By the time I get around to publishing this post, our humble Volunteer Blog should be filling with musings, photos, and excitement concerning Iditarod. While it’s true that this sled dog race has, for good reason, consumed our lives as we each play integral parts in reporting the race, I believe it is important to remember what really matters about day-to-day life as a KNOM Volunteer.
Unicorns.
I’m not joshing you, pulling your leg, or just messing with your perceptions of what it means to be a KNOM Volunteer as a large part of my experience here has indeed revolved around these majestic creatures. Should you the reader be one of the lucky individuals who is accepted for a year of service in whimsical Nome, Alaska, unicorns might just end up meaning something special to you as well.
Some of the earliest remnants of unicorn paraphernalia within the volunteer house include these mysterious room markers carbon dated back to August of 2012.
I wish I could trace for you the history of unicorns within the V-House but, like most wonderful and magical things, the origin of the story is blurry. What I do know is that the birth of this volunteer based meme springs from a shared wish by all of us volunteers to maintain a since of whimsy and wonderment within our walls.
Now I feel I need to send a special signal to the up and coming KNOM volunteers. First off, do whatever you can to embrace whimsy. You’ll find that adopting a fantastical interest serves you well in an offbeat community such as Nome and a little magic in your day to day life can take you far in the dark, cold days of winter. Secondly, not unlike an archeological dig site, I hope that somehow the unicorn friends I have helped to uncover remain as a presence within the house. Sure, you don’t have to buy your own unicorn masks, bake unicorn cookies, or even keep our copy of the DVD The Last Unicorn. What I feel you should do however, is always keep a spirit of something lighthearted and enchanting within your hearts. If that spirit happens to be in the shape of a unicorn, then more power to you.
I’ll leave you with this thought with some of my favorite unicorn photos from the past few months. Enjoy!
