Yesterday was the last day trip that I would make in Alaska. I took the bus up to Wasilla. It isn't suppose to be an exceptional place to visit, but I wanted to see what an Alaskan community was like. The city is known to be a commuter city, the largest suburb of Anchorage, and a relatively upscale neighborhood. My travels around Wasilla were oriented towards what the lifestyle there was, how much housing prices were, and what type of career opportunities there were.
When I arrived at Wasilla it was around noon. I went over to the visitors center to ask about getting a map of the city, where the center of town is, where real estate offices are, and where the job center is. The ladies that worked there were very helpful and had me in and out. I grabbed a sandwich at Krazy Moose subs before I started the trek over to all the places I needed to see before my 4:15 bus left .
After I left the restaurant I headed along Lake Wasilla towards where the realty offices and career centers were. After about a mile of walking along the lake I stopped at a dock. I had seen some ripples in the water, but didn't expect to see anything when I peered over. When I looked in the water there were hundreds of salmon spawning. I don't
know what kind of salmon they were, but they had a deep crimson color to them. (See picture)
I had another mile or two until I would make it to where the career center was. Around 2:45 I realized I wouldn't have the time to make it to both the career center and the realty company. The career center was another half mile down the road and the realty company was right across the street when I realized this, so I ended up just visiting with Diana at Prudential Realty. She was very friendly and gave me house spec sheets for log homes in the area. They all seemed to be within the price range for someone in their mid-twenties. Diana enjoyed helping me; I think it was due to the fact that she had two sons just a few years older than I
am. She will even be sending me a few contacts she had at a major oil company for when I begin my job search.
I was running out of time so I headed over to Walmart where my bus would be picking me up. It was a two and half mile walk, but there wasn't much to complain about since it allowed me to see even more of Alaska.
I suppose my trip is over now and all that is left is to pack up and
to head to the airport. I came to Alaska with a weak perspective Alaskan life, no fishing poles, and few stories of outdoor adventures. After three and a half weeks I understand the different dynamics and cultures of the cities, housing prices, the companies here I would like to work for, and what Alaskans do with their time off. Now I'm leaving Alaska with three fishing poles, my boots warn thinner, and adventurous stories where I come up against Alaskan Natives and hike through bear country without out a gun.
I don't know what my next adventure will be. There will probably a lot of smaller ones here and there and then the occasional big ones. If there is a big adventure to come I think it would be to move to Alaska in a few years. This place has been a passion of mine for a long time now and one that I feel I have gotten to thoroughly experience.
As I traveled through Alaska I had a lot of time to think about other questions and passions I have. I do not like where our country is going in the cultural, spiritual, and political realms. It is disturbing to me that as a country we have started to consider what is evil to be good. There is rampant divorce; pride is considered better than humble confidence; and there is an entitlement mentality. The church is not growing enough men of integrity and courage to take political offices, which leads to an abundance of corrupt and greedy politicians. Men seem to be encouraged to take on more and more feminine traits and visa versa, which causes men to not take on their natural role of leadership in their families and businesses. Promiscuity and pornography are embraced instead of purity; which leads to divorce, insecurities in wives, and the break down of families. The church is not making true disciples of Christ, which results in low numbers of lives changed and dwindling numbers in church.
I think that in the next few months and hopefully years and decades I will be pursing opportunities to grow myself and other men into Biblical men. I think that is what is needed to heal the broken families in the US, the broken political system, corporate greed, and the broken idea of what true masculinity looks like. I would like to teach that being a disciple of Christ does not mean being cowardly, effeminate, or passive, but the complete opposite: one of courage, manliness, strength, and dependence on God's word. This is a lesson that I believe needs to be taught in the church first and then it will naturally spread to the rest.
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