Highlights from our team's expectations for their exchange

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Highlights from our team's thoughts about being a Cultural Ambassador

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What are some things you have learned about being a Cultural Ambassador that really stood out to you?: To respect how they act if they act weird or silly.
How do you feel about your role as a Cultural Ambassador?: I feel happy about being a Cultural Ambassador because we can see what its like to live in different places, and share what its like to live in ares.

What do you think the easiest part of being a Cultural Ambassador will be when you visit our Sister School community?: The easiest part of this for me would probably be answering easy questions such as "what is a kuspuk?". I have to be sensitive for what I take for granted, and what seems common for me, and what may not be common for others.

What we learned.

1. Read a route map
2. Match a map to a bus schedule
We also learned:
that the bus is not a commercial free-zone.

What we learned.

1. That the workflow from news collection to publishing involves complex processes organized into numerous stages
2. Due to the shrinking economy, increasingly highly skilled writers and
other ADN personell are having to assume other duties in addition to
regular duties
3. The corollary to the above is that in all or most economies, but in
particular our current highly vulnerable economy, life-long learning is an essential life skill.
4. Printers, like many forms of technology, are labor-saving devices
designed to be more efficient than previous generations of predecessors.

What are some of the important things that you have learned about your Sister Schools culture from this visit?: We share many similarities and some differences. The similarities we share include: having people and family we care about, most of us have chores, all of us have to go to school, and all of us enjoy movies and/or video games. The nature of our relationships, chores, purpose of school in our lives, however, is slightly different. Many of us live in close physical proximity to our families and our loved ones, whereas in the city, many have family that live far away from them. In Anchorage, the lives of the students often emphasizes the individual, whereas in Deering, greater emphasis seems to be placed on the group. The aspect of our work outside of school is often different. In Anchorage, chores don't involve getting water or burning trash. Instead, emphasis is place on other household duties.
How do you think that this visit has changed how you think about yourself and your own culture?: We are really proud that many people in our community came out to make this exchange a successful endeavor. Several of the elders came out to demonstrate and provide instruction on food preparation, tool usage, and traditional medicine. Others in the community came out to assist with kuspuk making/instruction, Inupiaq Day, jam making, and beading. Another individual provided a traditional caribou feast that included different ways to prepare the meat. We are all very thankful to live in a community of generous people willing to share their time and knowledge.