Num num num num

So there has been a fair amount that has happened in the last few weeks. I went to Anchorage for a few days, then followed that up by meeting up with the three other Alaskan JV communities for our first retreat. Upon getting back I had a very good week at work, and then Halloween wrapped everything up nicely.

Although we did not have to be in Anchorage until Friday, John, a JV from Bethel, invited me to meet up with him and two of his community members to hang around Anchorage. So I flew in on Wednesday and was picked up by our area director Jamie. After a crash course on the layout of Anchorage I set out with a map in my pocket. It was...overwhelming. To be in a city again was kind of a weird experience. I remember thinking, "Oh hey, a building with more than two stories." Things that are integrated into daily life in Sitka were magnified there. I was asked for money, actually had to pay attention to cars and traffic lights, was not ready for the sensory overload that all the chains forced on me. It was a new experience, one that I wasn't entirely ready for. And I have only been here for 3 months! Then I got to Bean's Cafe, a soup kitchen and drop in center where two Anchorage JVs work. As I walked up wearing my clean, North Face pullover, my North Face backpack, some hiking shoes that I had been able to buy a week or so before that, and having just flown in from Sitka, I found myself extremely self-conscious. I wondered what everyone was thinking when they saw me walking into this soup kitchen. Homelessness is an issue in Sitka, but not to the extent that it is in a bigger city, and the homeless and the affluent are often in the same spot in Sitka; there really is no other choice. I found myself once again overwhelmed confronted with another extreme than I have experienced for the past three months. I went in and said hi to Trevor, who I only really recognized because of his name tag and he had no real idea who I was. I sat with him and Katie during their lunch hour and we shared experiences and job duties and how our years were going. It was great to get another perspective on a JV year in Alaska. Following that, I went to a coffee shop to write some letters and to wait for John. He got in around 3:30 and we set off to explore a bit of the city. We didn't get too far and went back to the JV house to introduce ourselves to the rest of the Anchorage JVs. We sat around and did the same thing; talked about our years and our jobs and experiences. John and I went out to dinner at Moose Tooth, a microbrewery and pizzeria that was very good. Following a conversation with a local geologist we set off to pick up PJ and Joe. Joe actually graduated from SLU...5 years ago :). Again, talking about the year and our experiences (sensing a theme?) over a few beers, we went back and went to sleep.

Thursday we woke up with a bit of a plan. Joe works with Native elders in Bethel and the Native gathering called the AFN was happening in Anchorage. We weren't sure what to expect so we wandered around until we found the keynote speaker. I don't know her name but she was probably one of the best speakers I have ever seen. She spoke about the struggles of the Native culture in Alaska, about how the current generations had to step up and preserve the memories and lessons of the elders, to take the elders struggles and work towards solidarity and more rights (Native rights in Alaska are still a huge issue). I found myself moved by her passion and knowledge, of her love for her people. And she couldn't have been older than 22, 23 years old. To have a leader like that is huge, and I still find myself thinking back to that time and how impressed I was. We then drove out to a trail and hiked up it. It was different than hiking in Sitka. We were on a mountain, but there were no trees, no switchbacks, not as wet. But it was still beautiful. On our way back down we saw 16 moose, with about 10 bulls or so. It was incredible. We made our way back to Anchorage, got ready to go out, had some dinner, then went out with the Anchorage house to a local bar. Complete with a metal detector at the door, two or three separate dance floors, and PBR and Busch on tap. Oh, and a kick ass cover band that played a diverse playlist that covered The Killers, U2, and Papa Roach. We had a great time dancing and hanging out with each other. Good times.

Then the retreat. This retreat was focused on community, and it was led by Charles, a deacon and iconagrapher from Juneau, and his wife Paula, an FJV who spent two years in Juneau. We were asked to focus on different things regarding communities, and they focused primarily on three different authors' ideas on community: Jean Vanier, who started the L'Arche movement, Dorothy Day, who was instrumental in the formation in the Catholic Worker Movement, and St. Benedict, who's rules for monastic living have formed the backbone of monastic communities for the last 600 years or so. We were forced to look at how our communities were living out the values and how we could improve, our relationships with ourselves, and our communities that we live and serve in. We came back with a few questions and a few things to explore, especially regarding social justice. The weekend solidified my answer of "Yes" to come to Alaska. While the lead up to coming to Sitka was a time of confusion, fear, and excitement, since I have been here I have not looked back at all. This weekend just solidified that.

So we had a great weekend, made some great connections with other communities, and said our good byes for the next 4 months or so. When we got back to Sitka we jumped right back into work. I had a very good week at work. The kids seemed to be in good moods, and there were some great conversations. In fact, my biggest complaint this week had to do with one of my co-workers. Which I hope will be my biggest complaint moving forward as well. I don't know, this was just a good week.

Punctuated by Halloween. We went as Ms. Pacman, with Evie playing that part, and the rest of us went as the ghosts. There is a dance that the public radio station puts on each year called the Stardust Ball, and the band this year was The Gourds. Remember that conversation that we all had during college, who sang that cover of 'Gin and Juice'? Yeah, it was the Gourds. We danced the night away and had a pretty great time. As the night progressed I accumulated many other people's costume components, some of which are in our living room. It was a pretty great two week period.