Fairbanks; the Time Capsule

The point of this blog is not only to let the world know what I’m up to but also to give anyone interested in Alaska an impression of what Fairbanks is all about, because it’s a pretty damn fascinating place. Why is it so fascinating? I’m not sure. I repeatedly observe people (self included) getting sucked in by this place and never wanting to leave but also having a hard time putting into words why they want to stay so badly. “It’s just the excitement of being somewhere different – it will pass“, some say. “Oh she met a guy…”, others rationalize. “It’s the nature and outdoor adventures opportunities”, proclaim all the sports enthusiasts. “Alaska gets in your blood”, locals exclaim. Somehow that last statement is closest to the truth. While I can’t deny the other arguments, there is something more to it. In Fairbanks there is a sense of space both physically and psychologically greater than anywhere else I’ve ever been. Physically we are surrounded by wild nature on all sides and most houses and cabins are spread out with plenty of land between neighbors. But it is also like the sky is bigger, the vision clearer and the air fresher. 

Psychologically there is room for you whoever you are and regardless of what you do. Your level of education, job situation and political views don’t define who you are up here. Your appearance and general sense of fashion couldn’t matter less and practical clothes has somewhat become a statement of this in itself. Flat hair is a given with the hats you are forced to wear every time you step out and combined with irregular showering a good hair day makes you feel like you’ve been to the spa. A relaxed attitude towards time and the American small-talk culture makes you worry less about hurrying around and keep you in the moment. It also makes it seem like the rest of the world is speeding by, always hurrying towards something better, bigger or new while time stands still in Fairbanks and I finally have time to catch my breath.   

January 2012 has now officially been named the 7^th coldest month since 1904 with an average temperature of -31 C (-24 F). Classes have started; I’ve paid my tuition and started developing my research. James is sleeping, the cats are meowing quietly and it’s time for tea.

The technicalities of my MA studies

On this Wednesday afternoon I do not want to talk about the weather, because nothing has changed. On second thought, I could mention that due to the huge amounts of exhaust fumes the air quality in town is now considered unhealthy for pregnant women and children so they are advised to not breathe outside (???). 

I however, have finally signed up for classes at the university and met with my advisor. There are positive as well as negative aspects of this progression. It seems that the flexible system and wide range of courses I was so amazed by as an undergraduate at UAF is something I will only dream of as a MA student. I am allowed to take exactly one class outside the Anthropology Department during my studies. Since there are no anthropology professors who specialize in health in my department (and therefore no classes about health) this will certainly complicate the development of my research. Luckily I am allowed to choose one or two professors for my thesis committee outside the department and so hopefully they will be able to guide me.

You may wonder what all of this committee and advisor nonsense is all about and so I shall enlighten you right now. As a master student at UAF my course of studies are based on a committee of faculty members who will guide me and help me plan which classes are relevant for me to take. They will also guide and approve my developing research resulting – hopefully - in a master thesis. This construction is the reason why I chose to apply to graduate school at UAF. I will be working closely with faculty throughout my studies and not just for 5 months like in Denmark. My advisor will be part of my committee and the person I will work with the most. I will personally choose my committee members and so this semester I have to mingle, get to know the professors and find out who I’d like to advise me. I’ve signed up for three courses in the Anthro. Department with each of the three professors who could potentially serve on my committee. The courses are: Kinship and Social Organization, Gender in a Cross-Cultural Perspective and Research Design.

First day of classes is tomorrow. The familiar stomach jitter when starting something new has set in. The pressure of having to perform and being evaluated on a daily basis is starting to return after 7 lovely months of no academic expectations. I will have to work hard to not let the pressure consume me but at the same time there is always going to be pressure from somewhere, from someone and so better face it and deal with it than try to avoid it. So here we go…

This is gonna be about pee...

Today I find myself alone at the house. James has gone of to “Magic Monday”, which means he’s playing magic cards at the bar with other enthusiasts. I enjoy my own company, but the quietness is getting to me. In Denmark I’ve always lived in places where I could hear if not see my neighbors. I’ve always been surrounded by people, shared apartments with people or lived in communes with plenty of people. Here it’s just me surrounded by quiet and still-very-cold snow. I don’t want to hide from it. I want to face the quietness and become comfortable with it. And so when I finish this blog I will go pee in the snow and stand in the dark for a moment to enjoy it all…

Yes, you read it; I will go pee in the snow. Our plumbing is frozen and so nature will be my bathroom at the house until spring comes. Dishes will be done elsewhere and showers are now a sought-after exotic bird preciously enjoyed on rare occasions. This is all part of the Alaskan living and so it is not news to me, but you dear reader, might find it fascinating, appalling or maybe appealing to learn about these living arrangements up north. I have it easy too. There are no avalanches waiting to happen here as there are in the small town of Cordova this week. We are not cut of from the road system and in need of food flown in from afar as the villages out west. And no bears have woken up from their hibernation to rummage around our trash, as has been the case in Anchorage. Instead the biggest disaster in my life this week was when Bianca (I know it was her) the cat peed on my new electric-heated blanket and I had to shed a tear. “Life’s rough in the north” James said, and patted me on my shoulder.

The end of the world and the continuing cold snap in Fairbanks

Welcome to 2012. I wonder if it will be the last year of the world, as we know it? Three years ago when I first came to Fairbanks there was a lot of talk about the Mayan prediction of the end of the world in 2012. The 2012-topic was a good conversation starter and you could really get into some philosophical discussions about the meaning of life and what one should achieve or experience before the end of the world. Bungee jumping came up and so did having children, which resulted in a heated discussion of the selfishness of having kids right before the end of the world. I don’t think any of us could really grasp how short a time it was until 2012 actually arrived and none of us have had the kids or done the bungee jumping yet, so hopefully the Mayans were off with a couple of centuries. Someone pointed out to me that the Mayans didn’t foresee their own fall – only the world’s, so maybe they weren’t the most accurate prophets.

The cold snap is still on in Fairbanks, Alaska. NYE was a lovely – 43 and on this 8^th day of being trapped inside I’ve been feeling the cabin fever. I needed to get OUT and not just to visit someone else’s cabin or shop, but outdoors out. It was a good day for testing whether my winter gear is actually accommodating and so a short walk of about twenty minutes proved, that I need to shop for new boots. I made a bargain some years ago shopping for winter boots in the children’s department, which I’m now paying for because the boots are not warm enough for Alaskan winter walks and I need to move to keep from going stir crazy.