Day 1

It’s Dustin…

Our day of travel was certainly more eventful than I imagined it would be. During a four-hour layover in Bethel, Giselle and I were taken to town by a very thoughtful school official and we went to the C’amai dance festival at the Bethel Secondary School. The festival was a full-weekend event that was clearly popular among the citizens of Bethel. We saw a wide range of dance acts indeed including traditional Yup'ik dance, Vietnamese Hmong dancers, and even a hip-hop-style stomp routine. The school was filled with all sorts of friendly community members; the event was lively and I wish we could have stayed longer.

However, we took one of Bethels many cabs (we were told it has more taxis per capital than any city in the country) back to the airport and hopped in a Cessna. From Bethel, we had an exciting low-altitude ride out to Mountain Village and then here to St. Mary’s. As soon as we landed, the principal from St. Mary’s picked us up and gave us the grand tour of the surrounding area. The village is about six miles from the airport and sits on right on a hill overlooking the lower Yukon River. We were driven around the village and led through both the elementary and high school buildings. The schools have very nice classrooms, exercise facilities, and they each have a great computer lab as well. I’m really looking forward to meeting the kids tomorrow when they come in.

Mountain Village Tribal Dancers at the Cama'i Festival in Bethel!

A Mountain Village family being picked up at the airstrip.

St. Mary's from the airport road.

-DN