Toothbrushes

The students up here do not get a chance to brush their teeth much.  I have the happy duty to make sure that all my students get their teeth brushed after lunch. 

I labeled their cups so that they would be able to use the same toothbrush everyday.  I did not count on them switching toothbrushes.  After hearing the story that people where switching toothbrushes more than three times from three different students, I had to assume that the story was true.  I swung into action.  Quickly I labeled each of the toothbrushes with the students names.  Crisis averted. 

The toothpaste is in little travel sized tubes and I have caught students poking through other students cups to grab the fuller tubes.  The poor kid was reprimanded for his poor choice and I pointed out to him that I replace all the tubes at the same time so they are all filled about them same.  It is a good thing they have the little kid toothbrushes, the bristle area is tiny, so they can't fit that much toothpaste on them.

Interesting foible of working in the bush.  Toothbrush behavioral expectations.

It is a foolproof system!

Post Office

The post office in Sr. Michael is a happening place, after school each day the teachers posse up and check for any new mail that has come in.  Really it is the only material connection to the outside world.  For example I have been trying to get a phone.  The one that I have received had a bad sim card.  The helpful employee suggested that I visit the closest phone store and I would get a free card for my trouble.  I told him that would be impossible because the nearest store was in Fairbanks, a $600 plane ride away.  We quickly made alternative arrangements to get me a new sim card.  Which will come to the post office. 

The Post Office (it has no signage to indicate that it is a post office)

The daily box check

Everyone has post office boxes, there is no home mail delivery.  I share one with my roommate, which I think benefits him more than me because I end up getting all of his mail for him.  Interestingly there are no real street addresses in St. Michael.  I think I could get away with just putting the zip code and my name on a package in order to get it.  When you are moving to the bush and you want an Alaska I.D., you just make up your street address.  People live at the oddest addresses up here.  72 Hi-ho Cherry-O Way, 100 Walrus Tusk Lane, and what I wanted 21 Blue Jay Way.  Trying to get companies to acknowledge where I live is a pain.  I use the schools address since I know that one exists and the companies always say it is a school and they can't ship there since I don't live there.  15 minutes of arguing later they send the package or whatever to the school.

The Postmistress, named Liz, is the only federal worker in town.  I feel that it would be a bad idea to get on her bad side.

I could be fostering a Newman vs. Jerry situation

Really Postmistress Liz is a very nice lady and is very patient in dealing with a desperate new teacher who needs his box of socks that has not arrived yet.

She was tickled that I asked to take her picture.

Now I should talk about the shipping situation.  What I have learned is that free shipping is worth every penny extra it takes to earn it.  Clothes get here faster than food.  Package tracking lies.  2-day shipping means that the package gets to Anchorage in 2 days and then who knows how long for the rest of the way.  For example my new boots. 

All lies!

I checked today 10/6 and they have not been delivered, just like everyday since the 3rd.  What happens is that FedEx and UPS do not ship it out here.  The U.S. Postal Service does.  Once FedEx reaches the end of their commitment and hands the package over to USPS they call it good and delivered.  So my boots are someplace between Anchorage, Nome, or Unalakleet.  The record so far for something I have ordered is 5 days, that is with 2 day shipping to get it to Anchorage.  It was my balaclava, which was small so that might have given it an advantage.

Another thing I have found funny about shipping things is the routes things take. 

Cat litter, if you are interesting in knowing.

I placed the order to a Wal-Mart in Anchorage (a long time ago I might add).  They are shipping the cat litter from Georgia.  I can't think that is very economical for Wal-Mart to give me free shipping and then ship the package from Atlanta. 

Other notes:
Everything is going well.  My kids are learning things and I am having more "good" days all the time.  The weather is saying it is 41 degrees out but it feels like 26 degrees because of windchill.  Luckily my windproof jacket has arrived, I will do a fashion post as soon as my boots get here.