Sunday, January 13, 2013
The Grass is (not) Always Greener on the Other Side
Moving from a village of 600 to Anchorage was definitely a dramatic change. Before, I only ate at home or in a relatives house, suddenly there was a plethora of restaurants to choose from ( I did not know what most of the food was either). In the village, the only option to shop for school clothes was to do so from a catalog, now there were malls, and shops EVERYWHERE. I was used to having to go to a public laundromat and paying out the butt to take a shower (not daily either), now I was free to shower whenever and as often as I wanted. At home I could walk from one end of town to the other in under fifteen minutes, now I had to find some type of transportation for everything I wanted or needed to do, and was often lost.
While this was all new and exciting, I soon began to miss the things that I had spent all of my life doing and eating. I missed walking next door to Gramma's house and eating her yummy bread. I missed eating fresh whale and fish. I missed the potlatches and the basketball games. I missed all of my cousin's being there whenever I needed or wanted to see them. I missed listening to the VHF (lol).
With this being said, what are the things you miss most about being in the village? For my reader's in the village, what do you wish were available that people in the city have easy access to?
I look forward to reading your replies. Quyana tailuten atam tang'rrciqamken! (thank you for coming)
( I would love to see photo's of your villages or your favorite foods in the village!)
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When I was living in Anchorage, I missed the Kotlik Eskimo Group. The joy of hearing more then 5 men singing. The spiritual energy it brought. I missed the ease of walking out the door to get from point A, to point B, without worrying of when the bus gets here, having enough money for gas for my car, the clean, fresh air, the site of "wild" from time to time. I missed seal & moose hunting so much. From going out hunting with my brothers & dad almost everyday to doing nothing of the sort in the city. Missed the clean air/wind kissing my face "good day". Having the spear, nuqaq, harpoon or rifle in my hand(s). Chasing that Bull Moose in the trees. Saying in excitement, "He-hey!". The smell of the tundra, eating freshest Salmon Berries. The taste of the Great Lower Yukon King Salmon! Oh my God, King Salmon is to die for! Travelling my snowmachine from village to village, many times by myself. I had no fear of MY life & I missed it so much!
ReplyDeleteNow, that I AK back in the village, I miss having a car-not having to walk from one end of town to the other in the bitter cold, getting caught in a snow storm. A vehicle made it much easier. The ease of picking up a phone or your cell to order food for delivery, when you're lazy or too tired to make dinner. Your price of fuel is what we would love out here in the villages, while city folk are complaining of their prices. The ease of medical care! No need to wait more then a week to be seen. Also, having your own doctor-not being seen by a different one every single time! To get to the next community is as simple as 1, 2, 3. Better education & jobs (although, many complaining of none). It seemed like it was easier to see friends & family that cake to Anchorage! I can't forget the cheaper prices of groceries! Groceries in bulk! Carnivals & fairs for families. Farmer's Market. Oh, how I miss the Farmer's Market; eating fresh, crisp salad!
I can go on and on of both the city & village life. I shall end here. Wish I can go hunting right now! :D
Do you have any pictures of Kotlik or of your favorite native foods that you are willing to share? Other people would love to see! Thank you!
DeleteI'm Swedish, but I can relate to what your saying in a way. I lived 3 years in Ireland and moved from a village 20 min with buss from a city, to smack into a city in Ireland.
Deletewhat I found interesting after a bit was that all Scandinavians started acting and missing the same things after about 1 year. 1 year seams to be a magical time frame. Swedish towns and cities are very close to nature, incorporating them into the cities in a much larger way then other european countries, I've found. And after that initial first year, we all started to get a bit restless and antsy. it took me nearly an entire year to figure out I was craving trees! Ireland was to me a cement jungle compared to what I was use to and if you wanted to spend any time close to nature, you had to pay for it, by visiting parks and castles. I could run out of work, jump on a buss and head out to the closest castle we had, aprox 1 hour away, just so I could walk on grass, be surrounded by trees and it instantly relaxed me.
As soon as I mentioned it to the other nordics, they instantly either went "me to!!" or "Ah, so that's what's bugging me!". :)
Also one of my friends from northern Norway walked in to the English market, where they are very proud of having all kinds of delicatessen from the sea and asked if they had whale. They got really angry at him and told him whale was an endangered animal and how could he. He tried to explain the whale he wanted wasnt endangered and happened to be regional staple food where he was from, but he decided wisely to get out of there as they where getting increasingly agitated. Poor guy! :D
Dear Nisse,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comment, You can't imagine my excitement after reading! I had no idea other people in this world ate whale! (besides Asians). I agree with you sooo much on the greenery thing, I am often telling my friends that the world seems so gray in the city. I had some customers from Norway today, and thanks to your comment we had a lot to talk about!I had no idea other people ate seals too! People in the city often say how wrong it is. I would love to see photo's of your village and share some with you as well and check out the similarities, if you are willing! Again thank you for the comment, very exciting!
~Sincerely TheModerNative
I miss the land part of the village. The ocean and the smell of it. The tundra. I miss the innocence of the kids and working with them. I miss some of the people, those who seemed to always be laughing and those who were content. I love the warmth (I mean this literally, it is warmer here temp wise in the summer and fall) of the city, the diverse cultures (I get to learn about them!) and the many options of activities to be apart of. I do miss the potlatches. I wish my kids could have the bet of both worlds!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to add that I loved growing into my adulthood in the city. I felt more room to be myself without hearing "look at her, she is trying to act like a gussuk". I love that you can be you in the city but in the village you have to worry about stepping on so many toes.
DeleteThat is so true, I think that in the city, it is easier for people to become themselves. It is easier to stand out, and find who you are, and not who people think you should be. I also think that it is easier for kids to be in the village. When my family first moved to Anchorage, the little ones were always crying to go back. They hated that they could only ride their bikes in the parking lot, and that there was no places to explore. They also hated that the neighbors would yell at them to quiet down. Thank you for your response, it is nice to know that other people share my same thoughts. Enjoy your day!
ReplyDelete~TheModerNative
I have lived here for the past 10 plus years in Anchorage. I work for a state agency. I have seen many people come here and are in culture shock from moving from a small community where everyone knows you and willing to help. To a town where it is so big that no one knows you and doesn't have the support group they are used to. It just all depends on how people handle the pressures of the change from a huge support group to a small one.
ReplyDelete