dark-hallows18-blog

[dark-hallows18-blog]

I've been a Yooper all my life so moving to Alaska was a shock in many aspects. School started mid-to end August and got out mid-May, fishing was actually big boats and fish like salmon and halibut, it was just amazing, a whole new world to take in. I never thought I'd ever move to the Last Frontier until my mom and I helped my grandma move to Kenai in 2011. It had been my grandmother dream for 20+ years, so she finally did.

Two years later, my mom was unemployed and we didn't have anywhere to go, so she picked up our life and we moved to Alaska. In some ways I was happy but really, I hated it. I was in marching band, going into my sophomore year of high school and I already had a full ride scholarship to Western Michigan University but I had to continue schooling in Michigan to be eligible, not to mention, all of my friends were here. But of course, I didn't have much say in the matter, so we packed boxes that we left with friends, packed anything we wanted with us right away and left. I would've rather driven to Alaska but no, we flew. Mind you, I had only flown once before and I hated it, so naturally on this flight, I got sick.

Even though I was upset about moving, I was excited to see my grandmother who I hadn't seen in two years. In March of 2013 my grandma moved from Kenai to Homer, Alaska. Now Homer is known for being the Halibut Fishing Capital of the World, and is also right on the water of Kachemak Bay. Directly across the water from the quaint fishing town were the Kenai Mountains, only one of the 14 mountain ranges in Alaska. When my mom and I arrived in Homer, we stayed with my grandma for two months until we were able to afford to get a place of our own.

Being the stubborn teenager I was, I decided that I would not make any friends whatsoever, it only lasted a few months. During those months where I was successful at being a "hermit", I spent ALL of my time down at the animal shelter volunteering. By the end of my first summer in Homer, I had completed 400+ service hours. If I wasn't at the shelter, I was walking on Bishops Beach or exploring the town. In no time, school was just around the corner as well as an extracurricular that sparked my interest: volleyball. I had only played one sport in my life which was baseball and I did that from 2007-2010, other than that I had no experience.