1st Update

So, at the end of my first week, I thought I would send you all a few notes from my very new and fun experiences in Alaska.



· Tuesday it snowed all day/Wednesday it was 35 degrees, bright and warm and sunny/Thursday it was 75 MPH winds and COLD/Friday it was gorgeous and clear, the Chugach Mountains around the campus showed their true faces and it was breathtaking

· Not being responsible for a building, students, or a duty phone….epic….until next week, when I start my rotation of being on call for the University as a whole…every 3 weeks…but we scheduled out duty through January and I have 10 weeks of being the last line of defense and having to be within 15 minutes of campus. But..I do not have to carry an additional phone, just forward it to my personal phone

· I met all the students at the last all hall meeting for the year. They introduced me and the students asked me much I support Obama and if I was a surfer…LOL…Palin does not rule up here…but some people do support her more than they do Mr. Barack.

· I was approached by the student who is bringing her sled dogs to campus this weekend. We went and saw the kennels, the fence, and the dog area…right by the residence halls in the woods, and right next to my office…Only in Alaska! 7 dogs now live on campus for the next 3 weeks, to see if this will work and turn into a class for the Fall. Sled Mushing 101….Steph Welin..let me know when you will be up to do quality control

· I get to go two hours south this weekend to Seward, on the south coast as the staff/faculty person responsible for the students going to the Sea Center to go on a field trip to see whales, seals, and other Alaskan aquatic wildlife…even a polar bear!

· I am driving a friend’s jeep Cherokee (yes Liz, part of my dream is being realized) and I love it..

· No apartment yet, but on the heels of a nice house in which I get to chop wood and clear the snow in the winter for a discount on my rent J

· I have to get my Alaska Driver’s license next week, then I can attempt to start driving the Campus Safety vehicle…the stickshift…ughh

· I will be in a weeklong FEMA training course with UAA, so I get to hang with their campus police and res life next week. Should be entertaining as hell..FEMA…I had to take online courses this week to be certified as a team leader….go team…let’s defend against mother nature.

· I will get to advise their version of RHA starting in the Fall…J