I took a long walk on Saturday to explore the village. I walked past a general store, a cemetery, the post office and lots of houses. Essentially everything in Tunt is connected by a series of boardwalks, which makes everything accessible and easy to walk to without stepping through the marshy land.
The one thing I had to watch out for was dogs. Many of the houses I walked by had dogs that growled and barked as I walked past. Fortunately for me, most of these dogs were tied to a pole. From what I've been told, dogs are viewed more as work animals than pets in Tunt. They spend most of their time tied to something sturdy outside. The dogs that weren't tied up followed me along the boardwalk in a close procession growling, howling, and making every type of threatening motion short of biting me. Dogs were one of the last animals I thought I would have to worry about in Alaska, the land of bears, wolves, moose, and wolverines. The parade of dogs left me alone as one of their owners hollered from behind a shed.
My last trip was to the village post office to see if one of my packages arrived. There was a 60 pound box of groceries waiting for me. I needed to lug it about a mile back to my house. I reached about halfway home, fidgeting to find the right position to hold the box, when a young girl pulled up in a four-wheeler. She asked me if I wanted a ride, probably feeling bad for how awkward I looked carrying this massive box. I hopped on the back and off we went. I came to find out that this girl will be one of my students (not surprising in a village of 400). But this is just another example of the hospitality and wholehearted kindness that people are showing to a stranger. I came here as a teacher, but I feel like I will learn just as much as I teach.
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| There are lots of birds in Tunt. They enjoy the surrounding marshy land. |
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| One of a few cemeteries in the village |
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| Walking down the boardwalk |
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| This husky was the only dog that I walked by that didn't want to attack me. I had time to snap a picture. |
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| Four-wheelers are the primary mode of transportation when it's not snowing in Tunt. |
This blog is awesome to read! Your writing style makes me feel like im there. How's it going so far? Seems like its going great!
ReplyDeleteSean
Thanks Sean. Things are going well. Every day is an adventure out here. I never know what I'm going to see.
ReplyDeleteTake a stick with you if you're gonna be walking around like that. Have you seen any big wildlife? Personal fact: I love deer. Live ones.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any moose or caribou around. Evidently, you have to go further out of the village if you want to see them. I might be going walrus and seal hunting with some of the natives soon though. I'm not allowed to hunt them, but I can tag along. One of the Yupik men I've met hunts them with a spear. It sounds crazy.
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