looking for a chat pal from alaska (Anchorage, Kenai: buy, college)

[silversalmon]

OK Eileen, I've been here for 25 years, is there anything that you would like to know more specifically?

[alaskakahuna]

Hey there,
Just found this forum, my family and I have lived in Sterling Soldotna area for about 13 yrs. Both kids in local schools, any question about the area let me know. We are involved in a lot of stuff. School sports, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, boating, snowmachining, atv's you name it we do it.

[eileen60]

Many questions...While I realize there is a nursing shortage nationwide, some places aren't as short as others. Thanks for the NSG website. Having moved to Louisiana from a very small town in the mountains of NC I don't mind small town life. That said, how are the locals to the new kids (or me the adult) in town. NC can be a bit touchy when it comes to religion and who belongs. I have not looked at Sterling yet. Ok, here is the start of stupid questions from me...Are larger animals a real problem in smaller cities (rural areas)? Is it true that the weather eats your car, or is it just tough on them? Is all wheel drive acceptable or must it be 4x4 specific? I read that ACS has pretty good cell usage, is it true? If necessary, and say someone died and I had to leave the state, is it true that you can be stuck for sometime? What the hell is corneal frostbite? That one scared me.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Well, whereas, yes there is a nursing shortage, Alaska is not in on the reciprocity that North Carolina adheres to. My wife is an RN, also live in small town NC, not mountains though, Betsy works at Butner, yup, the Macadamia Ranch, would love to go back to Alaska, but, her nursing license, up there, is not worth much. One would think that an RN is an RN and recognized as such anywhere in the US. But...NOOOOOOOOOO.... there are several testing curriculums and they do not co-operate with each other. Her years of nursing school and her passing the state boards don't cut it but in about half of the US, the other half (including Alaska) test differently. Apparently it is more difficult than one would expect it to be to transfer the Nursing License to a state under a different system. From what we have read thus far, it seems as if going back to school and retesting is necessary. But, that doesn't mean you shouldn't visit Alaska. It is wonderful, (perhaps I am biased) wonderful scenery in most directions. It was certainly worth the effort and expense for the visit. Alaska is a sub-arctic rain forest. I have spent years of my life in tropical rainforests, W. Africa, C. and S. America, SE Asia, rainforests have inherent dangers, quite real, and quite different depending on location. Just as the heat can have deadly repercussions in W. Africa, the cold is another hazard entirely, all sorts of things freeze at 50 or 60 below, some things were not intended to be frozen, ergo, the hazard part. Rainforests are survive-able. Do your homework. and, the hardest part, Don't make assumptions. Ask Questions. D

[eileen60]

Thanks for the info, I will look at it. E

[Alaska Deb]

I too have spent some time wondering about this Corneal Frostbite. I remember skiing when the mercury was -35...with a wind-chill of I can't imagine; is corneal frostbite a legitimate concern above, say, -40?

Thanks,
Deb

[Metlakatla]

Government pays people a couple of grand to live there

I give up.

You cannot name even ONE year when the PDF was "a couple of grand", because IT NEVER WAS. Stop spreading lies and learn to count.

[Xa'at]

The most the PFD has ever been was $1963 per person in 2000, and after that the amount was pretty low for a while. However, it is on the rise again- the last two years have seen the greatest increases percentage wise in history- 49% between 2006 and 2007, compared to an average 10-20% annual increase in the past.

Source: Past Dividend Amounts, State of Alaska Permanent Fund Division (http://www.pfd.state.ak.us/dividendamounts/index.aspx - broken link)

[warptman]

Early bird applications are now available.

[Melissa78703]

Originally Posted by Magoon

I too have spent some time wondering about this Corneal Frostbite. I remember skiing when the mercury was -35...with a wind-chill of I can't imagine; is corneal frostbite a legitimate concern above, say, -40?

Thanks,
Deb

Wear goggles. It helps.

When I first moved there, I noticed *no one* outside. I mean, the place is dead. I tried to go for a brief run around the park. All it took was ten minutes. I spent the next week with ointment leaking out of my eyes, in serious pain. It's Minnesota cold - you just Do. Not. Go. Outside ... in the winter unless you want to hurt.

It's not just the cold, it's the *dry* cold.