This was a post that was written a while ago but since I am just now able to get caught up on our posts, you will have to pretend that I posted it back in September. :)
So time for our anniversary and how did we spend it? There was a sale in the morning at the dorm for the Voc Ed of all the old beds. We had planned on getting one of these to use as a sofa. When we got to the sale, there was already a line of people and it ended up that we were not able to get a bed for ourselves, just the one that we promised someone we would get for them. It ended up being another one of the interesting adventures. While we did not get the bed for ourselves, we did stay and help the ladies that we there buying beds that did not have anyone else to help them (the men were all out moose hunting). We met several of the townspeople doing this and also met one of the elders. We helped several of them move their furniture to their homes. People do show a lot of gratitude towards those that help. It is considered impolite to turn down a gift from someone here, so this was how we ended up with an end table, moose meat, and dried salmon! (I love the barter system… much more meaningful than a dirty dollar bill.)
In the end one of our friends told us that she wanted to give us her sofa that has been in her parents’ storage since they moved here. So after we moved all the beds and dressers for everyone else, we moved a sofa for us!
It’s neat to see the difference in attitudes towards neighbors here compared to the “Lower 48.” It’s all about helping each other survive. People don’t throw things away but rather they pass them along to another person who needs it. You help each other when things get tough and make sure that those around you have what they need to survive. I am asked many times a week if the house we live in is keeping us warm and if we have everything we need. It makes a person feel a lot safer about living in such a harsh place.
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