itinerant

I went to the educators' job fair on Tuesday wondering how budget cuts would effect my chances of finding employment. There were long lines of applicants, all wearing grim expressions. District officials would smile and then remind us of the current economy and limited resources. I actually had several people laugh when I told them I was seeking a counseling position!

Knowing the reality and also having an adventurous spirit, I decided to visit some of the booths that had few applicants and lonely looking officials. It was fascinating to get them started on how wonderful their little corner of the world is. I ended up hearing all about life in a border town in Arizona, rural Eastern Oregon, and (my personal favorite) the outer reaches of Northern Alaska.

I'm not going to lie, I was tempted. I have a thing for crazy adventures and being immersed in cultures totally different than my own. I may still consider the border town in AZ, too (sun! I miss the sun!). There are several obvious reasons why AK is not feasible, but it doesn't stop me from sharing what I learned about life there!

First of all, the job is called Itinerant Counselor, because there are four villages that must be visited in weekly rotations. The counselor would take a 9 seater plane to a village, along with three bags. One bag contains bedding, including blankets and an air mattress to lay on the cement floor of the library. Another bag contains clothing and personal items, including the parka, snow suit, and winter clothes to protect against -60 degree weather (...um, yes. I wrote negative sixty degree weather. Holy schnikes.). The last bag/ cooler holds all the food needed for a week, since there are no restaurants or stores in any of these isolated, tiny villages. The counselor moves from school to school each weekend, and has no permanent place to stay.

All of the schools have less than 100 students from grades K-12, and there are only about 10 teachers on staff at each site. The villages consist almost entirely of Native Alaskan peoples who subsist on whaling or hunting caribou for every aspect of life. Very few children grow up to move away from their families and tribe, so they must join the hunting lifestyle or find a way to provide for themselves (and what would that be?). When a whale is caught, the entire village stops everything, including school, to go and assist with the work. Sports are a large part of life in these villages, where families converge on the gym to participate in the seasonal sports throughout the dark winter. From all that the district officials discussed, the tribal members are extremely warm and welcoming, inviting school staff to dinners and special events regularly.

I am FASCINATED and wish that I could go and experience this culture firsthand. Unfortunately there are some reasons I cannot go. What a fun adventure to be had for that lucky person who takes up the challenge, though. And this by no means lessens my desire to seek out new adventures... I'm still an itinerant at heart!