Nursing in Barrow

I ordered a new camera on June 8 th and received it on June 13, a remarkable turnaround time.  Packages sent to Barrow vary in the length of their journeys which seem to have a relationship to the amount of travelers also coming this far north.  I expect that with summer in front of us, along with many tourists coming to enjoy all points of interest here, that packages will become a second priority again.  It’s not uncommon when tracking orders, to see that they are at the USPS facility in Anchorage, but seem stuck there for quite a while.  No complaints though…this all contributes to a more highly developed personal characteristic of patience that is very useful when standing in line sometimes for close to an hour to pick up said packages and when attempting to use the internet during peak hours.  Seriously though, it is wonderful to be able to walk outside and immediately touch dirt instead of pavement, see what seems like forever and to have not even one tr...

I’ve loved this past winter, my second one.   It feels as though it just began and not possible that a second spring is here.   I remember last year that I wasn’t anxious for it to come and was dismayed when the snow and ice melted revealing a vastly different terrain of endless potholes filled with muddy water, soggy tundra, a fluid instead of a frozen and navigable on foot or bicycle lagoon and corners of just about every street flooded with large pools of water.   Barrow is absolutely beautiful when covered with snow.  It’s difficult to describe, but for me, there really is nowhere on earth as beautiful as a treeless, mountainless, snow-covered terrain.  The ground meets the sky in every direction and one can see clearly almost forever.  I love the cold.  It’s invigorating, stirring one’s body and emotions, or mine anyway, to what feels some days, like peak performance.  Along with the wind it creates an environment where a sense of ac...

It’s light now for more than 12 hours a day.   The sun rises above the icy horizon not long after 8 am, is still radiating its brightness now, at 8 pm and will set sometime after 9 pm tonight.   The days are getting increasingly long, motivating me to create a dark place in my apartment for sound sleep during the summer when the sun is up 24 hours a day.   My blackout curtains last year didn’t prevent bright beams of sun from shining around their edges into my bedroom all through the night creating the illusion that it was midday.   I continually felt as though I should be up and being productive, making the most of the lightness, so consequently didn’t feel rested for most of the summer.   Foiling my windows prevents one from seeing out during the day, so plan B is developing this year.  My apartment has a wonderful room in the hallway that works well as a library for me with two tall bookshelves and a place to sit and enjoy reading or praying.  ...