I thought I’d seen it all. Ok, that’s a lie, but at least I thought I’d seen all the places I could fall in love with in Alaska throughout the three years I’ve lived here: Girdwood, Kodiak, McCarthy, and Hope, to name a few.
I imagine a long and committed future with this great state, and up until about a month ago, I thought I knew where I’d eventually put down roots. It would be somewhere in Southcentral, close to the friends that have turned into family over these past three years. It would be somewhere with great trails and tall mountains, offering endless opportunities to explore and challenge myself in Alaska’s great terrain. It would be a place that boasted wildness and elicited wonder. But it would also be a place with a local brewery or two, a place where you could get a good cup of coffee and a fresh baked pastry (I’m looking at you, Fire Island).
You get where I’m going with this. But over these last two months in Nome I’ve seen places that have shaken my understanding of what I thought I wanted from a hometown. Don’t get me wrong, no place is perfect, and I’ve witnessed my fair share of imperfections not just in Nome but nearly every place I’ve lived in and visited in the past three years.
But some places are just better than others. A better fit, a better feeling, a better future prospect. The first time I left Nome I traveled up to Kotzebue and then on to Point Hope. I can clearly remember the feeling I got when I stepped off the plane in Kotzebue. A new place with different energy and a different layout felt exciting to me. Now this is a place I could see myself in, I thought. But later on when we landed in Point Hope, a community with an impressive history and a persisting culture, I thought no, this, is idyllic. In Point Hope, whale hunting is still a major part of the community’s identity, as is berry picking and basket weaving. Where’s the fault in that?
The last place I visited was Unalakleet. I thought I had fallen in love before, just as you think your first boyfriend is the one, but this community truly got me giddy. Every single person I encountered was nothing but warm and welcoming, which means a lot to a stranger with no real understanding of the town’s dynamics, let alone a ride from the airport. Within ten seconds of leaving the airport, I was offered a ride to wherever I wanted to go. That was a good thing, since I really didn’t know where I was headed. The rest of my time spent in Unalakleet was equally as impressive (see the profile on Boyuck Ryan).
I don’t know where I’ll call home ten years from now, let alone where I’ll be headed ten months from now, but I can tell you there are a lot of great options out there.
