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Phase 18

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My name is Martha Ann Barbara Lavv’aq Waska. I was born at Bethel Alaska, on February 07, 1990 to Sammie & Mary Waska. I have five sisters and two brothers. My oldest sister recently had a daughter in October 31, 2008 and her name is Martina Shaylene Aloralrea. The names of my siblings are Samantha, Jessica, Patrick, Valentina, Jeffery, Jamaica, and one adopted girl named Elena.
Every school has always been fascinating because there is so much to learn in and out of the school. No matter where you are, you are entering the world of learning. Every mood simply brings understanding, realizing, memorizing in the world of works, also the process of each individual is as important as the way you feel. Unfortunately, I have attended three schools so far. Not bad as four to five schools because transferring a lot can take the place of your learning ability to start over. About three schools are enough for me. The very first school that I have gone for 13 years was in Oscarville Memorial School, which I mostly earned awards from that school. I got a perfect attendance award, a Cat 5 Test award, and was nominated as one of the most high-grade student as a junior level and received an $11,000.00 Scholarship from UA. A semester in Tuluksak I received an A Honor Roll as a senior. Present here in Kwethluk Ket’acik & Aapalluk Memorial School and finishing up the year as it was supposedly to in May 2009.
Education and training is for everyone with normal ability. My experiences as a student for work areas as an employee were janitors, secretary. kitchen helper, office work, library aide, quality control, processor, fillet, and graphic artist. My very first job was the Tribal as a Summer Youth Education & Training Program as a Secretary and a Janitor at the salary wage of $6.09 per hour from June 2004 to July 2004 & from July 2007 to August 2008. The next job I kept for a few times was in Oscarville School positioned as a Student Helper mostly custodian, the price again at $6.09, from September 2004 to May 2005, from Nov. 2006 to May 2007, from September 2007 to May 2008. The final full time job I ever had was in Coastal Villages Seafood in Quinhagak at $8.00 as a Processor, Quality Control, and Fillet. And the recent job I have was a cook’s helper at the Tuluksak High School from Dec. 17, 2008 to January 12, 2009 at $9.63 per hour.
My personal hobbies are traveling the Kuskokwim, picking berries (red, salmon, blue, black, and agautat), picking plants (quagciq, blu-barbs, angukarneq), plucking birds (loons, mallards, swans, ptarmigans, crane), cook, bake, and fry food for family. Commercial fishing is one time thing I did in the summer of July 2006 or 2007 with my oldest sister for king salmon, pink salmon, and chum. Substitute fishing for pike, white, and lush fish is what I do in the fall and spring. Fish camp is at least one of my top favorites to stay during the summer, where we get to listen to the quietness and the gentleness of the soft breeze in the very sunny day. Birds flying by, makes me feel calm at some point, such as seagulls, raven or crow, loons, swallows, robins, and many of the nature birds passing by high and low in Alaska, also listening to the birdcalls while fishing makes me feel real.
One thing in school is to learn, experience, and to get your diploma through all twelve levels from the whole school section. I actually am in the middle of the stage just like many others that are also having a tough time with family, friends, and relative problems good or bad, and some use time wisely and others waste time. But through my school years I had earned quite a few awards.
The good memories I enjoyed and remember doing in my life were birthdays, talking with friends, fishing, picking berries, and doing the every day life as everyone else. The best and one thing that ever happened on my birthday was the time I received money and one backpack. It was like the whole community of Oscarville was invited to my birthday party and most of them gave me cents, one dollar bills, some five dollar bills, and one twenty dollars bill, along with a back pack. On that day, I felt and believe it was the best day of my life because I had two friends that were also my classmates, which I took to the store and bought them each a pop along with a few candies. Another amusing moment I had was when I definitely had to commercial fish with my sister in the summer of 2007. The reason she chose me was because there was nobody else to help her with drifting, shifting, and setting up the fish net, there was sort of someone but she didn’t want to pay them too much so she chose me to help her. We talked about secrets, stories, and things we plan to do on our future lives.
My closest relatives are spread out in Alaska; like up and down the Kuskokwim, Yukon, and both rural and urban villages. The side I know the most in my family is my mom’s side and a few on my father’s side. When I travel the Kuskokwim and coastal areas I always get the chance to stop by and visit my relatives that I know.
To most people who don’t know me. I appear shy. I don’t just go talking to anyone just because I feel like it. I don’t raise my voice, or laugh loud like some other people do. I am silent to those that ask me questions, tell me stories, and tell me to do something. Once in a while when someone tells me to do something, sometimes I will not listen to those orders depending on my mood. I am not too picky; I grew up unaware through my preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school years. I am used to people telling me what to do like chores; like pack water, do dishes, sweep and mop the floor, clean windows, pick up after my siblings, and follow them to places. But the things that I only remembered are some of the things that I feared that scared me. So life actually appears to me that things in life are attainable, like decisions to make, understanding the life of one another, and stating ideologies down on paper is what life is to me.
The church I am baptized in is called the Russian Orthodox; all my family except me is a Moravian. There was a story behind it. I was told, but that as a child or an infant or toddler that I had heart problems, so they baptized me in Russian Orthodox Church then sent me away to Minnesota if not Missouri. I am not sure how I became an Orthodox though; I need to ask again to make sure how I became an orthodox.
My outlook on my future depends on how many actually wants me to dream on. I noticed the cycle between each type, kind, or emotions of people, but I don’t know how to put all this into words. Hard times are countless and many find it unclear to make people hear their voice speak loud. They say, “Actions speaks louder than words”, I believe that is true, since many of them come to think of it as by their actions sometimes what they think is true. While that person is depending on what he is thinking. Some are okay about that thought, but others will judge them by what has been said. So, my outlook on my future is to try keeping my family a happy place to be by supporting them with food, clothing, transportation, and college savings. Maybe give my family a chance to actually view the rest of the world. Everyone has plans to meet, an education to pursue, and a life to manage through easy or hard way. My plans are to meet the schools’ ground rule requirements to actually by being there and improve the skills that I will need to use as a future reference and for the next generation and real-life out there. This is to cope with different types of people in all kinds of situations. From generation to generation, the times for each is always changing, like right now every country is teaching each culture in English as their second language. While the older generations dreams were to teach their younger generation about the skills they were taught in their very own language, culture, tradition, and surviving techniques.
As a community member or a resident of Oscarville and the nearby villages, I had too many nicknames some I remember some I forgot. The nickname I had and is still used today was brought up through the way I act, through my English and Eskimo name. Well, my Eskimo name is Lavv’aq, but many know me by my Eskimo pronunciation, which are, “Lavv, Love, Lavngu Usuk, Usukcam Nuliraa, Lavey-lava, and luvv-lu,” Through my English name are, “Marsha, Mushu, Moutha, Marty, and Martha Pooloo.”
My personal and general habits are about living a natural life that most of them has. No one to blame and something to do under the rules of law or staying busy is what keeping me to become responsible in my own and original adult life. As a student, my life is unique and my name has a story behind it, and goals to achieve and successfully keeping goals up.

Martha Waska
2/11/09