I think it took spending the afternoon wandering downtown Anchorage to fully realize what an journey it's been. I got dropped off at the bus station, and walked around for an hour, looking in shops and people watching before heading to the Visitor Information Center. In there, two old ladies told me that I could go across the street to the Federal Building and watch free movies about Alaska. I went there and nerded out about public lands-- my favorite thing to do! I spent a couple hours there then kept wandering.
The unique thing about my afternoon in an unfamiliar city was that every single person I interacted with was insanely friendly, helpful, courteous, affable (full disclosure: I thesaurused 'nice')... I was amazed. Southern hospitality? Nope, I'm pretty sure they meant Western.
I was reminded as I was walking of The Kindness Project. The kindness I encountered while doing everyday things like going to a museum, coffee shop, riding a city bus, talking with security guards, and walking into crafty shops lifted my spirits and made me walk around with a smile on my face, and probably helped me be kinder to other who I interacted with. Every person I talked with was so curious about what brought me to Anchorage, and if I was going to move to Alaska or spend the winter here, or what I had been doing before I got to, or how I ended up working on a farm for the summer. I ended up sharing with nine people on separate occasions in 4 hours about how I spend an incredible summer on a farm outside of Fairbanks. I feel so full from today, both in belly and heart. Cheesy enough for ya?
It's been real, Alaska. Until next time. Alaskamp, out!
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