SO Happy to See the Sun!

  The kids and I have been in Barrow, Alaska now for just under 3 weeks.  Our journey North to be reunited with Jonny was filled with anticipation, excitement, brute labor (lugging 5 bags, 2 cats, our home computer and a guitar through 4 separate airports) and raw amazement at the frozen wilderness that lay before us.  Stepping off the plane in Barrow was like choosing the final answer in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.  I was excited to have come so far, weary from being beat up along the way and worried that if I'd made the wrong choice I'd be going home with my head hanging in shame.  

  We knew it was going to be dark and cold when we got here.  Poor Jonny hadn't seen the sun in Barrow since before it set on November 18th.  While the cold is sometimes inconvenient and makes you think twice about walking a few blocks to the post office (no door-to-door mail service here), the absence of the sun has had a more profound affect.  It was difficult at first, nearing impossible, to wake up before noon.  The mornings weren't mornings at all, but cold dark twilights urging you to snuggle up and stay warm in your home.  It felt as if no one could possibly have any business lurking about in the empty darkness.  Then, around noon the sunlight would stretch across the Eastern horizon.  It lingered for a few hours, acting as if it were going to rise up, pulling the sun into the sky to start the day, only to roll over again and doze off until tomorrow.  

  The sun's daily tease started to get to me by the third day.  It was either that or my first trip to the grocery store to price food for the family that brought me to tears while eating dinner with my three boys.  It is a huge adjustment and we all felt slightly disconnected.

  Well, I am glad to announce my suspicions that the sun does still exist were confirmed the other day.  Every Saturday I visit the second-hand store and listen to the radio for "garage" sales so we can furnish and supply our two-bedroom apartment.  This is a very slow process since news of unwanted items, along with all other information in Barrow, travels by word-of-mouth.  Not to mention that getting around town without a car in 0-30 below temperatures is very difficult.  I finally heard news of a rummage sale near the outskirts of the suburb area and called a taxi right away.  The sale ended up being nothing but clothing (the one thing we do not need) and I was damned if I was going to spend another $5 getting home.  I decide to walk, even though I had no gloves and no idea how long it would take me to get home.

        Barrow is very small, but distance is relative here in the winter.  I find that my ability to stay warm depends greatly on how long I am exposed.  I started out in the direction of our part of town (which I am told is the projects) and immediately turned around and started walking the other way.  I didn't care that I was getting farther from the warmth of our apartment or that the minutes were ticking until my hands started to feel the frozen air slipping into my pockets.  I had to see what was at the end of the road...the most beautiful sight in weeks.   Tears came to my eyes and, of course, I pulled out the camera.  It was the most amazing sunrise I had every seen.  Thank God the Earth is round!  I watched as long as I could until I knew I had to get moving.  Then, I trudged back across the tundra toward home.