We do these family dinners in the KNOM house. It was a tradition started by the past crop of volunteers (and maybe it’s been going on for even longer than that), and it’s been morphing the past few weeks as people come and go.
Last night, family dinner was delicious salmon tacos with beans, Kristin’s guacamole, Francesca’s chipotle mayo, and some other toppings we gathered from the grocery store…and a 3-pound bag of tortilla chips Caitlin and I just couldn’t say no to.
We’re a full house now! With each new volunteer, a place at the table and room to grow. Kristin and Courtney have arrived safely in Nome and are finishing up their first week of training to be the lovely producers and DJs of 2014-15. Tara is the last “old volunteer” to leave us (tomorrow!), and thank goodness she’s coming back in about a month to assist Rolland with his dog team, because the goodbyes the past few weeks have been really difficult. It’s been a really wonderful opportunity to overlap so much with last year’s volunteers; I’ve learned so much from each of them, and their presence is definitely missed around the house.
So now, it’s just us. We’re beginning to form our own house dynamic and identity. We’ve taken a few drives through the tundra together, bonding over our mutual awe of this place, our hopes and anxieties about the year ahead. We’re learning a lot about each other, but everything is still fresh, and we’re all still new to each other, so it seems we’re just scratching the surface. But you know one day soon we’ll probably be taking each other’s underwear out of the dryer and bickering about who bought the wrong flavor of Tricuits that were on sale. But there will also be tons of love. I’m happy to report that the five of us are mostly weird and awesome and crazy, totally different in interesting ways and similar in important ways. I think we’ll live together well, work together well, and share responsibilities equitably. Or, you know, try as hard as 20-somethings can at that whole cooking thing. And besides occasionally dabbling into some Yeezus, our music tastes are blending well together. Which is good when you work at a radio station…
As for life at the KNOM station itself, things are heating up for the fall. The news department has been hopping, with Francesca and I trying to fill the shoes of our predecessors while figuring out the stories we’d like to explore and begin to tell this year. Sounding Board, our weekly call-in show Thursdays at 10 a.m., is back and off to a strong start. And we even have a couple of travel trips on the horizon—including one this weekend to Wales for the Kingikmiut Dance Festival! Last year, Emily and Dayneé attended the festival, and we’re really excited to take part in this opportunity now, too. For me, traveling throughout this region is probably the coolest part about working at KNOM. I know it’ll make me a better reporter, but it’s also why I wanted to move to western Alaska: not just to work here, but to live here.
And, as evidenced below, even when we stay in town, Nome has a wealth of adventure to offer.
