Musky, M*****, and Moving On
It’s almost summer vacation!!! This weekend I am packing boxes; three are finished so far, mainly books I can’t seem to part with and clothes I don’t wear. The house is beginning to look bare, which is a nice feeling. Once again I’ll say goodbye… or perhaps I’ll say, see you, since I’ve learned that there really is no word for goodbye, because my soul will always be drawn back and I will always be recognized. This, I am sure, is a strange concept; it really make sense when you out here.
I have been living in an old orphanage that was built in the 1930’s during the TB outbreak. Although the building is connected to a painful history, I’ll miss the windows that make me feel like I am sailing on a ship through beautiful landscapes. I can just see the bay, and picture it’s seals and puffins. I imagine the whales swimming freely through the sea, spinning under the water- how nice it must feel against their skin. I look at the miles of tundra and imagine the lynx prancing through the spruce- how silly those cats are to be living in the arctic. Did they get lost or do they just really love it here? I imagine the musk ox looking at each other thinking “my this really is nice.” I wonder what those musk ox think because every morning when I walk out my door one of them looks right at me. Even though its body is detached, it’s frozen head sits on top of an old oil drum and radiates calmness and liveliness. This confuses me, when I think about it. Without realizing it I have started to call him Musky. “Hey Musky… Good Morning!… I think it will snow today Musky, what do you think?” And yes, I do wonder how is he going to smell when the weather warms up; will he begin to bleed again. As he melts I visualize him walking out into blueberry covered hummocks scattered with spruce trees. He turns as if waving goodbye with his eyes. What a beautiful existence Mr. Musky has… and so well loved.
This week some people from the village I lived in last year contacted me. There is more bad news (so you can skip this part if you don’t want to hear it). Two of the teachers left in March. One of them had the position I had last year. Also, the father of one of my students committed suicide. And, a man was murdered by his brother. As village law goes, the man is still walking around. The kids in that region need so much help. I personally think the school district needs to be shut down. They are adding to the problem. I leave at this, you know there is more to the story.
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