Life in Fairbanks

My internet is finally working up here! Okay, so I have been in Alaska for two weeks now and so far I'm really enjoying it. It's sunny all the time here, save for a couple of hours of darkness (although it never gets completely dark), and I love it. Our windows are covered so it's always pretty dark inside when we don't turn on the lights. This makes it easy to fall asleep at night, but it's still quite easy to lose track of time because it always looks the same. On my second day in town I was interviewed for a waitressing job at a nice hotel called Wedgewood Resort and I got the job! I work the evening shift and I like it a lot. It's fun because we get tourists from all over the world. I have served lots of European and Australian customers, as well as some Indian and Japanese people as well. I think there have been more British and Australian customers than anyone else. It's so cool! I love their accents and their questions. I have had customers ask me what the different denominations in U.S. coins were worth and today I had a British lady ask me what a hoagie was. Most of the people we get are in great spirits because they are all on vacation. We also get a lot of people from what Alaskans commonly refer to as "the lower 48." I had a chance to chat with some people from Ohio who were shocked to hear that it gets down to -50 degrees in Fairbanks in the winter and that people need to plug in their cars or they won't start. They were especially surprised (and I was as well), to learn that there are plug-ins at most stores in the area so that when it's really cold, people can "charge" their cars while they shop! Ben and I live about 10 minutes outside of town. We live in between Fairbanks and North Pole, but our address is in North Pole. Fairbanks has about 35,000 people so it's a pretty small city. It has a Wal-Mart, a Sam's Club, a movie theater, a bowling alley, and lots of restaurants. North Pole is even smaller than Fairbanks; it's more of a town than a city. I don't know it's population, but its size reminds me of Middleton. North Pole is pretty cool because all the streetlights in the town look like giant candy canes and the streets have names like "Santa Clause Lane." There are also Christmas decorations that line the streets year-round. I wonder if I'll ever run in to Santa or Mrs. Clause at the grocery store. :) Speaking of the grocery store, food is pretty spendy up here. Meat isn't too bad compared to Idaho prices, but fresh produce is outrageous. Most fruits and veggies are over $4.00/lb! Milk is around $4.00/gallon too. And at the local McDonald's, the $1 menu is $1.50. All fast-food and sit-down restaurants have higher prices than what I'm used to. Gas here is expensive too. I got gas at the Tesoro station the other day for $4.14 a gallon. So, the cost of living here is fairly high. But...the weather here is great! The last couple of days it has been in the high 60s and the hottest it's gotten is about 72 degrees. It has rained twice since I've been here. It's a little bit humid here, but not bad. Overall, it has been a fun adventure so far and I'm looking forward to spending the summer up here! If anyone has questions about Fairbanks, please ask me! :)