Leaving Bethel Behind...

Last weekend I sat behind a table at the Saturday flea market with a sign that read "VISTA Moving Sale...Help Me Get Home! I'm not sure if that "Pity me, I'm a volunteer" approach was entirely responsible for most of my stuff being sold that day, but it definitely helped. I've accumulated so much stuff since I've been here, and I need to get rid of it before I take off this weekend. I always feel good about giving people a bargain, so I didn't walk away rich, but I made enough to make a car payment. So all in all, it was a success. I think I'm still in denial about leaving though. As much as I complain about the weather here (it was -2 this morning, AND it snowed sideways all day on Easter!) I'm really going to miss it. It's amazing when you move to a place where people depend so much on each other for basic things (i.e. sanity,) and you grow super close to so many people.
I think if I stayed one more year and had a job that paid really good, I would probably better understand how so many people come here and end up staying 5 or 10 years. But for me, one year is plenty. My boxes are almost all packed and ready to be mailed. My thick wool socks are still on my feet and SO ready to come off! And my day pack is stuffed with power bars and ready for a new adventure.
So in three days I leave Bethel. I decided to take a couple weeks to travel and visit friends and family out west, before heading back to the east coast. So I'm spending a week in Eugene, Oregon with my bro, and then a week in Salt Lake to visit lots of family members and a few friends. I can't wait to be around family. I can't wait to go to Taco Bell. And even more than that, I can't wait to drive a longer distance than a ten mile loop. Living here can be so dissatisfying if you like to drive. Especially this time of year. It's breakup season, which means pot-hole and flood season for Bethel. It gets so bad that most people don't drive faster than 20 mph in a lot of areas. It definitely makes your days feel like they're in slow motion. So that definitely won't be missed.
But I'm really going to miss the Yup'ik culture. Last week I went to the annual Dance Festival here in Bethel, Camai, (pronounced Chuh-My) which means hello in Yup'ik. Typically dance troups from all over the world come to Bethel each spring for a 3 day intensive dance event. This year it was almost completely canceled due to unfinished construction in the high school, where it has always been held. But instead of completely canceling the event, the Camai committee decided to have one dance day for local dance troups to perform. So all day I sat in the bleachers watching dances with my friends. Their dances tell stories through movement and drum beats, such as hunting for seal. My favorite part is when the drum beats go from being soft and slow, to fast and loud, which is the part of the story where the hunter is catching the seal. It's such a beautiful thing to watch, especially when the little kids are up there dancing in full Yup'ik Eskimo gear. It almost made me want to stay for another year just to learn more about the culture and traditions. I feel like I've learned so much in such a short amount of time, but I know there is still so much more I have yet to learn about the culture. Yup'ik people are so strong, yet humble. The culture teaches patience, giving and appreciation. They don't think twice before giving to their neighbor. Which is quite refreshing since I'm used to dealing with people who won't think twice before stealing from their neighbor. I'm definitely going to leave Bethel with a new appreciation for life (and indoor plumbing.)