- Liz

Alaska Is...

            Alaska is …a love story. I was young, I didn’t know what I was expecting, but I was interested. I flirted with the idea of visiting a new place. Of course, I didn’t really know anything about the state I considered visiting. I was curious and I wanted the experience… so four years ago, my romance began. When I first arrived in Anchorage, I made sure to take in all of the air that I could. I knew instantly that I was in love. Not only did the air feel different, but Alaska made me feel different. This was my third trip to Alaska, and for four years, my relationship with the Last Frontier has made me feel things I may have never felt otherwise. As in all relationships, Alaska has brought change within me. At first, it was just infatuation. I couldn’t stop thinking about it- the starless nights, snow- capped mountains, endless seas, even the delicate wildflower dancing in the breeze. It wasn’t just its looks that got me, though. It was the way it smelled, the things it taught me- about it and about myself, the wonder it instilled in me, and the way it made me feel. Through the years, it has evolved from infatuation to love. Even when I’m not here, Alaska is with me- it is in me. In a way, Alaska was my first love. In that it will be a part of me forever. It has changed me for the better, and I will never forget how it helped me grow. Alaska has helped me become the person I am today. Because of Alaska I appreciate the simple things in life. I can spend hours letting my eyes absorb the beauty that is always around me- even in just one blade of grass. I have learned many things about life, and about myself through my relationship with Alaska. Above all, however, I have learned to truly love.

Final Reflections

         For three summers, I have traveled to Alaska.  Every trip has been different, but they have all been the same in that they have had some sort of magic over me.  My journeys to and throughout Alaska have helped me grow.  They have taught me a lot about people and seeing the beauty in everyone and everything.  I have had the pleasure of meeting some of the most fantastic people- people who I may not have otherwise met.  I have turned awkward acquaintances into a huge family, and that is what I love the most about the AGLP trip.  Not just that, but I have accomplished the feat of traveling to Alaska (three times).  I am so grateful and lucky because I know that generations of my family have dreamed about one day visiting the Last Frontier.  In my life, I have always imagined me traveling and seeing some of the world’s most beautiful scenery, and at the age of sixteen, I am so pleased to say that part of that goal is accomplished.  I have experienced some of the most beautiful moments of my life here, and for the rest of my life; I will never forget how Alaska, and all of the people changed me.