There’s been a lot of talk of time lately. Talk of the changing of seasons, of the changing of the guard with last year’s volunteers leaving, of the changing of daylight and sunset. And all this focus on time has made me think about where I was at this point in time in years past.
Exactly four years ago today, I was just finishing my first week of college. I was 18 years old, living 2,000 miles away from home, and full of excitement and anxiety about the next four years of my life.
One year ago today, I was on my second day of my senior year in college. I had just returned to Texas after a year of living abroad; I was reunited with my friends and living in a new apartment. I was so excited about graduation and what the future might hold, though I never imagined it would involve living in Nome and working for a radio station (probably because I had never even heard of Nome at that point).
And much like I never imagined living and working here, I also never would have guessed all the incredible life skills I would learn. I wouldn’t trade my time in school for anything; it taught me so much about the world and about who I am as a person. Yet, in Alaska, I’ve found that I’ve needed a number of skills that weren’t taught in classes at my university.
I’ve learned how to fillet a fish: which moves to make to get the cleanest cut and how to avoid spilling the guts everywhere. I’ve been taught how to make homemade jam: how to sterilize the jars, and when to add the sugar. I’ve developed an excellent berry-picking technique (it involves sprawling across the tundra and picking every berry I can reach, then eating most of them). I now know how to use Adobe Audition; how to log spots; how to run my DJ shift; how to record fish reports from the phone; how to play CDs, records, and .mp3’s into the system; how to input the weather; and how to troubleshoot my mistakes.
And much like in school, I’ve learned a number of intangible skills as well. I’m better at laughing at myself when I mess up on air. I’m better at saying goodbye to people who come in and out of my life for just a short time. I’m better at accepting 50-degree weather in August.
Finally, there are still many skills in progress. I’m learning how to knit, how to watercolor, how to cook salmon in a variety of different ways. I hope to learn to drive a 4-wheeler, to shoot a gun, and to speak a few words in Iñupiaq, Yupik, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, and Siberian Yupik.
Exactly 103 days ago, I graduated from college. 98 days ago, I left Texas and school behind. 62 days ago I arrived in Nome. A year from now, I can’t tell you where I’ll be, but I can tell you that I won’t have stopped learning. Even though I’ve graduated and am out of school for the time being, one thing this experience in Nome has proven to me is that learning truly never comes to an end.
