Now in Nanwalek

"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware."

-Martin Buber

I forget that traveling used to be its own trip. Today we suffer the 8 hour flight, and forget the endless time of traveling by boat, road, or foot. Tchabo and I had a small taste of the fullness of travel as we slept through the rocking and rolling of the Tustemena from Kodiak to Homer before jumping on a quick flight across the bay from Homer to Nanwalek.

The echoes of a slower pace of life continue beyond the ferry ride. As we make a sharp circle
to land on the finger of gravel hugged by mountains in Nanwalek I see that my phone has no reception.

My sigh is simultaneously one of relief and of discomfort. I am forced to shift from my life of text messaging, emailing-on-the-go, and a laughable sense of the urgency of communication. I realize the joyful irony that I have come to engage the community in digital storytelling, and yet I celebrate taking a break from technology.

The first day with the students and community is punctuated by the nervous excitement inevitable on all sides of a storytelling project. I speak with Tom Evans, community leader and liaison for Cook Inlet Keeper, about advice for how to approach the community about a topic as painful as the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS). "After the Spill, no one ever came to ask us for our stories or what it was like for us. I think people will be ready and open to talk about it." I remember Kodiak student interviews about EVOS that ended with tears, but also a sense of healthy catharsis and processing.


The students started to choose their film topics ranging from the geography of the EVOS clean-up efforts to present-day oceanic health. They practiced interview triangles and composition. One kind 11th grader even indulged Tchabo in an arm wrestling competition, which she gracefully allowed him to win. I was reminded of what I love about film: it allows us to tackle the most challenging stories and have fun at the same time.