Census 2010, What An Adventure!

About a month ago, Brent was offered a position as a Crew Leader for the Remote Alaska region for the 2010 Census. Apparently he tested rather well, because this was the third job he was offered with the Census. Remote Alaska has traditionally been under-counted, so they are doing it all door to door (no mail-in questionnaires there). After a week of training, he went to Delta Junction (100 miles SE of Fairbanks) for his first assignment. It was a good experience. He didn't have anyone meet him at the door with a gun, though he did have a few people flat out refuse to cooperate, or cooperate in only a very limited way.

After 2 weeks in Delta Junction, Brent flew to Birch Creek, a Denduu Gwichin Athabaskan village off of the road system, just south of the Arctic Circle. He had to fly 2 planes to get there (Anchorage to Fairbanks, then a single engine Cessna Caravan to Birch Creek). The pilot for this second flight was a bit less formal than those you typically hear on commercial flights. His safety check consisted of - "OK, you all have seat belts and everything, let's go" just before taking off! When Brent arrived in Birch Creek, they loaded his suitcase into a sled pulled by a snow machine (snowmobile for those outside of Alaska). Brent walked a quarter mile or so to the place where he stayed.

No houses in the village have plumbing. They share a washeteria (centralized building with 2 toilets, a couple of sinks, showers, and plumbing for washing clothes.). They have had electricity for about 30 years or so, run by a diesel generator. Those in the village were very friendly for the most part. Brent hired and trained a cultural guide (as per Census protocol) and enumerated the village. Brent is not at liberty to say how many people lived in Birch Creek on Census Day (April 1), but an internet search yields results between 28 and 43 people, so it is safe to say that this is a very small village. In the picture above, you can see the Tribal Council building on the right and the water tank on the left.

One of the highlights of Brent's time in Birch Creek was that he saw the Aurora Borealis, (Northern Lights). He described them as glowing greenish wispy cloud-like formations that danced in a ghostly fashion across the sky. He said it was otherworldly, and apparently stood in awe of this spectacle for some time without a coat on. The picture above doesn't really do it justice.

Being in such a small village, you get to know people and places rather quickly (we'd love to show pictures of people, but because of census stuff, it's best to avoid posting pictures of people he was working among). After talking with some of the villagers, they wanted to show him the church building, which was surprisingly ornate. It was one of the nicest buildings in the village. They extended Brent an offer to preach there in the future. It would be a very different type of ministry, that's for sure. We love that we have friends in so many parts of the world. Who knows if we will visit Birch Creek in the future, but we have an open invitation.

This is a locked door "village style." On the other side of the door, the chain passed through the spout hole of the metal lid of a 55 gallon drum bolted to the door. This kind of lock seemed to be a common way to lock a door.

Here Brent is trying on a very warm fur hat. The generous owner told him to try it on and then offered it to him. He could not accept it (regulations, plus they need it much more than he does).

After Birch Creek, Brent spent another week in Delta Junction, helping to wrap up this rather complex location. Hopefully Brent will have other Census adventures. If he does, it will be spur of the moment. If you have not already mailed in your Census Questionnaire, please do so. You will save the government (our taxes) a lot of money by doing so. And if you do get a knock on the door by a Census Enumerator, please be kind to them. Remember, they are just trying to do a job, and are not the source of any problems you have with the government.