Head's Up

For those who are wondering what I plan to do with my cell phone, wonder no further !

I plan to cancel my service on May 30th. If you want to talk to me (or text me) before then, call my cell phone. If you want to talk to me after that, email me for my home telephone number. If you really want to get a hold of me, use email (or vmail because it is wicked sweet).

My dad's cell phone will still be active, but he lives in Nome...which means the best way to get a hold of him is to physically track him down as he makes his afternoon trek to the post office.

Unrelated, yet related, many Peace Corps Volunteers have cell phones. There is hope yet.

My Ride

This blog is dedicated to Stan Morgan and Bering Air.

I am a regular at Bering Air (I am days away from negotiating my own coffee cup at the coffee counter). Over the last 2 months, I have visited 13 villages in the Norton Sound region and all but two of my many here and there flights have been on locally owned and operated Bering Air.

Of course, March and April are not the best times to fly in western Alaska (the weather is at its worst). Luckily, I have only been grounded in two villages (Elim and Diomede). Both times, awesome Bering Air pilots arrived just in the nick of time (that being the point where I have exhausted all options to relieve boredom) and whisked me away. If it weren't for Bering Air's unsurpassed customer service, safety ratings and all around generally neat crew, I would probably still be in Diomede, learning how to line crab and being stalked by polar bears.

Thanks Bering Air (and I will see you tomorrow when I go to Wales)!

(p.s. the island behind the airplane is Russia's Big Diomede)

Biggest Peace Corps' Fear - Renewed

O! My poor hair.

A former PC Volunteer, currently teaching in Shaktoolik, struck the fear of head lice into me with a story about another PC Volunteer who had to shave her head after contracting a horrific case of head lice.

Here's what I found:

• A single head lice is a louse and a louse egg is a nit
• A louse takes 7 days to mature and can lay 8 eggs a night
• Scalp irritation ranges from mild to severe
• Head lice feed on blood every 4 to 6 hours
• Wetting your head prior to treatments temporarily stuns a louse
• Treatment should continue for 2 weeks and be combined with a special nit comb

Credits:
KidsHealth
Black Beauty and Hair