Upward Bound

I've been in Fairbanks almost two weeks. Crazy! Time is flying by.

I'm to the point now where the kids are feeling more comfortable around me and I am really getting to know them. For those of you who are just tuning in, I'm working at a summer camp (the Upward Bound Program in conjunction with the University of Alaska Fairbanks) that helps teenagers from rural Alaska and/or lower income families. The goal of this program is to motivate these kids to go to college, better themselves, and better the villages they're from.

UAF: the university where Upward Bound is held.

These kids are amazing. And I don't feel like I should call them kids for many of them have more life experience than I do. Some of the struggles these young adults face are incredibly difficult. We have a few students here from a small village of about 1,000 people. There was a murder/suicide a few months ago in this village that devastated the community and directly affected some of the students in our program.

Substance addiction is another problem these youth face. Some of our students face tobacco addictions. We went out on one of the first days of the program to get nicotine gum for a student who is trying to quit.

I've never seen such crippling homesickness as that experienced by some of these students. A few of these students have never left their village and coming to a huge city like Fairbanks is a difficult experience(who would have ever thought Fairbanks would be considered a big city??) A few nights ago I found a male student in the stairwell sobbing because he missed his family. He was incredibly depressed and decided to fly home this morning. Other students are similarly homesick and are intimidated by the world outside their village.

Despite these challenging circumstances, the vast majority of the students are here to succeed. And it is so incredible to be a part (albeit a small part) of their success. Many are trying to do well in their classes and when I ask what they want to do after high school, the most common response is that they are going to go to college. Some even know what topics they want to study in college.

We are also having a ton of fun. Seriously, I can't believe I get paid for some of the stuff I get to do with the kids. For instance, last night we went to movies (I went with the group to see the new X-men; it wasn't that great.) and then went to a park just to run around. It was great! They all enjoy trying to teach me how to say native words because I can't say any of them (they keep telling me that you need to use the very back of your throat and your nose when speak; I don't understand what that means). I get to play basketball and go to the gym almost everyday. Hopefully I can get in shape!

Anyway, things are great up here. It's challenging but incredibly rewarding.

I'll try to take some good pictures and upload them so you can see some of the great people I'm working with.