Just going to Alaska is something that I had always wanted to do, so I was excited the minute I got off the plane. Little did I know at that time what wonderful people I was about to meet! The ARCUS staff is made up of smart, funny, creative people; the speakers were interesting and informative; and my fellow teachers are a wonderful, talented group of people too!
Our days were full of classroom learning with a few field trips thrown in as well. We learned some polar science and what to expect on our expeditions. We learned how to use our new laptops, cameras, and a satellite phone. It can take 5-30 minutes just to send one email using a satellite phone! We learned about bear safety, warm polar clothing, and camping safety as we earned our Arctic Field Training certification.
Here I am talking to the school office back in Ohio via satellite phone.
I'm wearing a mosquito jacket with built-in net around my face. Mosquitoes are very numerous during the summer on the tundra.
Our field trips took us to places in and around Fairbanks. One of those places was the Museum of the North at the University of Alaksa Fairbanks. While there, we got to meet a hibernating Arctic ground squirrel; that's right, it was sound asleep the whole time! I'll let some of my homeroom students tell you all about it in the video that follows.
We also had an opportunity to visit the rest of the museum. It had exhibits about Alaska dinosaurs, modern Alaska animals, the history of Alaska, and items from the native cultures. You would be wrong if you thought there was just one tribe that makes its home there! You can see a picture here of a beautiful window covering, designed to let light through, but keep wind out. It is made of animal intestines; do you see that it is made of thin strips? People who live off the land are very good at using all of their prey or plants; they don't waste materials! They also add beautiful artwork to the things that they make.
This window covering is made from animal intestines cleaned, dried, and stitched together; it shows skill and artistry.
Interestingly, in order to deal with Alaska cold, the engines of the vans need to be kept warm. In Alaska people plug in battery heaters for their cars at electricity stations. Here's one at our hotel. We don't have to do that in Ohio!
We couldn't go anywhere if the it was too cold for the cars to start; the parking spaces at the hotel all had electrical boxes.
I'll tell you about our other field trips in my next journal.
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