- Samantha

Alaska Is...

      Right now I’m supposed to be writing words that describe Alaska.  And I’m sure many will write things and words like beautiful, unforgettable, or descriptions like full of culture or a once in a lifetime experience.  All these are fine to describe Alaska, but what Alaska is; what Alaska truly is, cannot be explained in words or brief descriptions.  It cannot even be shown in the most detailed photo.  Every person who comes here takes something away form it totally their own.  And sure, I can it here gazing at the mountains across the bay in Seward, Alaska and write one million words that describe what Alaska is to me.  But what would just writing it down do for me?  I’ve experienced Alaska for myself and have taken so many things from it!  What does reading my words do for you (the reader)?  I believe that the only way for people to truly know what Alaska means is to experience it for themselves.  If I tried my hardest, and had the world’s largest thesaurus with me, even then I couldn’t describe this place in words.  What Alaska is to me is something unique to my personal experience.  What I’m ultimately trying to say is, if you want to know what Alaska is, you shouldn’t only read other’s experiences.  You need to go create your won.  And then, and only then, will you know what Alaska truly is. 

Final Reflections

            When I was writing my AGLP application in the fall of 2005, I wasn’t even thinking that what I was writing would change my life forever.  I was accepted to come to Alaska in the summer of 2006, and that summer made such an impact on me that I was already writing my application for next year before I even got off the plane in Chicago.  I have returned to Alaska three more times since that summer.  Every year I learn more about Alaska and its rich history.  I learn more about my friends, which makes us closer than ever.  I learn more about myself and what I’m truly capable of.  I’ve met so many new people, many of whom are still very close. 
            I’ve had good times and some bad times.  I’ve missed things that have eaten at me every day for not being there when I was needed.  But there’s just something about Alaska that no matter how upset I am, I just look around, take a deep breath, and say to myself, “I’m in Alaska,” and that sometimes will help hope. 
            Alaska has changed my life in so many ways and it taught me many things.  It taught me how to look beyond the first impression of things and to look deeper.  At first I saw a little town called Homer as nothing but a smelly fishing town where the campgrounds didn’t have toilets.  Now, if life works out the way I want it to, my future is in Homer.
            When I was writing my AGLP application in the fall of 2005 I had no idea that I was writing a letter that would show me who I was and who I wanted to be.  This trip has given more to me than I ever expected.  It’s given me the ability to look even deeper than the outer shell of people, and the ability to show others what they are capable of, no matter how hard something is.  It’s given me stronger friendships.  It’s given me respect for myself and shown me that I CAN run 6.2 miles straight in 1 hour and 5 minutes.  That I CAN climb a mountain AND a glacier within three days of each other.  I CAN shop for, and feed 80 people in an organized fashion. 
            I love Alaska.  I love this trip.  My life would be totally different without it.  Yes, I’ve wondered before what would have happened if I hadn’t written that application in 2005.  What if I had never come to Alaska?  The truth is, I don’t want to think about a life without Alaska being part of it.  Alaska is my past, present, and future.