Living in Bethel

We originally had planned to do a blog every week. We haven’t kept up with that pace so far. There are probably several reasons for this, we are busy, we are still adjusting to the move but I know, at least for me, the main reason it is hard to write about Bethel is because I have no context for it. There isn’t an easy way to describe this place because there is so little in my experience to relate it too. Being so new to this place I just find I am in not in a good position to make any blanket observations of it. However, we have been here about a month and the purpose of this blog is to relate to friends and family how it is to live here so I am going to try and do that.

One of the things I find most striking is the difference of scale here. We have explored most of the town on foot, it isn’t hard to do, and can easily be done in one day. I have seen every store, every church, and every park there is to see unless I want to hop on a plane and fly away. The only other alternative would be to find someone with a boat and go to a village where there probably isn’t a store or a park. Personally, this boggles my mind. I feared I would find it claustrophobic, and at times I do get that sense, but I also get the sense of something else. Most humans for most of time never saw more than the few surrounding miles from where they live. As my head wraps itself around the fact that unless my plans change drastically, I am not going to leave these six square miles for about a year I find myself wondering how that is going to change my perspective. Will I look at things more in depth? Will I be more careful about my relationships since these people are all I’ve got? Will wanderlust be replaced with something else? Will I end up watching cable t.v. all day? I don’t know, but I think it will be interesting.

Some fun facts about Bethel, there are only four places in town to get a fountain soda, everywhere else it is only in cans or bottles. You can buy a snowmobile at the grocery store. The only chain restaurant is Subway. The kids go outside for recess unless it is colder than 20 below (windchill). Wrestling is very popular with the kids at school, and both boys and girls participate (about equally). People joke a lot about the terrible weather. If it rains our roads turns into a muddy, horrible mess. The kids like to walk on the above ground sewer pipes (we don’t let Jamie do this, though). A lot of the people who are from here love it, and don’t want to live anywhere else.

Jamie continues to like school, Terrence likes his job. I am having a good time getting to know the kids who frequent the time out room. We miss everyone a lot. - Megan