July 1, 2017

 

After a fun night out with a cute, short, Michigan-to-Alaska transplant at the 49th State Brewery in Anchorage, Alaska, I was unprepared for my flight to Aniak. I did not get to bed until well after 2 a.m. and my alarm woke me up at 6 a.m.

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I knew something was wrong immediately. When I awoke, I felt dizzy, lightheaded, and ready to throw up. I did not have much to drink at the brewery so it must have been the to-go food I ordered earlier in the evening; it did not taste the best. I made it to the bathroom and went straight down to the cool floor tiles because at this point I felt very warm. I was sweating profusely and could not get myself oriented.  I kept telling myself, “Don’t fall asleep! Don’t fall asleep! I will miss my flight!” I ended up falling asleep and jerked myself back awake at 6:08. I threw up and then that was the end of that.

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I ate breakfast at the hotel, packed up my belongings, and waited for the hotel shuttle to take me to the airport. When we all were loaded, we must have been late because the driver sped through traffic. Even though I told him I was flying Ravn Air, he dropped me off at the other end of the terminal and said, “Walk that way.”

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I checked my bags in with Ravn Air and the most peculiar thing I noticed is that I did not pass through any type of security whatsoever in the entire airport.

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The best part of the airport experience was when two high-school-aged Alaska Native boys sat down next to me and introduced themselves. I assumed I was the only unrecognized face sitting at the Aniak gate area. They wanted to know who I was and why I was going to Aniak. They seemed delighted that I would be working there for a year although they did not live in Aniak. They lived in Kalskag, a small village downstream. I asked them how they travel to their village and they said they had to fly to Aniak then take a boat down to their village. They were just returning from summer school camp near Seward, Alaska.

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As I walked out on the tarmac, I looked up at the mountains surrounding Anchorage and wondered if I would ever see them again.

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The plane was the smallest plane I had ever flown in. It was a twin prop engine and there were maybe twenty to thirty people on board. There were two seats on each side with a long row along the back wall.

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I fell asleep and woke up in Aniak an hour and a half later.

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It was hot and muggy walking out of the plane. Everybody who exited the plane had someone waiting for them and promptly hugged and kissed them. I did not get either because my new boss was there to pick me up. So, shaking hands and meeting him in person for the first time was nice as previously we had only met via Skype.

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I do not think he recognized me at first because when I interviewed with him, I did not have my red beard.

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He helped me with my bags and we drove to the post office where I had numerous items such as bedding, food, and household items pre-shipped in from Anchorage.

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We drove around for about an hour while he pointed out the town landmarks such as the school, city hall, court house, and river area.

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I settled in to my new apartment with no bed, working stove, TV, or Internet.

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“There’s a porcupine that lives near the door to your place!” – my landlord

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True Alaskan experience? Haha. I did not care. I was there and had work to do.

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I ended the day with an evening stroll along the riverbank.

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