Goodbye Alaska
6 July 2006
Emily May |
Today
was a sad day, for we are leaving tonight. We have spent the last 3 _
weeks together, and are now heading home on a six-hour flight. We started
out the day with the wake-up announcement that there were doughnuts for
breakfast and it was first come first serve. That got people up and out
of their sleeping bags and into the kitchen. For some people it was a
mad dash to the kitchen for doughnuts. Though for the people who didn’t
get up in time to get doughnuts they got bagel instead. Once you were
done with breakfast it was time to pack up. That’s when it really
hit me, and maybe some others, that we are going home tonight and are
leaving Alaska. We packed up our sleeping bags, sleeping pads, toiletries
and other last-minute things that needed to be packed in the morning.
We then loaded the vans up with all of the bags and had a quick meeting
inside the church’s chapel. We then went and jumped in the vans
to head to Anchorage, knowing for sure now that this is a goodbye to
Alaska.
When we got into Anchorage we gathered around in a parking lot to have yet another
meeting about what we are doing today. We were told we were going to go to a
museum. We spent about an hour or so at the museum where some people looked at
the bird exhibit or in an art gallery where there were some awesome paintings.
After about an hour there, people went and looked in a gift shop. At the gift
shop some people got things for themselves or for family members. We then headed
back to the parking lot where we were informed that we had about 2 _ hours to
go shopping in downtown Anchorage. The mall was right across the street where
most people went. Some people bought more gifts or things for themselves. After
we were done shopping we had a pizza party. We ate in a little park in Anchorage
by the museum. After we were done with lunch and everything was cleaned up and
taken care of we then were off to the airport where we were going to say some
farewells.
We arrived at the airport in anchorage at about three hours before we took off
to Chicago. We got to our terminal and were told that we had one hour to go get
food. This was after we went through check-in and security. Some people went
to get food and magazines. While others stayed in the terminal and did other
things. At 9:49 P.M. we officially left Alaska. I will always remember this amazing
trip and the amazing people I met. Goodbye Alaska! |
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A Farewell to the Midnight Sun
6 July 2006
Braden DeWeese |
With
it being our last day in Alaska and emotions working overtime, we were
grateful for the little bit of extra rest we got. We all lethargically
got up and out of bed, rolled up our sleeping bags, and packed away our
clothes for the last time. Many AGLP students had stayed up most the
night talking about memories from their three-week trip. A few even pulled
all-nighters “just for fun,” as David Doud put it. With all
of our bags packed we headed off to our last museum, one in Anchorage.
While there, we split up into groups and wandered through the exhibits
soaking up little tidbits of information to stow away in the back of our
memories. There were art exhibits portraying life in ancient Inuit times,
models of houses from the early homesteaders, and a special exhibit on
birds of prey and their survival skills.
Once we were done at the museum, we headed over to the field across the
street to play Frisbee, talk, and have fun while some special members of
the naked van went to pick up the pizza. Twenty large pizzas arrived half
an hour later to the hungry appetites of 70 individuals. After our hearty
lunch it was time for our presentation of van “paper plate” awards.
Everybody in the van would converse about one person and come up with their
special talent. Most awards were funny inside jokes within the van.
Sadly, we all had to head back to the vans and start our journey home.
We arrived at the airport in Anchorage around 7:00 (Alaskan time), preparing
to leave at 9:49. Many passed the time riding on the express sidewalks,
reading, or talking to their friends. Finally, we were all ushered aboard
and within minutes, we were in the air.
With most of us being tired from the previous day and night, we grabbed
some pillows and blankets and nodded off to the drone of the jet’s
engines. We would soon wake up in Chicago: happy to be nearer to our family,
yet sad to leave beautiful Alaska. |
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