Nursing in Barrow

Just in case anyone is wondering, yes there are Black Friday sales in Barrow…or at least one.   The printed fabric at the dry cleaners that doubles as the local fur and fabric shop was half off.   No long lines or waiting until mid-night to do shopping here. The sun has sunk below the horizon and won’t make its appearance again for just over two months, but the sky is not altogether dark yet.   In fact it’s the most beautiful deep satin blue early and late in the day and a light, pastel blue and pink around noon and for several hours if there is no cloud cover.   It’s breathtaking.   It will be growing darker and darker and then will gradually become lighter and lighter by spring and then light for 24 hours a day during the summer months.   I don’t think that I’ll mind this at all…it’s an interesting way to live and much conversation revolves around basic things with laughter about survival and coping strategies.   It’s intere...

I walked across the lagoon to the Thanksgiving Feast carrying a bag with my two loaves of pumpkin bread, the requisite plate, bowl, utensils and several gallon-sized zip lock bags that attendees were invited to bring in order to take home soup, whale meat and muktuk.   I hadn’t made plans to attend with any new friends having been in Point Lay and then Nuiqsut as well as being busy at the Barrow clinic, so I went alone.   I might have stayed home, but the thought of missing out on the opportunity to see how the Inupiat people spend their Thanksgiving and to try some of the traditional native food pushed me along until I was there.   I entered a large room at the Assembly of God Church and saw row after row of people sitting…talking, eating, laughing and children playing happily with each other.   At the door was a long table of large pots of soup.   I asked an Inupiat woman standing nearby what the soups were made with and she pointed out two that were caribou a...

On Monday morning, Darlene, Susie Q and I (known as Susi P) met others at the airport where we boarded the plane and flew to Nuiqsut to put on the last health fair of the year.   It was similar in ways to the ones that had been held in the other villages, but I was particularly glad about being able to update 18 people with Tdap immunizations.   I think the location of my table had a lot to do with this high success rate.   People stopped at the table Darlene and Susie Q manned where they were signed in and given cards that they would carry with them, receiving a stamp at each table.   A card filled with stamps netted a raffle ticket for some very nice door prizes.   Not strategically planned, but in hind sight, a very good idea, my table was the first people came to after signing in and receiving their cards.   Many of them sat in the chair located at the side of my table and said variat...

Wishing each person reading the blog a very happy Thanksgiving day--even those who don’t live in the United States where it’s celebrated today.   I hope you all feel similar to how I do—that there is much to be grateful for…more than can be listed, much of it on such deep levels that it would be difficult to put into words.   I hope this finds each of you feeling as though your lives are blessed and that they truly are.   If not, I hope that doors of blessings begin to open and that you find yourself in that bright place where there is only goodness…no self-doubts, no worries, no lack of any sort and no limitations…only a sense of being unconditionally loved and that life is bright and new, waiting for your happy participation.   I love writing and am honored that other people are finding the adventures and even the daily life here interesting.   Every once in a while I’m tempted to quit blogging, thinking “who would be interested in reading about my w...