Life in Bush Alaska is a lesson in patience and creativity. I'm becoming a seasoned pro at online shopping and getting things shipped to my village!

Hooper Bay has an AC store, so we get fairly regular shipments of produce and have a decent stock of refrigerated stuff. Things are just much more expensive here than in the Lower 48! For example, Jiffy corn muffin mix is something like $0.49 back home. If I bought one here, I'd pay $2.45. Think I'm kidding?

I'm getting really good at going through and getting the 1/2 price items that are getting ready to go out of date. I'm not being dramatic when I say that bread is BOGO right now so we have 1.5 packs in the fridge and 2 (soon to be 4) more in the freezer! I don't have soda (pop) available because I refuse to pay $15 for a 12 pack. Right now 20 packs are on sale for $18, and I may splurge for special occasions :)

For the sake of saving money and getting things they don't sell here, I'm getting quite good at online grocery shopping. Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart (seldom), Best Buy, and a few others are becoming my best friends.

Target
I like getting things from Target because I get 5% off with my card. I get things like microwaveable soups for lunch, bath stuff, canned goods, some boxed goods, Halloween candy, etc. The shipping ranges anywhere from 2 weeks to almost a month when planes are weathered in. So far, there have been two major issues. One time they shipped me 13 bottles of beet juice instead of all the actual stuff I ordered. After a long phone call, they replaced everything but the pasta that was now out of stock. Just the other day, a $200 order of food supplies, bath rugs, and my air fryer were listed as damaged then "issue." I called Target who said the boxes were lost in transit so they refunded my order. I'm thinking I either need to do multiple small orders so the boxes are manageable or only use Target for lighter items.

Amazon
If you plan on living out here, Amazon Prime is a must! I've ordered light bulbs, tea, classroom display items, postcards (that people have requested), shelf stable coffee creamer, rain boots, winter boots, hangers, laundry baskets, etc. I was finally able to get pillows sent out thanks to them. Amazon saved my life when it came to shopping for my cat Cocoa. They shipped out a litter box, big pails of cat litter, huge bags of food, etc. Prime doesn't mean free 2-day shipping here! It's between 1-2 weeks. The good news is that they are the first boxes to get loaded on planes after priority shipping boxes from USPS!!

Wal-Mart
I did a bush order while I was in Anchorage and sent a few things out. It takes a few weeks for the stuff to arrive and they charge you a percentage for packing/shipping. Ordering online is often not the best option because they charge you an "Alaska shipping" fee. Sometimes you actually can get free shipping, but it's not common at the moment. The only thing I've ordered from them is the specialty light for our pantry. Even with the $6 shipping, I got two lights cheaper than I could get one from Amazon.

Best Buy
I ordered our Blu Ray player and HDMI cables from Best Buy with no issue. I also ordered color toner for my laser printer in my classroom since Amazon wouldn't ship to my address here on that item. The price was the same, and I still got free shipping. I find they ship quickly, too. I think both times was right at a week.

Mr. Prime Beef
This order was quite the experience! The teachers get together and make one order for the whole year around Labor Day. It's basically a butcher that you can order all kinds of meat from. Because we order the way we do (over 1,000 pounds of meat together) it goes Bypass Mail which is cheaper. We got chicken, a variety of beef, pork, bacon, catfish, halibut, shrimp, and some frozen veggies. Trying to estimate what you will use in a year is overwhelming. I'm looking forward to its arrival so we can add a bit of variety to our current dinner offerings.

Others
I haven't tried Dollar General yet, but I've been told they are a decent option. Nuts.com has a lot of bulk nuts, dried fruit options, and spices. I plan on ordering from them soon. A teacher here is from Wisconsin so in the next couple of weeks we will put together a bulk cheese order!

Family and Friends
Some things I just haven't been able to locate (yet) online. Things like shelf-stable cheese tortellini and gnocchi have evaded me so far. My family loves me enough to send these in a care package. When we first got here and were eating ramen and cheese quesadillas fairly regularly until we got situated, my sister went shopping and packed up a tote full of food items for us. My Baba has sent a couple of boxes with snack chocolate and cake mixes as well as guacamole and hummus! My mom's friend Melanie, who used to live in Alaska, has adopted me and sends candy for the kids and I as well as some other goodies.

If you want to send care packages or letters, I'd love it! Mail is super exciting here :)

Brittany Taraba

PO Box 249

Hooper Bay AK 99604

If you have to have a physical address for whatever reason, even though they don't exist here:

Brittany Taraba

c/o Hooper Bay School

249 School Road

Hooper Bay AK 99604

Flying to Hooper Bay

I never intended for it to be so long in between posts!  An educators know that the beginning of school is a hectic time. Combine that with being in a new state, new house, new school, and new grade--it's been one heck of an almost 2 months in my new home :)

I flew from Monroe to Anchorage on August 9. Let me tell you that 16 travel hours with a cat in tow makes for an extremely stressful experience. I figured since her happy meds were about done for with only 4 more hours that I'd give a half dose. I will never make that mistake again! I spent Friday with my new friend Courtney doing some quick shopping and getting my new phone. I've taken over her spot at school now that she's moved to Anchorage, and she was so patient answering all my questions!

Friday night my roommate Darla arrived with her dog Lincoln. We flew out early the next morning. My home airport is a small, regional one so the planes aren't nearly as big. I thought that would adequately prepare me for the small planes I was in for. I was wrong. The flight from Anchorage to Bethel wasn't so bad since the plane was just slightly smaller than I'm used to. It was very weird going outside and stepping into the plane.

Bethel turned into an experience! Our flight was delayed due to a low weather ceiling. They suddenly wanted to charge us extra for our pet carriers as well as consider our carryon backpacks luggage. That put us over the luggage weight limit, so we also had to pay for that privilege! After finally getting the okay to fly, we walked out to the smallest plane, that everyone else was excited about because it was the bigger option! I couldn't see anything below because of the cloud cover, and the pilots had no problem looking at their phones during the flight. When an alarm went off, I about came out of my seat before being told it was the signal we were about to land.

The principal and counselor picked us up in the school truck and took us to our apartment. They were so helpful. The maintenance guys had moved almost all our boxes/totes from the school to our place so we could start getting settled in right away. Those first few days were an series of overwhelming piles of totes and boxes as well as moving classrooms across the school.

I'm working on getting better with the blog updates. My immediate goal is to catch up on almost 2 months of life here, then keep it up to date :)

Packing

I believe I've told you before that I absolutely detest packing. I don't care how excited I am for a trip, I will wait until hours prior to leaving to actually pack things in my go bag. Packing for an entire life move is beyond overwhelming.

My classroom was the first thing to get sorted and packed, since I had to leave the room clean and empty when I checked out May 25. Most of my curriculum, intervention, book library, etc. got packed up and sent to storage since I'm moving from 2nd to 4th grade.

The only time I was truly made fun of by my family was when I packed up my pens, Sharpies, and highlighters. Please forgive my appearance, it's far too hot in Louisiana (even indoors).

My dad was speechless for a bit when he saw just how vast a teacher collection of writing tools could be.

You'll notice the black and yellow totes behind me. That's how my things are getting moved, via the USPS. They come pre-drilled with holes so I can put zip ties around the lid to keep them more secure. I will also send some things (like my massive collection) in flat rate shipping boxes.

I've only got the winter clothing/accessories and my heated blankets packed from the personal side of my life. In the next couple of weeks, between traveling and getting paperwork ready for my school district, I'll be carefully going through my room figuring out what I can't live without.

There will be a Part 2 with information about the actual costs of my Alaskan move. I'll also be sure to fill you in on the online shopping part of my moving adventure.

In other news, I've chatted with my roommate on the phone. Her name is Darla, and she's from Montana! She's bringing a Yorkie named Lincoln with her, so Cocoa will have a friend :)

Questions Galore

There's this thing that happens when people find out about your plans to move to Alaska. You will be bombarded with a million questions/comments. All from a place of love and curiosity...also because they think you've totally lost your mind.

1. Alaska!?! But it's so cold there! 
Yes, and that's why people make winter clothing. Cold is also exciting (for now, at least) considering I live in a state that prides itself on extended summer. I'm currently looking forward to 7.5 months with snow, but I'll be sure to let you know when I'm over it :)

2. But what will you do there?
I will be teaching elementary, just as I do now.

3. Are you sure? Like, how sure?
Yes, I'm sure. Really sure. I signed a contract. This is happening!

4a. Is your mom moving with you? What about your sister?
No, neither of them are coming with me. They will, however, visit. (Side note: No one seems to ask if my father will be following me there, even though he'd love nothing more!)

4b. Are your parents okay with this?! They're going to let you go??
My parents have known about Alaska longer than anyone. Three years ago when I started talking about it, they didn't think I was serious. They have since realized I've thoroughly thought this out and and are on board with my adventurous nature. As for the 2nd question, those who really know me already realize how funny that question is. Sure, I value their opinion and would prefer their blessing. But I'm a grown woman, fully capable of making life decisions.

5a. Is there a man waiting for you there?
No, there is no man. I promise.

5b. You'll probably meet someone up there, though!
It's possible. I'm not moving to Alaska to find a husband, however. If it happens, it happens.

6. How long will it take you to drive there?
You cannot drive to where I'm moving to. Hooper Bay is right on the Bering Sea, in the middle of the bush. I will be flying. The average total travel time to Anchorage is 13-15 hours depending on layovers. I'm not sure how long the flight out to my village is but probably another 1-2 hours in a smaller plane.

7. How are you going to deal with 6 months of NO sun??
I never have no sun, even in the winter. The shortest day of the year is in December and has about 5.5 hours of light. The longest day is in June with 19.5 hours of light.


The following is a Q&A I had with a student from another class. It's too funny not to share.

• Student: Miss Taraba, are you really moving to Nebraska?
• Me (giggling): No, sweetie, I'm moving to AH-laska.
• Student: Oh, that's much better!
• Me (giggling harder): Yes, I think so, too!

Finding Warm Clothes

I originally planned on waiting until I got to my village to order winter gear, but when I saw Eddie Bauer was having a 50% off sale over Easter weekend, it was too good to pass up! I got two winter parkas and a fleece jacket for layering.

The dark berry jacket is the Westbridge Parka. It's rated to -20 F and is waterproof. The hood is removable as is the faux fur ruff on the hood. The gray (dark charcoal) jacket is the Superior 3.0 Down Parka. It's rated to -40 F and is listed as their warmest, waterproof, windproof parka. This one has Down insulation and the faux fur ruff comes off the hood. The teal (peacock) fleece jacket is the Weekend Fleece and will be good for cool days as well as layering in the coldest part of winter

I also got a few hoodies for my soon-to-be new home, thanks to Etsy. My district isn't as strict on work attire because of the remote setting. Jeans are an everyday thing instead of for special occasions. I've never been a regular wearer of t-shirts and still hope to hold on to some of my fashion sense even though I'm moving to The Last Frontier!

My first 2 finds are from a fabulous shop called AK Republic Clothing. The company is actually located in Palmer, Alaska. They are the softest, comfiest hoodies I've ever owned!

I like the tie detail on the aqua Outside hoodie. I've never seen such a feature before. The wine moose hoodie is actually a full-zip boyfriend style hoodie. I'm obsessed with these and cannot wait to be able to wear them regularly.

My last hoodie came from a shop called Tasseled Rags and is located in Kodiak, Alaska. The picture is a bit misleading with its lighting because the fabric is really a dusty, light blue color.

It still doesn't feel real that I'll really call Alaska "home" in roughly four months. Here's to the next clothing purchases :)

Getting Certified

Getting your teaching certification for Alaska can be an intimidating process. There are a lot of pieces you have to submit and get approved. If you know this is something you want to do, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to complete the application and request all the documents you need. The best time to submit the application is in the middle of a semester. If you do this at the end of a semester, be prepared for a longer wait time. They'll have a lot of applications to go through because of graduations.

First, you need to visit the Department of Education and Early Development for Alaska. This is where you will find all of the application forms, online payment portal, and explanations. If you are already certified to teach in another state and have never taught in Alaska, you'll probably be applying for an Initial Out-of-State license. Do not send in your application in pieces. Gather everything you need to submit, and send it all in one packet. They'll return it to you, otherwise.

Set aside a good bit of time to fill out the application. The whole packet is over 10 pages long. The first few pages you need to read carefully so you know what to do. After you finish filling out the forms, you must get the last page notarized--do not sign this page until you are sitting in front of one! Check with your bank. Mine has a couple of notaries on staff, so I was able to get it done for free.

You'll need to get your fingerprints done as well to submit with your application. They need this card done so they can do your background check. Bring the fingerprint information page with you when you get them done. The officer who did mine read through it to make sure everything was in order. Also be prepared to tell them why you are getting fingerprints done. You'll get a lot of additional questions after you tell them you plan to move to Alaska! I don't know if that is a standard inquiry or if my small city just likes to be nosey :)

Along with your application, you'll need to submit a copy of your current teaching license and instructions on how the Dept of Ed can access it online, if applicable. You also need to include transcripts from every university you have a degree from. You'll need to request these be sent to you so you can put them in your packet. Do not open the envelopes, or the transcripts will be considered invalid!

You also need copies of your professional test scores. Check the Alaska website carefully! There are very specific tests they accept and the passing scores for each. You can get test scores sent electronically or get them sent to you to include in your packet. If you don't have test scores, they will only give you a 1-year certificate. Once they receive your passing scores, they extend your certification for an extra year without charge (so now it's valid for 2 years).

The application gave me sticker shock! It costs $200 for the actual application, plus you have to include $60 for the background check. You can pay this online or send an accepted payment in with your packet.

Make sure you get tracking on your application so you know when it arrives in Juneau. It took them about 2-3 weeks to evaluate my application, then another week for me to receive the coveted yellow postcard.

My best advice, especially if you plan on attending a job fair, is to have this yellow postcard before interviewing with any districts. Even if you interview via Skype or phone, districts like knowing you have The Card. It proves you're serious about doing this. It also proves you can actually teach in a classroom, since they don't let you in front of a class without being certified!

Once you have the certification, there are additional steps to getting your more permanent license in Alaska. You have to complete mandatory training and submit verification as well as take two different Alaska Culture and Studies approved courses. I'll fill you in more about this when I reach this part of the process.

Anchorage Job Fair

Jet lag is real, y'all! I never would have believed 3 hours would affect me this much. Maybe it's because the daylight savings change happened over spring break and I'm trying to figure out how to drag myself out of bed while the sun is still sleeping.

I flew to Anchorage last Thursday. For me, that meant 13 hours of travel time. I flew out at 5:30 and got to Alaska around 3:30. Keep in mind, I went back 3 time zones. I went from Monroe to Houston, Houston to Denver, and Denver to Anchorage. The last flight was the longest but the head attendant pressed the "free" button so we could get satellite and movies without paying for them!

Anchorage is beautiful. I was mesmerized by the amount of snow. Most of it came up almost to my knees, but there were areas that came up to my waist! I'm only about 5'4" but still. The job fair is hosted at the hotel Captain Cook (middle left, yellow/orange lights), and I stayed there with the special room rate of $99 a night. The hotel is wonderful. It had the most comfortable beds, rare for hotels it seems. Everyone was so welcoming and helpful. When I checked out, the guy at the front desk gave me a congratulations chocolate! (More on this later, though I'm sure you can figure it out.)

I got down to the job fair at about 8:15 and started walking around. I stopped at Lower Yukon's table since I'd sent an application to them through ATP. The superintendent and I chatted for a couple of minutes before heading to the interview room. We were in there for probably about 15 minutes going over the district questions and getting some of my questions answered. He told me he was offering me a contract as we got up from the table. We went to a quiet area of the lobby where he let me talk to the principal about some site specifics and then introduced me to a teacher from my potential site. One of the village elders, who is the chair of the school board, was also there so I got to talk to him.

I didn't realize they would have a separate room with about 25-30 tables for districts to interview. You schedule a block of time as you walk around. Because it was the beginning of the fair, we were able to go right back. Each district has a set of questions they ask all applicants, and then you get a chance to ask your own questions.

After being introduced to several other teachers at the job fair and calling home to update my (im)patiently waiting family, I resumed walking around. I scheduled an interview with Kuspuk and another with Northwest Arctic. Both districts offered me a teaching position, and my intense thinking began. I went back to all three district websites, went over my spreadsheets of information I'd gathered, and chatted with home a couple more times. Around 4:15, I realized that I just kept coming back to Lower Yukon. I went back to the table and signed a contract!

I'll be teaching elementary at Hooper Bay starting in August!

When you sign a letter of intent or a contract at the job fair, you get your picture taken and receive a congratulations gift. I have a book about teaching in Bush Alaska now :)

Because I didn't need to do anymore searching, I spent Saturday at the Anchorage Museum learning about the culture I'll soon be joining. I explored Anchorage, walking around for about 8 hours. I spent the night packing my luggage and getting ready for another super early flight home.

The Yellow Postcard

Guess what came in the mail?!

I officially have the golden ticket: the yellow postcard. This small, bright piece of paper proves to districts that I'm a safe bet! That I've paid $260 to apply for a license and do my background check. That I'm not just feeling things out on a whim. It proves I want this. It says, "Hire me."

Anticipation

Exactly 2 weeks from today I will be headed home from Anchorage and the ATP Job Fair. When I looked at my calendar Thursday and realized just how close I am to jumping into this adventure, I got a bit nervous. Okay, "a bit" is an understatement.

I have a love/hate relationship with change and big decisions. I am thrilled by new things but am also quite happy with a normal routine. I'm a Taurus, and we avoid change at all costs. Big decisions are a whole different beast. When I'm faced with a life-changing decision, everything goes wonky for me. When I went away to boarding school: exciting change but lots of anxiety. When I had to pick a college: I mentally shut down for a bit with how overwhelming it was. Picking a career path: total nerves.

I've done LOADS of research. I've studied Alaska climate regions. I've researched school districts. I've read negotiated agreements, studied school websites, and followed news reports. I've found dozens of Alaskan teacher blogs and read every post on every one of them. I've reached out to current Alaska teachers and fellow LSMSA alumni for advice and opinions. I even have a current coworker who used to teach in Alaska who I've chatted with.

I know this is what I want to do. Do you ever feel like God and the Universe are dropping hints all over the place? I went to a local book sale yesterday and found a young adult book from the perspective of a Yup'ik girl. I later stumbled upon an Alaskan alphabet book with a Girdwood, Alaska sticker on it. I've spent the last couple of weeks teaching about Arctic animal adaptations, highlighting Alaska frequently.

Right now, my nerves are about whether I'll make the right choice. I've been told districts offer contracts at the Anchorage Fair, and that I should be prepared to accept one. It's not totally uncommon to be offered more than one contract. The "what ifs" running through my head about potentially having to choose between multiple offers are numerous.

All I can do now is finish preparing my portfolio, getting my resumes printed, and decide what I want to wear.  My gut instincts have never led me wrong before, and I'll just have to trust them when the time comes!