Last week was our first week of training with our student staff. It was great, and they are an awesome group of students! They are all very different, and I've learned that Anchorage is a very diverse city, full of lots of different kinds of interesting people. Training went well, and Friday was our opening day. It's great that things are finally underway over here. Conference Services operates like a hotel, checking in large groups, like athletic camps or conferences, and also individuals. It's nice that there is more of a buzz about campus now. Here are few pictures from training (yes, I made them play Ships and Sailors).
I am also getting to know a lot of the staff members here on campus. I am going to speak with the Director of Parking Services a little later this summer, to see how UAA facilitates their parking operations. We (the friendterns) also get to have these sessions with different professionals from around campus, including the Vice President of Student Affairs, so I am REALLY excited for that to start up. Works great--a new experience for sure, but interesting, challenging, and rewarding nonetheless. BUT HERE'S THE FUN STUFF... While I have been working a lot, I've also got some great supervisors who really encourage and support our desire to explore The Last Frontier. Here's a few pictures and such from this past weekend of adventures.
We took a drive to Girdwood, AK to see some glaciers. It was a beautiful drive down the coast! These are some scenery shots. Not sure of the names of the mountains, but I do know that the body of water is called the Turnagain Arm, named so because when Captain Cook reached the end, he had to "turn again."
We stopped at Beluga Point to take some pictures (sadly, the belugas did not receive this message...). Our next stop was for breakfast. We ate at the most adorable (and delicious) restaurant! It was called Jack Sprats. It was so cute that we decided to take pictures of our food to document said cuteness. (Oh, side note: As soon as we walked in, they started playing The Beatles Revolver album. I WAS IN ALASKAN HEAVEN!)
After the most adorable dining experience to-date, we continued our drive toward Byron Glacier. We were under the impression that we would drive up to a glacier, given that Maria said, "Hey guys, want to drive to Girdwood and see a glacier?" We were wrong. We began a "nature walk" (a.k.a. hike that was not on an incline), and it was B-E-A-UTIFUL!
Our gorgeous nature walk then took an unexpected turn as we reached the second half of the trail... which was covered in SNOW! We had to bravely traverse the treacherous mountain with no gear but two walking sticks. Okay, it wasn't that bad. It really wasn't bad at all. Quite entertaining, in fact. However, definitely unexpected, seeing as how it was May 29
Turns out, walking on snow is like walking on soft sand at the beach. Except, snow is cold and made of ice, so falling on the snow or getting caught hip-high in the snow was less enjoyable. Anyway... We made it to the glacier! This is Byron Glacier, in all of it's wonder and beauty.
After our trip to Byron Glacier, we took a short drive to see Portage Glacier. We knew what we were getting ourselves into this time--A BOAT TOUR! THAT SERVED HOT CHOCOLATE! It was great. However, we did not anticipate how cold it was going to be! It was freezing on top of the boat!
Saturday was fun! Sunday was a true expedition, though. We went on a real hike (incline included) with Tina, our boss. She lives in Eagle River, a town just outside of Anchorage. It was so beautiful up there. These next couple of pictures are from our hike, and I think they speak for themselves. Every time I looked around, I was more and more inspired to sing, "The hills are alive, with the sound of music...." We ended up hiking ELEVEN miles! I still don't believe this is true, but maps and atlases say otherwise. It was gorgeous, but not easy! I really had a great time though, and I think hiking might be my new favorite thing to do in Alaska (aside from boat tours that serve hot chocolate). We had a wonderful home-cooked meal at Tina's house afterward. On our way home that night, the most amazing thing happened. There we were, driving through the mountains, and all of a sudden, right next to the road, was a MOOSE! So, that was adventure weekend! There's still lots to do and see in Alaska, and I'm so excited about it all! My apologies for the long post, but some stuff was just too good to keep out (and I've still got a TON of pictures that aren't on the blog).
I'm still a little homesick, but yesterday, my parents said they were coming to visit me in July, so I'm feeling better about it now. It's weird to be this far away from Louisiana, especially in this time of crisis over there. Every time I watch the news, I just get more and more sad about what is happening at home. Also, every time I go to the grocery store and pass by BP Headquarters, I get a little more angry about it, too. It's hard to be in such a beautiful place and know what is happening elsewhere. Anyway, I just had to say a little something about the situation.
Sometime soon (hopefully) we are going to be doing the one thing I've wanted to do since I found out I was coming to Alaska. WILDLIFE BOAT TOUR! So excited about this. If you have any other suggestions of what to do or what you'd like to see pictures of, let me know!
Saturday was fun! Sunday was a true expedition, though. We went on a real hike (incline included) with Tina, our boss. She lives in Eagle River, a town just outside of Anchorage. It was so beautiful up there. These next couple of pictures are from our hike, and I think they speak for themselves. Every time I looked around, I was more and more inspired to sing, "The hills are alive, with the sound of music...." We ended up hiking ELEVEN miles! I still don't believe this is true, but maps and atlases say otherwise. It was gorgeous, but not easy! I really had a great time though, and I think hiking might be my new favorite thing to do in Alaska (aside from boat tours that serve hot chocolate). We had a wonderful home-cooked meal at Tina's house afterward. On our way home that night, the most amazing thing happened. There we were, driving through the mountains, and all of a sudden, right next to the road, was a MOOSE! So, that was adventure weekend! There's still lots to do and see in Alaska, and I'm so excited about it all! My apologies for the long post, but some stuff was just too good to keep out (and I've still got a TON of pictures that aren't on the blog).
I'm still a little homesick, but yesterday, my parents said they were coming to visit me in July, so I'm feeling better about it now. It's weird to be this far away from Louisiana, especially in this time of crisis over there. Every time I watch the news, I just get more and more sad about what is happening at home. Also, every time I go to the grocery store and pass by BP Headquarters, I get a little more angry about it, too. It's hard to be in such a beautiful place and know what is happening elsewhere. Anyway, I just had to say a little something about the situation.
Sometime soon (hopefully) we are going to be doing the one thing I've wanted to do since I found out I was coming to Alaska. WILDLIFE BOAT TOUR! So excited about this. If you have any other suggestions of what to do or what you'd like to see pictures of, let me know!
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