Connection

I've been thinking a lot about feeling and being connected lately.  Selfishly, but also for the people that live in Kotzebue full-time.
One of the first things I wanted figured out when I arrived here was a WiFi connection.  My mobile carrier is Verizon, and there's no service.  AT&T has a tower, but alas, that's not my company.  So my phone roams all day long, sucking data and still not having a reliable or consistent connection.  At the hospital, there is WiFi and I can use WiFi calling though Verizon.  Works pretty well, I'm able to call and receive calls.  But as soon as I leave work, I'm back in the same boat.
So I researched WiFi options for my apartment.  There seem to be 2 options in town, one is through a cable company, the other is through satellite.  For unlimited data, satellite is the way to go.  BUT, the signal is hit or miss and could be out for weeks.  So cable is what most people use.  The problem with cable is it's a data plan system, so you choose how many GB you want and what speed.  The fastest speed option is up to 10 Mbps.  From what I've been told by tech savvy people, 10 Mbps is still pretty slow.  And the "up to" part is key, as it's often slower than that.

I went to sign up for cable internet only to find out they were out of WiFi routers through Jan 2020.  I could get hooked up through a modem, but I would only have a hard connection through an ethernet cable, no WiFi.  That wouldn't work for me.  So I asked my neighbors if we could share WiFi.  They agreed, and everything was great for a weekend.  But before we knew it, they were out of data and asked me to stop using their WiFi.  Luckily, one of the nurses had an extra router, I got my own cable hooked up, and voila, I now have WiFi.  I have to monitor my usage to make sure I don't run out of data.  And when it's slow, it's slow.  That's just the way it is.
Though I enjoy streaming shows and movies, my real motivation for having WiFi is to be able to call family and friends.  Though I could stay at the hospital and chat, being at home on my couch gives me a better feeling.  More relaxed, less rushed.  Unfortunately, there's often an echo or voices cut out.  But not always.  So I'll keep calling, keep texting.  Hope I don't get cut off.
Then there are the native people here.  They are called Inupiat.  Culturally, they are a subsistence tribe, meaning they live off the land.  Many natives still enjoy hunting and fishing, making clothing out of the skins from their hunt and building with their hands.  That doesn't mean they don't enjoy the luxuries of modern life.  Most people I've met have a cell phone, drive vehicles and live in proper structures.  But they also have camps out of town where they go, off the beaten path and away from modern conveniences.  Maybe I'll be invited to go to a camp one day, I'd like that.

A dog sled out for a run over the frozen lagoon. 
If you look close, you can see modern windmills beyond the hill in the distance.

Everyone speaks English though they also have their native language, Inupiaq.  Like with other native people groups, their culture and language were threatened and discouraged after the Europeans came.  Thankfully, thoughts have shifted and there are more efforts to preserve and celebrate their culture now.  For example, our hospital has a long term care wing for the elderly, and they serve local cuisine (caribou, muktuk= whale blubber, seal oil, etc) once a month for their residents to enjoy.  My patients often use Inupiaq words mixed into their English sentences.  They'll say "I have a lot of nuvak", which means mucus/phlegm.  I'm trying to catch on.

Muktuk- whale skin and blubber.  Usually eaten raw, though can also be eaten frozen or cooked.

I was able to take a weekend trip to Anchorage over Veteran's Day weekend.  Along with some shopping to replenish my food pantry, I made an appointment with a dentist (thankfully they were open on Veteran's Day) and checked out the city.  It was refreshing to get away, see the beautiful mountains, check out the zoo and museum.  Go see a movie.  Overall, it was an enjoyable trip.

The amazing mountains behind the fun eat-in theater I enjoyed in Anchorage

As soon as I got back, I repacked and headed to my first village- Point Hope.  To read a bit about the village: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Hope,_Alaska.

The flight took 1 hour on a single propellar plane.  I got to the airport 1.5 hours early, had to wait outside in the cold for 45 minutes until the terminal opened, then waited another 30 minutes before they finally took my bags and we walked right onto the plane.  No ID needed.  Full water bottle, no problem.  I went with a PA student (Ciara) and we were the only 2 passengers along with 2 pilots (we think one might have been learning), 3 empty seats and the rest of the plane full of cargo.  Like large boxes of tortilla chips.  Ciara and I figured if we crashed, we'd at least have chips to keep eat :)
We arrived at 10 am, the sun was just starting to come up over the horizon.  From above, Point Hope looks like a perfect rectangular grid.  The airport was the tarmak and a few vehicles waiting to pick up the cargo and passengers.  No building.  When we got off the plane, we collected our luggage from the lower compartment of the plane and looked for our ride.  We couldn't find anyone from the clinic, so hopped on the senior center van which took us right to our clinic.

Point Hope from the plane just before landing at 10am.

The clinic is actually quite roomy.  There are 4 medical exam rooms, 1 dental room, a couple counseling rooms, a trauma bay and a couple of sleep rooms.  The dentist and one of the counselors live in Point Hope year round (unusual for most villages).  Currently, there are 2 CHAPs (Community Health Aids) who manage the patients 24-7 when no providers are present.  They call in to the "Radio Room" in Kotzebue that's manned by a provider who advises on any medical interventions or treatments that might be necessary.  The CHAPs handle it all- anything from the common cold to major trauma, overdoses, deliveries.  Of course, anything too complex gets sent to Kotz or Anchorage via medivac.  

The clinic with our trusty ATV parked in front

The clinic was short staffed, so Ciara and I had to do our own thing during our stay.  We roomed the patients, got our own vitals, drew blood, gave vaccines.  Nothing too ground breaking, but things I haven't done in years (or ever).  There is a small pharmacy in the clinic that has basic medications in a kind of vending machine.  If I needed a med, I'd order it and the computer would tell me if it was available in the village or if it would have to be sent out from Kotzebue.  If there was a flight delay, we'd try and scramble to find a temporary supply for the patient to help manage their symptoms until the plane could land.  And if labs were collected, we also relied on planes to transport them to the lab in Kotz.  Lots of delays with this system.
It was very windy while we were there, gusts 60+ mph.  The temperatures were in the teens, but with the wind chill, it got into the negative teens- burrrrrr.  We rode an ATV around the town, but our faces and fingers got so frozen we couldn't stay out long.  Then it took a while to get our fingers feeling back to normal.  Frost bite was a fear, thankfully we didn't push the limit that far.  Though we also couldn't resist getting out and about a bit.
Point Hope is known for whaling.  The season starts in April/May and there's a big celebration in June every year- 100+ people fly in, making PH a hopping place.  There are whale bones stacked up around the town, some artistically placed.  They also use whale bones to mark their cemetary- I got to see it but didn't get a picture as we were in a rush to catch a plane.  When a whale is caught, they cut it up and distribute the pieces among the towns people.  We were told they bury the tail and wait for it to ferment.  Sign of fermentation is when the water slushes, then they dig up the tail and again, distribute to those who want it.  One of my patients said only the elders eat the tail these days.

Some artsy whale bones out in the tundra.  It was hard to take my glove off long enough to snap this pic with the wind chill!

We were supposed to leave Thursday afternoon.  But with the high winds, all flights were cancelled.  The wind continued to howl through the night, and the morning flights were also cancelled.  Luckily, the winds calmed down enough to allow a flight to come get us Friday evening.  Otherwise, who knows.  I had heard there could be weather delays.  I didn't know it would happen on my first trip up.  But I now know PH is a windy place through the winter and not to expect to arrive or depart as scheduled.  I'm scheduled to go back in January, we'll see.

One of the planes.  This one left Friday afternoon without us- it was a charter flight and they were full!

It was interesting how much different PH felt from Kotz.  Yes, it was smaller.  People were mostly nice.  But everything was slower.  The computers, the pace of the clinic.  I didn't mind being there but I found myself longing for my apartment in Kotzebue.  I wanted my bed, my TV, my WiFi.  That extra day was rough.  I got to help out the CHAPs with a midnight overdose I would have otherwise missed.  I tried the local pizza (surprisingly quite good).  And when I got back to Kotz, I was finally able to rest.
There will be more new experiences with the holidays coming up. Opportunities to get to know my collegues and neighbors better.  Explore the town, especially when I'm properly dressed and there's some daylight.  I'm trying to take one day at a time.  Not get too bogged down with the little details (hard for me).  I'm taking vitamin D.  I still really enjoy my sun-rise alarm clock.  Let's see what more Kotz has in store.

Waiting for a plane to taxi with my neighbor on one of our weekend walks.