We have now been living in Gambell for the last two and three quarter months. We are adjusting and staying busy. We recently had our first snowfall. The temperature was consistently in the 40's, but now the high is usually in the mid-thirties. These are pictures of us walking out our front door @ 7:30am to find the first signs of snow. For a little weather note, sunrise is at 10:30am and sunset is at 8pm, dark by 8:45pm.
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| First snowfall! |
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| On our way to school:) |
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| This is one of Derek's adorable students |
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| Music class! |
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| He is so cute! |
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I think we've told some of you that a lot of the natives "speak" with their facial expressions; raising their eyebrows for "yes" and pulling eyebrows together for "no." This is one of Derek's first graders who talks with his eyebrows the most, so I wanted to show you a video of what it looks like:)
I am interviewing him and Derek after school:
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| More of Derek's cute first graders |
The community participates in the Yupik dance every Friday after school from 3:45-4:30pm. Here are some pictures and videos....
We went to the dump one day and stumbled upon this beautiful spotted seal skin freshly "dumped" just outside the pile of garbage. We were shocked that this wasn't used to make hats, mittens or boots. We were tempted to try and tan it ourselves...
verb (used with object)
1. to convert (a hide) into leather, especially by soaking or steeping in a bath prepared from tanbark or synthetically. 2. to make brown by exposure to ultraviolet rays, as of the sun.
3. Informal. to thrash; spank.
verb (used without object)
4. to become tanned.
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| Derek at the dump |
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| This is where all the old Hondas go |
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| A whale's jawbone just outside the village of Gambell; the mountain, village and windmills in the background |
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| I posed for a stoic shot |
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| National Geographic voice: "Lovers embrace next to the whale's jawbone." |
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| We love the Honda...Derek got stuck in the snow this morning....on purpose |
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| View from just off the shore of the GREAT Bering Sea...our house is the gray six-plex on the right with the red roof |
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| A beautiful day in Gambell! |
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| Derek's parents sent us a hammock! Thank you!!!! We love it! |
Hanging out at home, here are videos of little Luna Baby:
helping with a puzzle:
She has never been a lap kitty...until Gambell...we are loving it!
oh she is so embarrassed...
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| Derek's mom made us some jalapeño jelly to put on our homemade bread! SO good!!!! | | | | | | | | | | Jena - like my tilde over the "n" - I did that for you so it wouldn't look like jalap I N O :) | | | |
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| learning to tie his shoes |
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| Derek teaching |
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| He is such a good teacher, the students love Teacher Derek! |
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| Grading... |
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| 1st grader |
This is a video of Derek and his class performing a song he has been teaching them. They just learned a new verse on pajama day at Saturday school:
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| This is the tree in my classroom that one of the amazing aides made. This is our reading corner and the students love to go inside the tree when they are independently working. |
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| Alligator donated by Derek that he found in his classroom at the beginning of the year |
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| This is one of the little guys I get to hang out with at the end of the day |
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| He taught me a card game:) |
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| School assembly |
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| Here are our Gambell cheerleaders! |
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| There aren't enough high school girls to participate in sports and be in cheerleading, so the elementary and middle school girls are the cheerleaders |
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| This is our volleyball team waiting to be introduced by the cheerleaders at the assembly |
I was away last weekend at a SpEd training in Unalakleet, while Derek and Luna held down the fort in Gambell:
My parents sent me an electric toothbrush and now every time I turn it on, Luna jumps on the bathroom counter and is fascinated by it:
The week before Halloween was Gambell's spirit week at school. Tuesday was crazy hair day and Derek went all out in addition to his three french-braided-side-ponytails:
We bought our tickets to come home for Christmas and we will be arriving in Portland Saturday, December 17th at 5:30am. We fly back to Gambell December 30th, so keep your calendars open:)
Thanks so much for all the packages! It feels like Christmas every time we get one! Always a wonderful surprise!
When you guys visit you have to see my dorm and meet my floor!!! Can't wait to see you guys!!!!
ReplyDeleteI finally got on here to check out your adventure, and a GRAND adventure it is! You two ROCK the poofy layered look!
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