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January 2011 www.sname.org/sname/mt (travel) for any of the reasons noted above is met with incredulous surprise at the misalignment of our priorities. Think ?exibility Travel itself requires some patience and flexibility. Commercial ights are not available for many villages, so ying small aircraft over vast and unforgiving lands is a common experience. Many seasoned travelers appear garbed for an expedition because you never know how long you might have to stand outside in minus 50°F weather waiting for someone to happen by and ferry you from the airstrip into town. And when you get to town, the available accommodations may be rather Spartan. Most communities have only one very small hotel and if there is a funeral for a local elder or any other kind of gathering, there may very well be no room at the inn for you. I have slept on the oors of local schools numerous times, grateful for a warm spot and a wrestling mat. An uncomplicated hairdo and a sleeping bag are essential. Navigating between the two disparate worlds of corporate America and rural Alaska sometimes makes my head spin. e life pace transition between oce work, with its expectation of responding to 100 e-mails a day, to engaging in conversations that frequently lapse into silence for extended periods can be disorienting. As time goes by, however, I nd myself looking forward to my village time? with its respite from the madding crowd, and I denitely appreciate the relative luxuries presented upon returning home. MTColleen McCarthy is director, community and native relations for ConocoPhillips Alaska, based in Anchorage. Her goals for 2011 include becoming blanket toss champion. Western palettes often need time to adjust to the taste of whale meat and blubber. Culture Shock continued