Trip 3 - Day 3 becoming less of an outsider

Today started off in the damp dark, but there wasn't any frost on the ground this morning. Nevertheless it seemed a bit colder, especially when the wind blew in from off the sea. To clear up any misconception Kotlik is about a 10 minute boat ride away from the Bearing sea, so we can't sea it, but the ground is flat and the river braids itself up all around Kotlik, so the wind coming down off the arctic ocean feels just as crisp as you might imagine.

I worked with the tribal administrator to try to find a more permanent roof over my head to no avail once again so after walking the length of the village (not far or very long comparatively but I am getting 10,000 steps before noon on my fitbit so...) I talked to the school secretaries and they directed me to the bookkeeper for the Hamilton tribe, who was the first Kotlik tribal administrator I worked with 3 years ago. Kotlik Village by the way is an amalgamation of three tribes from about 4 or 5 now non-existent villages. Kotlik began as a Russian Orthodox mission here at the thigh of the Kotlik river (Kotlik is anglicized from Qerrullik which means “pants” so named because of the shape of the river divergence here). Getting back to my day, she agreed to make some calls for me and then I returned to the Kotlik Tribe and worked on talking to a few more people. Eventually, the wife of one of my late consultants, who was a fantastic guy who worked with me a bunch, was a proud speaker of the dialect I'm studying and who will be truly missed, agreed to let me stay in her place where her brother stays, up in the loft. She seemed incredulous that everyone else had said no and she just said yes, of course! She is a friendly lady and I am deeply appreciative of her hospitality. I also am filling out the paper work for a background check for the Catholic Church so I can stay there in the Deacon's guest apartment area (I don't know the terminology, sorry) if I pass the check and no missionaries or priests from St. Mary's are visiting, so it will be nice to have a backup emergency place available as I will be here for so long, and that's thanks to the Hamilton's tribe's work. Basically, I am truly thankful to the Kotlik administration, Hamilton Administration, and School Administration for working with me and helping me get sorted these first few days.

So I spent some time at the school sending some emails, eating lunch, getting some things off the internet, then said thanks and headed to a cute little, blue, 1.5 story, 1 room house on the banks of the river. Its a cute very village-y place with lots of memorial posters up on the walls and automatic weapons in the corner (okay I exaggerate, there's only 1 gun I can see leaning up against the wall, its a Magpull Masada! (Mom, this is a hunting village in the middle of nowhere, this is normal, in fact only one rifle is adnormal)). The guy I'm staying with is an interesting and very friendly, reserved, quiet guy, he is a home body and does berry picking. I think it will be a good few weeks. He has two dogs chained up outside (as is the norm) Blackie, and Kujo. I haven't met Blackie yet, but Kujo is the friendliest needy-ist puppy I have ever met. I spent a few minutes petting him before I took a walk around and now every time he sees me he lays on the ground starts wagging his tail discretely, sticks out his tongue, and gives me the biggest puppy-dog eyes ever. I can never say no, so he keeps getting cuddles and when I try to get up and walk away he jumps up and lunges at me and tries to get me to stay and if he wasn't on a short chain I probably would have been covered in mud several times now. Basically I made a new friend.

I also started writing my grant today.

For dinner my host had tea, dry-fish, and pilot biscuits with butter, pretty normal and staple-y I believe, I've been served pilot biscuits at every meal I've had with locals here in Kotlik for the past 3 years. Dry-fish is surprisingly better than I would have guessed, I ate it willingly and would eat it again, so good reviews! It's dried (and smoked?) White-fish by the way. My host's sister also stopped by with King Salmon and Potatoes, so I guess we have lunch for tomorrow. She also said she would bring by moose stew for dinner tomorrow, which I am excited for. We spent about an hour talking about subsistence and hunting before she left, like what they hunt up here and when, and how much you need to get through the winter and how everyone needs to collect enough drift wood to survive the winter. Man y places have some electricity now but you still need wood for fish/hunting camp and for mekuqs (steam baths) and so on. It was all fascinating to say the least. And that was about my day.

Piurra!

P.S. I have no internet now so this will be posted sometime later probably with a few other days simultaneously.