Bye, Bye Bethel

It’s crazy how fast 13 weeks flies by. On Friday we said goodbye to our patients and co-workers. Saturday was spent packing and cleaning house. Today, we hop on the evening jet outa here.

I have a love/hate relationship with goodbyes. It’s exciting to look forward to a new place and new adventure (more on this later), but also sad to leave this chapter behind. Bethel has been a unique experience for sure. There were challenges in getting used to this lifestyle, but we will definitely miss the laid back, low maintenance way of life we had out here in the bush. Some highlights from the summer:

We made some awesome friends with a couple from work. These two seriously rock. They took us on many a river adventure, taught us about jungle juice (bug repellent so strong it makes your lips go numb),played lawn games with us in the 11 pm sun, and helped us beat the Bethel blues with their good humor and fun personalities. Gonna miss these guys.

Started our very first garden. Behold the fruits (actually, vegetables) of our labor:

(actual size)

Realized how blessed we are by ever supportive friends and family. We got care packages from mama & papa Dodean, Toby & Heather, Cristina & David, and mom and pop Mascareñas’ even hand-delivered one to us! I’m pretty sure we set the record for having the most “real world” goodies of any temporary employees ever. Left us feeling quite loved.

Note the high five they sent us at the top of the photo. Priceless.

Had a host of new and interesting PT experiences. The majority of our patients came to PT by boat or bush plane from surrounding villages. Their injuries could generally be summed up into 5 categories: bush plane crash, snowmachine accident, excess berry picking, fish cutting mishap, or domestic violence. Brandon got to peel the skin off a burn victim’s legs. I clipped the toenails of elders from remote villages who sometimes hadn't had it done in YEARS. Brandon was unofficially our “drunk patient” provider (quite common at all hours). I got to teach patient care skills to the first ever class of CNAs in Bethel.

Enjoyed the freedom of the open tundra. All we had to do was pick an edge of town and start walking. No fences or barriers. No other people around. Just wide open land. And berries everywhere! Salmon berries, blueberries, raspberries, crow berries, and cranberries were abound everywhere you look.

Learned all about Yu’pik culture.  We heard stories of harsh winters, self-sufficient survival, and spiritual healing from local elders. We tried on kuspuks – the traditional Yu’pik garment worn by both men and women. We were introduced to the ulu knife. Natives use it to cut fish and game…I found it quite handing in chopping garlic. We even picked up some of the Yu’pik language. “waqaa” = hello. “quyana”= thank you.  Raising your eyebrows = “yes”. Scrunching your nose = “no”.  That pretty much got us by with most non-English speaking natives.

Kuspuk

Kuspuk made of seal skin

Brandon in a kuspuk

Ulu knife

Lived without the luxuries we’re used to…and enjoyed it.  We didn't have a car, but walking around everywhere sure helped us slow down from our usual hectic pace. No Chipotle, movie theater, sporting events, hiking trails, or shopping malls. But we learned to make our own entertainment. 

Berry pickin'

Found a disposable grill at the AC Value Center. Made ourselves a little summer BBQ.

Brandon brushed up on his baking skills

Took lots of strolls along the river to enjoy foggy mornings....

....and late night sunsets (at the end of the summer)

Living next to this provided us with some unique Friday & Saturday night entertainment.

Got to see and taste the Alaskan wildlife. We caught salmon (photos to come) and even learned how to filet, dry, and smoke ‘em. Brandon got to eat caribou. We saw bald eagles, camped among giant moose and bear tracks, almost ate a tundra spider (looked just like a salmon berry), and had various encounters with the state bird:

Bald eagle

Holy huge bear

Tucker the tough Alaskan (:

Thanks for memories, Bethel. Now off to Homer to celebrate our 1st year wedding anniversary!!

River Camping!!

Guess who finally got to go camping?!

^^These guys^^

Our friends (who own a boat) made the executive decision last weekend that it was time to get out of Bethel. Rain or shine. We were hittin’ the great outdoors.

The weekend began with a boat ride up the Kisaralik River, a branch of the Kuskokwim. The ride was breezy, beautiful, and best of all free from bloodsucking mosquito attack!

We traveled 2-3 hours upriver, making stops here and there to scope out a camping spot.

Fresh grizzly tracks

Maaaaaybe not the best place to set up camp

Our search ended when we stumbled upon a nice open gravel bar just along the bank of the river. As we anchored the boat and got to unloading, we realized that some massive rain clouds had followed us. It was now a race against the rain to set up our tents. I'm pretty sure we made it in 3 minutes flat. No soggy sleeping bags for these speedy tent builders!

Torrential downpour doesn't even begin to describe what happened next. But we didn't let it kill our spirits. We all know that fish bite better in the rain, so we took advantage of the liquid sunshine and busted out the fishing poles.

Once the rain let up a bit, it was time to hunt for the least soggy logs we could find to start a fire.The guys handled most of the log hauling and tree chopping, while us girls tended to other important duties.

ROCK SKIPPING COMPETITION!

One wet woodpile + several good squirts of gasoline later, we had ourselves a campfire! 

Fire roasted potatoes and burgers. 

We sat by the fire the rest of the evening laughing, telling stories, eating s'mores, and just enjoying our time outdoors. 

It didn't rain much anymore overnight, so we got the fire roaring right away the next morning. After a quick breakfast and some coffee, we decided to journey farther upriver to do some more exploring. (Side note - anyone ever notice how burnt potatoes, overcooked eggs, and instant coffee taste AMAZING when you're camping?!? I wonder if I can trick myself into liking meat this way....)

The river got more narrow and more shallow as we went up. And it was full of sandbars. I know this because we actually ended up hitting one. We were gliding along smoothly when all of a sudden - THUD. The boat came to a halt, spun around, and crashed into the riverbank. Luckily, there were some fallen trees to stop us from being pulled into the current. Brandon was first to jump ashore to steady the boat. Unfortunately, he quickly discovered that the riverbank is quite erosive.

Poor B fell in and went underwater head to toe.

Once Brandon got back to dry land, it became a group effort to drag the boat along the bank until it was out of the trees and back to the middle of the river. Long story short- we were able to get the boat back on track and head downriver with a broken prop. At a top speed of 8 miles per hour. 

Needless to say, the journey home was looooooooooooong. And wet. And quite chilly. But we made it safe (thank you Lord), and overall had a blast. Besides, how boring would life be without a few misadventures here and there? (-;