Normal Life

Life is normalizing here. We've been settled into our home for awhile now, our jobs are fully underway, we have no trips planned in the near future to break things up, and we have a pretty good routine figured out. The tell all is the fact that Aaron and I have both contracted the "Bethel Crud" as we heard it's been called. Apparently, anyone who moves here is sick a lot during their first year. I doubted it would happen to us, but I guess we're not immune. Plus, I think our sinuses are permanently damaged from living in a really old dusty Chicago apartment for two years where the carpet appeared to be twenty years old. But I digress. Anyway, we've been a little under the weather for the past few days, but life feels pretty normal.

I think there is this really mystical idea of Alaska, and certainly those elements exist, but the reality is that people's lives up here are uncannily similar to people's lives everywhere else. People work, go to school, volunteer for community events and causes, go days on end without seeing any Alaskan wildlife or wilderness, and watch lots of TV and movies like people everywhere else. I think the real difference is that you learn to appreciate the little things, that are really the biggest things, in a place like this. We pay $14.00 for the cheap gallon ice cream, and $7 minimum for a gallon of milk, so we think a lot more about the food we go through. We've had more rainy and cool days this summer than I've ever experienced, but it makes us really appreciate those rare warm sunny days we've had the past few days more than ever before. You really notice it when you don't have it all the time. And the same goes for the standard things a lot of people have access to everyday. When I heard a group of co-workers talk about a trip to Anchorage and what they like to do when they go there, you'd think they were going on a Vegas vacation! The places to eat, the movies to go see, the shopping to do. These are normal things in most circles, but they're not at people's fingertips here in Bethel. They're at least a plane ride away.

If you find a good group of people and take the "inconveniences" of living in the "bush," as a way to appreciate the essentials of life that are often taken for granted, Bethel can be a great, normal place to live. And as can be seen, our Kiah girl is enjoying a very normal life here. She's growing leaps and bounds and makes us laugh everyday. I think it's true that pets are the best therapy, especially a good dog.