I follow a lot of travel blogs... A LOT.... The reasons are obvious, but mostly because now that I'm working, and not a student, I have to make everything count a little bit more. My 4 weeks of yearly vacation better be fucking amazing, right? Anyway, I was reading this blog about a girl from San Francisco who is living in Cambodia for a year to do some writing and English teaching. Sounds amazing, but of course it's not always a cake walk. I lived in France for 8 months and while it was one of the best experiences of my life, there were also some days that were just so frustrating for one reason or another. In that vain...
New Flash: Alaska is Hard [Sometimes]
A lot of things about Alaska make it easy and kind of perfect for black sheep, wanderlust Americans looking for a fresh start: it's in the U.S. so there's no visa requirements, the economy is pretty decent so there are usually jobs available, everyone speaks English (even if they speak other languages first), most places have first world infrastructure and accommodation, and the people are pretty welcoming.
Leigh and I are a case in point: we moved up here so I could clerk for the state trial courts. Within a month Leigh was working and soon after that she found an awesome permanent job. Our health insurance companies send us to a nice private hospital where we get excellent care.We have a list of favorite restaurants near our offices and home. We have a house, two cars, and a nice circle of friends.
But then there are the things that get to you, even if it's only every so often. Like how expensive everything is, even basic stuff like food and household supplies. In any other city of 300,000 people, we could have bought twice as much house for what we paid for our place in Anchorage. The average cost for an egg breakfast is $12, and a bowl of Pho costs $10 (it's $6 in Seattle with a free appetizer).
The stores often don't even carry the kinds of things you get used to in the Lower 48, like multiple options of the same thing for home improvement and decoration. The clothing stores seem to only sell the ugly shit they couldn't sell in Seattle. The bottom line is that, most of the time, it's better to just order your stuff and pay the shipping costs, which makes life even more expensive!
Then there's the wildlife: it is seriously cool that I've seen seals, otters, bald eagles, giant porcupines, and moose in person. It is less cool that I've run into bears when walking home from work and even less cool when I'm riding my bike on a trail and come around a corner to see a moose chilling on the bike path. Those things are big and very dangerous when spooked. I wouldn't give up the wildlife for anything, but it does add some stress to certain activities.
The hardest thing about Alaska is how isolated we are from everyone, everything, and everywhere else. Most of the time the distance from the rest of the world is what we appreciate most about Alaska. I can't imagine being 27 and just starting my life while having my family weighing in on every little decision. I know that's what parents do, but I'm a black sheep and very independent, so nothing pisses me off more than unsolicited input on my personal decisions. But everyone needs a change of scenery and a visit home. From Alaska, this is expensive and often a stressful decision. It's 3 hours and $500 for one R/T ticket just to fly to Seattle. It's a 15 hour trip to the Mid-Atlantic region (where both our families live) and the last time we went home it cost us about $1,500 in total airfare. Then there's the simple fact that I don't always want to use my 4 weeks of vacation to revisit childhood towns and hang out with relatives (sorry, I love my family, but that is NOT a vacation). I want to take Leigh to Germany and the UK, visit Southeast Asia, explore South America, and lay on a beach on a semi-regular basis. So sometimes the hardest part is deciding how to spend what little time and money we have: on a family visit or a real vacation.
At the end of the day we're better off here than anywhere else: we have jobs, we have a home, we have pets, we have friends, and it's summer time now so the weather is glorious. We'll just have to work around the rest of it.
New Flash: Alaska is Hard [Sometimes]
A lot of things about Alaska make it easy and kind of perfect for black sheep, wanderlust Americans looking for a fresh start: it's in the U.S. so there's no visa requirements, the economy is pretty decent so there are usually jobs available, everyone speaks English (even if they speak other languages first), most places have first world infrastructure and accommodation, and the people are pretty welcoming.
Leigh and I are a case in point: we moved up here so I could clerk for the state trial courts. Within a month Leigh was working and soon after that she found an awesome permanent job. Our health insurance companies send us to a nice private hospital where we get excellent care.We have a list of favorite restaurants near our offices and home. We have a house, two cars, and a nice circle of friends.
But then there are the things that get to you, even if it's only every so often. Like how expensive everything is, even basic stuff like food and household supplies. In any other city of 300,000 people, we could have bought twice as much house for what we paid for our place in Anchorage. The average cost for an egg breakfast is $12, and a bowl of Pho costs $10 (it's $6 in Seattle with a free appetizer).
The stores often don't even carry the kinds of things you get used to in the Lower 48, like multiple options of the same thing for home improvement and decoration. The clothing stores seem to only sell the ugly shit they couldn't sell in Seattle. The bottom line is that, most of the time, it's better to just order your stuff and pay the shipping costs, which makes life even more expensive!
Then there's the wildlife: it is seriously cool that I've seen seals, otters, bald eagles, giant porcupines, and moose in person. It is less cool that I've run into bears when walking home from work and even less cool when I'm riding my bike on a trail and come around a corner to see a moose chilling on the bike path. Those things are big and very dangerous when spooked. I wouldn't give up the wildlife for anything, but it does add some stress to certain activities.
The hardest thing about Alaska is how isolated we are from everyone, everything, and everywhere else. Most of the time the distance from the rest of the world is what we appreciate most about Alaska. I can't imagine being 27 and just starting my life while having my family weighing in on every little decision. I know that's what parents do, but I'm a black sheep and very independent, so nothing pisses me off more than unsolicited input on my personal decisions. But everyone needs a change of scenery and a visit home. From Alaska, this is expensive and often a stressful decision. It's 3 hours and $500 for one R/T ticket just to fly to Seattle. It's a 15 hour trip to the Mid-Atlantic region (where both our families live) and the last time we went home it cost us about $1,500 in total airfare. Then there's the simple fact that I don't always want to use my 4 weeks of vacation to revisit childhood towns and hang out with relatives (sorry, I love my family, but that is NOT a vacation). I want to take Leigh to Germany and the UK, visit Southeast Asia, explore South America, and lay on a beach on a semi-regular basis. So sometimes the hardest part is deciding how to spend what little time and money we have: on a family visit or a real vacation.
At the end of the day we're better off here than anywhere else: we have jobs, we have a home, we have pets, we have friends, and it's summer time now so the weather is glorious. We'll just have to work around the rest of it.
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