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!