Has it really been 30 days?

Well apparently it has. It's been a month since I've touched down in the land of snowy cold darkness. I'd like to share with you a few of the things I've noticed/observed/learned these past few weeks:

-People eat road kill. Really. They do. There is even a sign up list and procedures and protocols for this. Now maybe this happens back home and I was just blissfully unaware. However, here it's common knowledge. A moose was killed a few steps from our driveway and J went out to see if he could have it, well the ranger wasn't having it and told him there were people ahead of him on the list. Free meat I suppose.

-There is no such concept at the US here. There's the lower 48 and then there is Alaska. I saw a sign on a truck the other day that made me chuckle. It was for a shipping company and it said "we deliver to Alaska, Canada and the US." Everyone around here refers to things as us and them. There's almost a wistful nostalgia to it. 

-Boots are a mandatory clothing article. I was met with bewilderment and gaping mouths when I stepped off the plane in my faux Birkenstock. It was a mad dash and rush to find me a pair of boots. Now granted, given my limited amount of time here I only own one pair but it's pretty typical to have a closet full for each occasion. 

-No one cares what you look like. Honestly. I walk around with barely a trace of tinted moisturizer, jeans from 8 years ago and a long sleeve shirt from my previous nanny days and I fit right in. You actually look like a goof ball and out of place if you are all dressy and fashion forward.

-There is one phone area code. Which makes putting up billboards nice but if you're a spaz with numbers like I am you keep inverting what the prefix should be. 

-Being a tom boy is not an oddity. Kids catch fish, do karate, ski, hike and hunt and parents don't take a million pictures. That's normal around here. 

-Kids play outside when it's 0 degrees outside. Now maybe my view on temperatures has been skewed slightly but that seems really cold to me. Yet every Monday I pack a giant bag for both girls with all their snow gear and that's where they head for recess. 

-On the topic of weather....I now love 20-30 degree days. Those are the days when I'm not bundled like an Eskimo and simply go out in my fleece and down vest. I love the days where my nostrils don't freeze. 

-Roads. I can barely see them half the time either due to people blaring their brights on me, snow or icy rain falling or fog rolling in from the inlet. There are also a lot of moose. In fact today alone a giant steer (?) went running across the road no problem and further on down were 5-6 moose just casually eating away. When we went sledding in Anchorage there was a moose just hanging out around by the hill and no one cared. 

-Being an au-pair and a nanny/babysitting are two totally different functions. There are so many more rules, mores and general questions as an au-pair. The role you play and the hours you work are so jumbled it's discombobulating sometimes. I'm hoping it'll work itself out soon. 

-It really is dark here. A lot. The sun doesn't usually start coming up until I'm on my way home from dropping off the girls. That's about 9:30-10ish. The days where we actually see the sun are far and few between. If it's out it's usually hiding behind the clouds and the day is overcast. And, yes the sun starts to set around 3:30 here. 

-Things I miss. Restaurants with more options than a plain salad to eat. Being able to call my friends and not just video chat but actually hanging out. I miss simple conveniences like Walgreens and Kinko's and fast internet. I miss being able to drive five minutes and be somewhere as opposed to everything being 20 minutes apart in relation to home. Being able to have a place this neither work nor

-Things I'm enjoying. Learning the Alaskan way. Learning to find things on my own. The definition of fun now includes Contra dancing. Hanging out with the girls, especially when we're not running from place to place. The motivation to slow down and appreciate the day because I'm gonna have to go home and find something to write about.

-I've really enjoyed hearing feedback from so many people that they are reading this spewing of my dwindling brain cells. I really miss everyone back home and encourage you to eat chocolate in my honor. Lots of love and peace being beamed your way.-