So this week has been one of the hardest weeks by far! All the planning and preparations that we have done finally happened and though it was really hectic it went over really smooth. All the kids really enjoyed summercise this past week and all the other interns and myself could not have been more excited that the weekend was coming! My gardening class went well um... good until some little girl that was probably about eight said that my class was really boring, which kinda hurt but then at the same time I realized that I like gardening but it is a little slow and boring when your dealing with seeds. After gardening I was teaching boys basketball, which up here in Nome this sport is the most prided sport and everybody plays. So when we first started drills some of the boys really didn't like what we were doing because they were already good at it, so instead we just let them play a game called knockout which is really fun if your good at shooting. I also taught softball right after and many of those kids love softball because they get to play outside. I thought them how to pitch and catch and we did some drills of running around the bases (which they loved)! All in all the first day went well but it was very exhausting. On Tuesday, it was swimming day, I know that back in Texas swimming is great outside, but up here no one swims outside. Instead there is a heated pool and all the kids love splashing around. All the kids are more well mannered and respectful because they don't want to lose free time for getting in trouble. So after doing this same routine again on Wednesday and Thursday, I was really glad to not have to see any kids on Friday! Then the weekend came and this weekend was going to be the best because it was the Midnight Sun Festival. So here is a little brief on the background. On June 21 every year many people know it as the summer solstice. But here in Nome, it is the longest day of the year, which in turns also means celebration! So on Friday the festival starts with a performance from a guest band which this year it was a band named Pumpya. They are an Inuit folk band that sound incredible! It was such a great concert! Then on Saturday there is a full day of events that happens, it starts with the Gold Dust Dash which is a four mile run that the CAMP department puts on (so my participation was required) at 9am. The first place male and female both receive a gold nugget! After the race the town transformed into the early 1800s in time for the parade and bank robbery! The parade was great though nothing like Fiesta it was still fun. The bank robbery was an interesting way to share the local history of some of the first people of Nome and a fun engaging activity for the kids! Then after the bank robbery was the polar bear swim! Yes that is right it was a swim in the frigid cold Bearing Sea! Many people did jump in but the water was so cold that I chickened out at around my knees! I know but I still have pictures! After the Polar Bear swim I headed over to the open mic and craft fair at the elementary school, which I got to try some Beluga Whale and Mutuck (I might have misspelled that). I also bought some really neat seaglass earrings and I worked a smoking cessation booth to help people quit. Then today was the raft race down the snake river which teams needed to build a raft and then hopefully it would float down the 5 miles to the finish line. All though the weekend is almost over it was still such an exciting time! Here are just some of my pics that can post but I have plenty more. Just in case you wanted more details about what all I do during my exciting days during summercise, I have another blog that my prof is grading but your more then welcome to check out! it's http://blogs.tamu.edu/mboswell06/ and I also got a new cell phone for just up here so if you want the number then just post a comment to let me know and I can text or call you!
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| The King Island Dancers with Pumpya! |
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| The Mascots at the Gold Dust Dash |
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| Me, Renee, Charlotte and Kelly working the race! |
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| A vintage car at the parade! |
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| Chase, Jillian, Melanie and Me at the parade! They are the coolest Baptist Interns ever! |
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| The volunteer cast of the bank robbery! |
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| At the Polar Bear Plunge! Don't let the brightest fool you, the water was about 35 degrees! |
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| Pickled Beluga Whale Soup with Mutuck (which is essentially the fat, but really good for you!) |
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| Oh yes that is the reaction eating the beluga! It was really hard to eat because it tasted like it hadn't been cooked! |
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| Me helping out at the smoking cessation booth! |
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| This is the sky at about 2:30am and because the sun never sets it looks like this for about two hours then the sun comes back up! But the sky is just painted all these beautiful colors! |
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV
Thanks for checking in!
Megan
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