Thinking Back on Barrow

The team has a few hours of downtime this afternoon as we switch planes on the way to Kotzebue, and are using that time to digest our two days in Barrow and plan ahead for our next two destinations. I left the "Top of the World" with a few striking observations, and I'm sure others in the group came away with minds racing in similar ways.

Barrow's unconventional high school football history has been featured in ESPN, news articles, even a new book. Stepping onto that bright blue and yellow turf field on the Arctic coast was like nothing I've ever done, though. Imagining the students we'd just spent the day with on that field every windy Saturday afternoon was mind-boggling.

Also, while Barrow has never been an easy place to forge out a living, it's not getting any easier. In a place where all supplies and materials must be shipped in by barge or plane, prices are skyrocketing as gas prices rise. After our tour of the town yesterday afternoon, we stopped off at the town's grocery store to pick up breakfast for the next day. We'd heard about high food prices, but nothing you read can prepare you to see price tags displaying $8.99 gallons of milk!

The political, social, and economic situations in Barrow are truly one-of-a-kind and would likely take years to fully wrap my head around, but my curiosity will certainly have me following local news for months to come. The adults and students we met in Barrow have certainly led me to think deeply about my world and my place in it; it's my hope that we've set the students thinking in new ways as well.