I come from Alaska. I’ve lived in Alaska basically my entire life, I went to school there, I grew up there, and I love it there. All Alaskans can relate when I say that other people love Alaska too. Even those that have never been. To some people, it’s a land where the polar bears are tamed by the locals and are ridden to and from their igloos, while for others, it’s the island that sits right off the coast of California accompanying Hawaii on many of the maps of the US. To me, it’s home. Despite how far out and wild these claims seem, there is a little truth behind them. Alaska does have polar bears, but only in the Northernmost parts and locals definitely do not tame them. And it makes sense for small children to believe that Alaska is an island. No part of it touches the rest of the United States so in its on way it’s an island away from the US. There are so many stereotypes surrounding Alaskans and so many of them are good, but there are a few not so nice stereotypes that I would like to debunk. I absolutely love having the ability to say I’m from Alaska whenever introducing myself to new people because almost always, the attention shifts to me. It is a wonderful thing to be able to say that, but for some people I can imagine that questions start running through their heads as they think about what they actually know about the state. One shock to a few people I’ve met is why don’t I look like the folks on the famous reality TV show Alaskan Bush People. (Example below)
The shows like that based in Alaska are usually blown way out of proportion, the characters are cherry picked to seem the most extreme, or they are just plain fake, just like any reality TV show. They are entertaining but don’t expect to become an expert on Alaskan living by watching it. Another popular question is, “Is Alaska part of the US?” Yes, Alaska has been a part of the US since 1867. When tourists come into town, on rare instances we will be asked if we only take Canadian dollars, and much to the relief of the tourists, we can say that no, we do not take Canadian money, and only accept US dollars, much like the rest of the United States. I’ve also been asked if we speak the same English as the US. I’m not quite sure what they meant by this question, but they were probably thinking along the lines of us having an entirely different dialect. I guess you could say some Alaskans have accents, but most would be very subtle. “Can you see Russia from your house?” This question actually has a funny backstory. Many people believe that the old Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin stated that she could see Russia from her house, but she never actually said that. The line became popular when Tina Fey and Amy Poehler performed a skit on SNL, acting as Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton. Fey was the one who delivered the famous line and it’s been repeated ever since. To make things clear, you cannot see Russia from Alaska, except on one US island between the two landmasses called Little Diomede. From there you can see the island Big Diomede which is Russian property. Here's the link to the original Saturday Night Live Sketch As the long list of stereotypes grows, there is one that I feel personally relates to me. Many people think that growing up in a colder climate, makes you more acclimated to the cold. I’m not sure if I can say for the rest of the state, but for me that is very true. It only became apparent to me after moving to Sweden that I could stand colder temperatures than my friends and host family. Obviously, I liked the cold more than my Brazilian or Californian friends, but I also found that it applied to my Swedish host family as well. I guess it makes sense for me because ever since I was a kid, whenever the temperature rose above sixty degrees Fahrenheit (15.5°C), I would grab my swimsuit, towel, and siblings, and we would head to the nearest beach or lake to jump in and enjoy the tropical day. I’ve also been subject to many bone-chilling events where were forced to endure the cold, for example, the annual Polar Dip, where Sitkans come together and run into the freezing water in the middle of winter. I’ve actually subjected myself to my own kind of polar dip while in Sweden. I made a promise to myself that for every month of the year that I would be in Sweden, I would have to jump into an outdoor body of water at least once. So far I’ve kept my goal and even through the coldest months, I’ve marched out to the beach, whether accompanied by my host family, or not, and run into the oncoming waves. My host family obviously thinks I’m crazy, but I enjoy having the challenge. For this Alaskan, cold comes much easier than heat, and in this one case, I would say that Alaskans can deal with cold at least a little better than someone from farther South. As far as stereotypes go, I’d say that the Alaskan ones aren’t too bad and are actually kind of fun! I always enjoy telling people about my home state and all the wonderful things in it.
Some more interesting Alaska facts,
Alaska is indeed bigger than Texas. Much bigger. In fact it’s 3.1 times wider, and 1.9 times taller!
Every year Alaskans receive something called a PFD (permanent fund dividend). The PFD is a way to reimburse every citizen that has lived in Alaska for at least one full calendar year, by giving them around 1,000 USD every year. These payments reimburse citizens for the extraction of oil and other natural resources in the state.
Alaska used to be owned by Russia, and my town Sitka was actually the Russian Alaskan Capital! Few reminders are left from Alaska's Russian days, but you can still find some remnants in Sitka, like with the New Archangel Dancers, a women’s dance group that performs traditional Russian dances for tourists. There is also some old Russian Architecture that still remains in Sitka.