Weekend in Russian Mission, Alaska

Tonight I got home from a weekend in Russian Mission, Alaska. I was invited by a fellow teacher in my village and jumped at the opportunity to explore a different part of the state. Russian Mission is a little over 100 miles north of Tunt. It's a small village like Tunt, but it has an entirely different landscape. First of all, there's trees. I hadn't seen a tree in two months till this weekend. Tunt is flat tundra surrounded by lakes and rivers. Russian Mission is much closer to the Alaska you see on postcards. There's miles and miles of Christmas trees with a mountain range flanking the back of the village. The wildlife is also much more diverse. This area of Alaska has plenty of moose, caribou, beavers, and brown bears. The brown bear population in this part of southwest Alaska is one of the highest in the world. Unfortunately (probably fortunately it comes to the bears), I didn't see any of this wildlife.

 The reason for the weekend in Russian Mission was a religious retreat. I'm not the most religious person out there, but I didn't think it was a bad thing to say a few prayers. There was a preacher that gave several sermons during the weekend, but I only went to one--with good reason. I felt like I was watching a bad movie with an agenda against organized religion. The preacher was judgmental, rambling, and very, very boring. He kept bragging about a record deal he just got with some mom and pop recording studio in Oklahoma. He went on and on about having humility when he wasn't bragging about his blossoming music career. He said with an absolute straight face, "Bet none of you have been in the same room with a recording artist." He was 100% serious. This was not a joke. I cracked a smile and looked around the room for someone to share this moment with. I made eye contact with a girl who was trying to stop herself from laughing.

I have nothing against preachers, but I don't care for people who are too pushy with their agenda. I heard the word heathens for the first time in a discussion. It made me check out. I've had an open mind since I arrived here and I was curious why he couldn't do the same. I decided I was going to spend my time hunting and hiking instead. Several of the teachers from other villages joined me. We went beaver hunting on Friday night and hiked to the top of a mountain on Saturday. I stayed in a cabin and built a fire. I'm becoming more of an outdoorsman up here. And it's out of necessity. I used to go camping, but being out in the middle of nowhere in Alaska is different than the I'm-camping-but-if-I-really-need-something-I-can-get-in-the-car-and-drive-to-Walmart type of camping that I'm used to.

The final word: I survived another weekend of roughing it in Alaska. I'm taking one day at a time and trying not to judge. Amen.