The Week of Spring Break

It was the week of Spring Break. In an effort to assimilate to the American college culture I started the break by getting impressively trashed at the Marlin on a very slow Thursday ending in some less than remarkable karaoke versions of Kismet’s (the band I’m in) songs and Tommy (the friend) and Harley (the dog) sleeping on our couch after several toasts in Danish liquor “Fisk”. Tom took off the next day, Harley is still with me and in addition we are looking after another dog this week so the house is quite alive.

This was also the week where I read a 300-page book on incest for a class. I do enjoy reading academic literature but spending my break reading 300 pages on incest is a little too much even for me. As an extra treat Jehovah’s Witnesses also knocked on my door very early one morning this week giving me a flier. It was a bizarre experience: I was reading in bed when a big black truck screeched to a halt up our drive way and a guy in a suit jumped out and ran up to our door. I hurried up to open and looking terribly frightened the man handed me a flyer without saying anything. Meanwhile Harley was jumping up and down the guy’s leg trying to get his attention. The guy, still too frightened to talk half smiled and then took off for the truck that was already half out the driveway again. As I returned to my incest book James asked who’d been at the door – I told him and he (half-jokingly) said I should run after him with an axe or a shot gun next time. This is the moment where I realized why being a Jehovah’s Witness in Alaska might be a bit scarier than in Denmark.

This was not the week where I got my Alaskan drivers license. It also was not the week where I got my financial papers in order. This also wasn’t the week I got to go to Chena Hotsprings. Well, actually I did go, but it turned out to be crowded like corn in a can and so the thought of sharing the small hot water pool with 50 strangers all squeezed in there convinced me and James to go back to town un-hot springed.

Biggest of all this was the week of Saint Patrick’s Day. The Irish saint celebration that is one of the biggest parties of the year in Fairbanks as well as in other parts of the states with many Irish immigrants/ancestors (I don’t think I know a single American who doesn’t claim some Irish heritage). Everyone dress up in green outfits, funny hats and green beads. The beer at the bar is colored green, live bands play Irish tunes all night and you can win green prizes. I off course had to go read my book on incest and didn’t stay out too late, but long enough to enjoy the celebration and wish everyone Happy Saint Paddy’s Day!