What a week!

What an exciting week! Starting with Valentines, followed by an awesome day of training (with NO STUDENTS!), a new teaching contract, and finalized with solidifying my trip to Anchorage to watch the start of the Iditarod dog sled race!

I already wrote about Valentine's Day, and I don't think my day of in-service training would be very interesting to you readers, so I'll skip straight to the good stuff! Mid-week I was offered another contract to return to Chevak school to teach for another year! As some of you may have known, I was nervously awaiting this time of year because I so badly wanted to come back to the village. From what I was told new contracts would be offered in March, so I was contently waiting for next month to come, but this year the news came early! I'm excited to be coming back to the village for another year, I have heard that I may be teaching 4th grade next year with a team teacher; I would teach math and science, my partner teacher would teach reading, grammar, and social studiesI can't wait to begin year 2!

Second piece of exciting news...I reserved my hotel today in downtown Anchorage, blocks away from the Iditarod action! I will arrive in Anchorage the evening of March 3rd and leave in the morning on March 6th. I think that this mini-vacation could not come at a better time. If you are in Anchorage you will probably find me at a local downtown bar, come find me! During the week I will be shopping, eating out, and relaxing around Anchorage, and hope to have a day trip to Big Lake to see my mentor Kathy, her husband Martin Buser (multi-time Iditarod Champion), and their 100+ dogs at their family kennel. I have been told there are all kinds of activities around anchorage such as ice sculpting and other Iditarod festivities.The main event, however will be the beginning of the Iditarod race on March 5th, when the dogs and mushers leave from 4th Ave. in downtown Anchorage.

I hope to keep this page updated frequently during my vacation so be sure to check back often!