuffed peppers with venison meat our friend Tyler gave us. I'm loving cooking here and have deemed myself an 'Alaskaterian' Eating locally has always meant more to me than not eating meat at all and it's been pretty easy to do here. (I'll keep you posted as fresh fruits disappear in the winter...)
I'm loving my roommates. We had a good community meeting last week which sorted a lot of things out and I'm really excited to hear what each of us expects out of this year in our next meeting. Moryah suggested we do that the same day my roommates did. Its definitely something we need to do.
We are having a potluck at our house on Saturday night! If you're reading this and you're in Sitka, come over! It will be fun to spend more time with some of the Americorps volunteers, locals who have welcomed us, and of course my Sitka sisters.
I miss everyone at home so much! Especially lil Laura Lee and Nadrinannie. It will be so nice to be home and laugh with them whenever I'm home next. In our community meeting last week when discussing being loyal to each other, I confessed that sisterhood is as deep as I go- the most important thing to me. Those two beautiful girls at home in Tucson have helped so much to prepare me for 5 new sisters in Alaska and a whole lot of fun.
This is the way I live.: AUGUST.
WHERE TO BEGIN!? I could start by describing any of the 3 incredible hikes I've been on so far (and that my legs are still coping from), I could tell you how wonderfully welcomed I feel here because Sitka knows how to do community like nobody's business, or boast about how pumped I am about the year of work I have ahead of me after a great first day at work today. I could also jump right into how much I already adore the 5 other brilliant women I'm blessed to live with, or that I'm so lucky to have a best friend like Michelle doing this same program just one prank phone call away in Anchorage.
I guess I'll start by stating the obvious- I love it here so far. After my first week in Siracusa (also another small town beginning with the letter "S" located on an island), I was stunned by how beautiful the people and place was, yeah, but I did not feel that "I belong here" feeling quite as deeply as I do here. I feel like people in Sitka are ready to welcome all of us JVs, invest time and friendship in us, and show us around. As weird as it's gunna be to stay in the same place for an entire year, I'm so thankful I am for that reason- that I'm worth befriending because the community has seen all of the awesome JVs in action in past years.
Speaking of past JV's, I gotta say a HUGE thank you to our former Sitka JVs. I do not think I'd feel so prepared and educated about this next year if it wasn't for Evie's beautifully detailed emails, Katie's walking tour around Sitka when we needed to run errands, Greg's tough love answers and the six pack of beer he left in our fridge today, Natalie's heart to heart at Larkspur the other night (and recent mutual obsession with Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show), and all of Nick's kind words and open ears this past week. GOSH they're are some cool people that come through this little town. Alsooo, many cool people who end up staying... :) There's definitely a sort of magic about this place.
If you're reading this and thinking I'm maybe just in my honeymoon phase with Sitka and impressed by first reactions, please- come visit! and I'll show you! Apparently if you sign up for an Alaska airlines credit card you get a free round trip ticket just for signing up! Then you can cancel the card and live with splendid Alaskan memories for the rest of your life!
Alright, I'm off to go recuperate from the slight bit of food poisoning I experienced during my first day of work (I'm hoping leaving work an hour early to go home and throw up will be funny a few weeks from now haha) and hang out with my housemates. Thanks for reading!
Homeland: JULY
Two weeks from today, I'll be at JVC summer camp (aka orientation) just south of Portland, Oregon. Three weeks from today, I will be moving into a sea-side house in Sitka, Alaska with 5 other awesome women. Right now I'm home in Tucson and feeling more like I'm drafting a made-up story rather than providing an actual itinerary. I can't wait for this adventure to begin.