Shopping day in Nunam Iqua, Alaska - The Mudflats

[Blue_In_AK]

Nunam Iqua is a Native village upriver from Emmonak. The Mudflats has an excellent guest post by a resident of Nunam Iqua, describing shopping day. I'll never complain about anything EVER again.

http://www.themudflats.net/2009/01/25/shopping-day-in-nunam-iqua-alaska/

<snip>
January 24, 2009

Today my husband and I decided to travel the 25 miles to Emmonak to get groceries. Here is what getting groceries entails in Nunam Iqua.

We got up and had to build a fire as the house was getting chilly and we had run out of stove oil a couple of days ago. Then we made coffee, using water that we had packed the night before from the watering point across the village. We took a 30 gallon Rubbermaid trash can (our water bucket) that we use STRICTLY for water storage across to the other side of the village and with two tokens (tokens are one dollar each) we got 20 gallons of water. We went across by snow machine towing our sled with the water bucket in it. Once we filled it we carefully brought it back across to our house and then lifted it out of the sled and up the steps into our porch and then into the house.

After having coffee my husband went out to chop firewood to keep the house warm. First he had to start the chainsaw and saw the logs he had gotten from across the river and then split them into the right size for our woodstove. While he was doing that I checked to ensure our baby sitter, my sister-in-law, was going to be able to come up to watch our 18 month old daughter, Cecelia (CC). It’s too long of a ride to take our baby with us during the winter and it’s too cold also.

My daughter, Cecelia, woke up and I changed her diaper make a mental note that I HAD TO REMEMBER to get diapers we are getting low. Then I made her breakfast. I felt bad because we had run out of bread and canned/dried fruit for her so her breakfast was dry cereal, cheese, and some 100% fruit juice gummy snacks plus a sippy cup full of very very diluted grape juice with her liquid vitamins in it. We don’t let her have anything but milk and water during the day because I worry about her having too much sugar.

<snip> .... MORE

[Tangerine LaBamba]

1. The grocery prices!

I mean, I understand, but almost seven bucks for a box of spaghetti?

It makes me want to mail her some San Giorgio.

What a hard life. I guess they use powdered milk for the baby, since there was none on the list. Imagine what fresh milk must cost there!

And they have that governor..........................

[Blue_In_AK]

2. Yes, sadly.

What we need now is some super progressive governor, someone who believes in science and innovation, someone who can motivate. I have no doubt that with a small infusion of time and money, some really exciting things could be done in these villages as far as alternative energy. If they had a cheap source of power - wind, for instance - they could keep a greenhouse and grow some fresh produce. They wouldn't have to pay those crazy prices for fuel oil. They could be almost self-sustaining.

I mean, really, you see that stuff on the science channel all the time where they're setting up artificial environments on Mars or wherever. If they can do that, surely they could do something like that in western Alaska.


Anyway ........ Sarah would never think like that. It's just lay some pipe and drill, baby, drill. :thumbsdown:

[roguevalley]

8. the hot springs could have garden greenhouses all year long. I

wish we could use our resources correctly. this sucks.

[Blue_In_AK]

9. What they've got going on at Chena Hot Springs

is pretty great. http://www.chenahotsprings.com/index.php?id=home I just don't see why we can't do innovative projects like that all over the state -- of course, not everyone has geothermal, but I understand that there's a lot of methane that could be tapped, wind, all kinds of things. We have the potential here to lead the nation, but Sarah's way too focused on her damn pipeline.

[roguevalley]

10. agreed. I could scream.

[Suich]

3. I will never again complain about

the price of food...ever!

Thanks for posting this very eye-opening story!



:)

[Fireweed247]

4. Interesting read

It sure makes me appreciate the luxury of a road and several grocery stores a short drive away, not to mention a well.

[Hekate]

5. Holy cow. KnR and many thanks for keeping us posted. nt

[Solly Mack]

6. Wow

K&R

[Liberal_in_LA]

11. double wow!

[bertman]

7. With food prices like that I would definitely be hunting to put food on the table.

You gotta WANT to live in that place.

Great story. thanks, Blue_In_Ak

Makes me appreciate how easy I have it here in the lower forty-nine.