Kotlik Round 2 Day 1

A red eye flight from Honolulu to Anchorage (which still looks like an amazing place to spend a few weeks) a 4-hour layover and then an hour and a half to St. Mary’s is what took me once again across into the tundra. After another delayed layover on an gravel runway I finally boarded a tiny four seat propeller plane and received the safety speech: “if we go down there is a survival kit in the back, a fire extinguisher here under the seat, and if we really need it we can flip this button and emergency helicopters might come and promptly rescue us” and thus I began my final leg into Kotlik. Flying over the low green and yellow rolling hills the Yukon and its tributaries came into sight and then just like that nothing but flat tundra interlaced with rivers and lakes for as far as the eye could see. This went on for about an hour until the small village of Kotlik, resting on the edge of the Yukon Delta just a few miles from the Bering Sea, came into sight. And just like that I am back in Kotlik for another month. Nothing has changed; it is just as I remember it, just as I left it, and its good to be back.

Of course the tribal administrator has changed, and the weather is a little warmer than I remember (but just a little warmer) and politics is the same everywhere. And of course even after the several emails I sent the village, a senior colleague, and the voice messages I left at the schools and the administration office, No one knew I was coming. Joy. But skipping the politics and the worry that I might have to leave tomorrow instead of in 27 days, it all worked out. I’m staying in the school again and in exchange I’ll walk the grounds twice a night to make sure there isn’t a fire and everything looks good. Apparently there have been several tundra fires nearby recently (Tundra fires who knew?) and several forest fires in the interior and some electricity issues in the village and what not, I mean we are in the middle of nearly nowhere. And I guess its been a dry year as the lower 48 got all the snow, but the rivers look as full as always.

Anyways :) I left the school to go say hello to everyone and by accident I just ran into everyone walking around. Some were surprised to see that I had actually returned (which is the sentiment I’m trying to avoid next year by returning again this year), others were happy to see me and able to talk for a while about everything and the past year, and some including my primary consultants (uh oh) were just to busy to talk for more than to say “waqaa…” But I was planning on that for the first week which is why I’m staying here nearly four weeks, hopefully by this time next week I’ll have been able to sit down and work with them for a least an hour or have it planned to happen soon.

So ultimately, as I have wanted and planned since I left last year, I have finally returned to Kotlik, tired and jetlagged (due to nearly 16 hours of travel), encountered obstacles, overcome obstacles, nervous (terrified) for what the month may bring but excited too (I’m in Kotlik again! And I get to study Yup’ik again!). Unfortunately the one Kotlikian I have yet to see again is my friend nusurtarlicungaq but of course he was a wild and free tundra puppy who I’m sure has grown immensely and may be near unrecognizable after this past year, But I’ll be keeping my eyes out for him and in the mean time I’ve seen some adorable new dogs and tiny puppies…

I think the take away though is this: I’ve finally returned to Kotlik, Yup’ik territory, Alaska! And learned my first new word: mernurtua “I’m tired.” So I’ll continue tomorrow.

Piuraa!

P.S. I was reading my book and fell asleep for a while around 11pm. When I woke up it was light out as though it were noon and I feared I had fallen asleep all night (not like I wasn’t going to eventually) so checking my phone it said 12:00 and after checking my computer and then my phone again I realized it was only midnight. This whole 24-hour daylight again is going to take some getting used to again.