i am alive!

Sitka Fishing Boats, originally uploaded by ahalya_viswanathan.

people who don't use the internet say things like, "oh yeah, we get service sometimes" and i think every few days, but what they mean is maybe once a month. or less. my phone is also totally useless meaning i can't call my people when i want to, which is harder for me than anything else. for a girl who hates the phone the way i do, i miss it, or rather, the way it connects me to my people.

alaska is wildly beautiful, moreso than i ever could have imagined. it's like washington in some ways, but massive, like it's on steriods. i love living on the boat, which surprises me. i did get seasick once, but that was bound to happen since i said i never get seasick. ha! the week i worked on my sea legs i bruised the shit out of myself, but now i'm much better at getting around in high seas. i still bruise the shit out of myself, but i'm growing accustomed to being black and blue. you don't get to sleep like normal people either, which i kind of thought would kill me, but the long days right now make it easy to go to bed at midnight and get up at four for wheel watch, because there's sun and everything is so impossibly lovely. i have a LOT to learn, but my captain is patient and so far i'm doing okay.

i've taken a million photos, and just as soon as i can i'll post them. i wish i had a lot more time to tell you everything about my trip so far but the important stuff is as follows (in no particular order); i still really like my fisherman, which surprises me sometimes because we are always together. boats are boats you know, there's only so much space on them. i cooked caribou steaks, saw northern lights, learned how to drive a boat, and have given up on my hair looking even remotely cute. have you heard of a little something called a bandana? it is my new uniform. i left my favorite bra on a life ring in a bar in homer, which means i only have one left. i am homesick, and spent a lot of time the other night sniffling in the bathroom because there are days when being the only girl on a boat is overwhelming and i miss my people and worry that this is going to ruin my relationship with my pop forever. i'm also happier than i ever could have expected, making this whole thing bittersweet. sleeping in a bunk kicks major ass, when i come home i'm going to ikea and buying myself a loft bed so i never have to sleep on a regular old bed again! i read all the time, and knit too; so far i've made three hats and am running out of yarn. i miss you. i'll tell you more when i get another chance, promise.