Massak

One thing I love about Barrow is the amount of respect people have for the elders. People look up to their elders and value everything they do. Its amazing to see how big of an impact they are here in Barrow.
One elder I have gotten to know really well is David aka Masak or Massak. (Unsure on spelling) He is 60 or older not quite sure. He was the van driver when we first got here. He was so welcoming and amazing. He showed us around the community and took the time to explain the history of Barrow to us.
David is also someone who is extremely important in the community but not a ton of people know this. For example he is an elder. He was one of the kids that got shipped off for school and wasnt aloud to speak his native language. He is determined to find a polar bear for us. He also is one who when they crews got a whale made sure we got to see and found us so we could help pull it in.
Tonight I called him to see how he was feeling because he has been dealing with health problems and talked about taking us to church in the morning. He asked if we wanted to go driving. So Sam, Mark, Sasha, Sagen (art teachers son) and myself went with him to drive. I sat in the front seat as I always try to when David drives because I love learning about his life and I'm a sponge who wants to soaks up everything! Tonight it was foggy but he still took us driving around. He told us about whaling and answered my 3 million questions but then he started talking about his wife who lefted him. I was so honored that he told me his personal story that at the end of all I wanted to do was cry and hug him.
The thing I love about the elders in Barrow is they all have a great story that is waiting to be told.

The thing I like about Massak or David is he reminds me of my own dad who is named David as well. They both will do anything for their families, or anyone and dont want to make a big deal out of it.  They both are activity involved in their communities. They do great things and dont expect any reward they just do it out of the kindness of their hearts.

Sorry for the long sappy post. Just had such a great day and am so blessed to be here and to learn about this amazing culture. 

Although the classroom is a challenge I am in love with the community and place we call the "top of the world" :) I couldnt of picked a better student teaching placement!