Reflecting on Noorvik...

Ahhhhh......Noorvik. It's odd to think just a few weeks back I was questioning the pronunciation of the name, trying to locate its whereabouts on a map, and beginning to Google the name to find as much as I could about this Northwest Arctic gem. First off, I was impressed by the surprisingly modern accommodations; not just ours but for the entire community. I had thoughts of 'honey buckets' and outhouses (which aren't uncommon in Fairbanks), but here, 300 miles off the road system, existed a well organized cluster of very nice homes. Each house was linked to the community electric, water, and sewer lines in a sort of communistic equality.

In the mornings I really got a kick out of peering out of our classroom window to see who had arrived by the number of sno-gos and wheelers parked out front the school. A faithful friend sat outside this morning waiting patiently for their student.

One thing I will not miss is the high-priced cereal which almost caused me to go through withdrawals as my cereal addiction was tested. One expectation that I had prior to visiting Noorvik (whether I wanted it or not- but based on past experiences from other village schools outside Alaska -which I made a point not to share with anyone) was that the students may not be motivated to do anything after high school, or worse that they would not be motivated enough to even finish high school. -I am so glad that feeling is gone completely!
The students I met quickly set my mind at ease. These students were ambitious and thoughtful. You could tell from their actions and goals that they were going to make something of themselves and, most importantly, did not want to become a statistic which impressed me to no end. Many students had plans for after school. One senior was going to a university in Arizona to get certified as a elementary school teacher and eventually coming back home to teach. Another was going to UAS in Juneau, a couple were headed to trade schools in Anchorage and Kotz, and a few were leaving this week to check out a few universities in the lower 48. One senior replied, when asked what he was going to do in the fall, that he was going to UAF but hadn't picked a major. He seemed embarrassed at his indecision, but I assured him he'd figure it out as I reflected back to my 'undeclared' label from my first year at LSSU. It was also great to see how jealous the younger students were as they watched the seniors creating their graduation announcements at the back of class.
I left Noorvik quite sad which surprised me. When my roommate took me grocery shopping back in Fairbanks, I annoyed him to no end with comments like ; "In Noorvik we walked everywhere", "In Noorvik the clocks were never correct because we were so far north", "When I was in Noorvik people actually smiled at you on the street", and "In Noorvik we didn't waste time picking from 200 spaghetti sauces, because there was only one choice".

By far the best part of my Noorvik experience was the interactions with the locals; the students, the teachers, the staff, the community members we met at the Community Center, and of course the friendly fluffy canines.

the sunsets weren't bad either.....

Thanks to everyone involved for a wonderful and unforgettable experience in Noorvik!