Juneau Jane

Third day of training. Team barbecue and icy dip. Letter from Jane at the end of her training follows below.

Saturday 29 May 2021

Dear family:

Wow. Wow. Wow. What a week!

Yesterday was my last day of orientation/training… and work officially starts on Tuesday!

Orientation was great. Some highlights include:

• Eating wild plants, including devil’s club and Sitka spruce tips

• Playing hide-and-seek among mighty hemlock trees

• Building a fire for the first time on my own (!!)

• Learning how to properly use bear spray and be bear aware

• The privilege of walking through the forest with a Tlingit ethno-botanist and learning about traditional uses of local plants

• Successfully identifying the following plants without a guidebook: dear heart, fireweed, skunk cabbage, salmonberry, watermelon berry, lupine, devil’s club, cow parsnip, elderberry, gray currants, and blueberries

• Leading an informal workshop on the Enneagram (and seeing coworkers deeply connect with it)

• Carefully listening for humpback whales surfacing

• Jumping in the (chilly) ocean to celebrate the full moon

• Observing colorful sea stars at low tide (one of the lowest of the year)

• Collectively envisioning and committing to create a culturally-responsive, trauma-informed camp experience, centered on social-emotional, place-based learning

Orientation was humbling – I have so much to learn. Still grasping for words, for my bearings, in a new place and new field of work. And yet I feel empowered and supported through the process. It’s really special to see each of us bring our different gifts and experiences to the table. I’m excited and grateful to work alongside a group of such passionate, wise, curious, fun-loving people.

I feel like I have been living in a time warp on another planet (in the strangest, best way). The 4am sunrise and 10pm sunset will definitely throw you off. Add that to the otherworldly beauty of this place. Mountains everywhere you turn, casually sitting among the world’s largest temperate rainforest and one of the world’s largest ice fields…right on the ocean! Whoa. Still pinching myself. What an honor it is to be here in Lingít Aaní (Tlingit land in Southeast Alaska). Gunalchéesh (“thank you” in Tlingit)! My heart is full.

Maybe this is beginning to become a regular thing? :)

Sending love,

Jane

P.S. I found a spot with arguably the best milkshake-fry combo I have ever tasted… that happens to overlook beautiful Auke Bay. Come visit and I’ll take you there immediately!