Just Hanging Out?

Although, it would be spectacular to just hang out, I'm staying busy. It's not hard to find a great job and fun activities to do in Nome, especially with summer just around the corner!

Right now, I am Youth Development Specialist at Kawerak, Inc (that's why I travel so much) and I lifeguard part-time at the Nome Pool. I have been a lifeguard since I was a junior in high school (I swam my very first lap at the Nome Pool) and almost eight years later, here I am again!

For the past month, I have been helping teach an American Red Cross Lifeguard Training course. This past Sunday was the dreaded exam day and, if I do say so myself, everyone did quite well. Here are some pictures of a test taker executing a perfect "Scenario 3" rescue!

KL2KV - That's Me!

Two weeks ago I began studying my tushy off to pass my Technician Class amateur (ham) radio exam. Last week, I passed my exam with flying colors and now I am a new ham radio operator!

Today, I bought my first radio. I have named it Comm (in honor of the "communications channel" in Star Trek).

For those who are interested, my call sign is KL2KV. My dad passed his test over a month ago so we could use it at Topkok. His call sign is KL2JK. The neat thing about Topkok was how we juiced up our radio's battery - with solar panels attached to our tiny cabin's exterior (check out the cabin at Topkok)!

For those who wonder why I went out and became a ham: It is important to stay busy while you wait for the Peace Corps to finish reviewing all your paperwork. My new radio promises to be loads of fun, eats up lots of time, and is a good investment in emergency preparedness. It is the perfect distraction in the "waiting game".

For more information on becoming a ham, visit QRZ.COM.

And the minutes tick by...

Good thing I am working on developing my patience and waiting skills. This sitting by the mailbox and waiting thing would get annoying if I wasn't so busy.

Next week, I am headed to Wales and Diomede (my fingers are crossed that the runway doesn't float away). After that, hopefully I will spend some time finished up art projects and preparing for my eventual departure.