On August the 8th at 11:30 a.m. a boat outside of Juneau severed the underwater broadband cable connecting Sitka when it pulled anchor. In a moment all communication went down and the only way to get information was to speak to someone face to face. Partial phone and texting was was restored 36 hours and some people are using Starlink to connect to the internet. This has been an interesting time for Sitkans. Imagine what kind of disruption this would cause to your everyday life if it were to happen to you town.
Aside from disruptions, there have been many positive effects, including people getting better sleep, folks being outside and more physically active, and people engaging more in face-to-face interactions. I hear from most kids that they have enjoyed the break and that they are in happier in general and I remind them that this is what it was like to be in high school in the 90's! - We have been talking with kids about how this break will change their future phone usage and many kids said that they will delete games and social media from their phone and only use these things on their computers. These unusual days have been a gift and have helped us consider what boundaries we can place around screen time and prioritize face to face interaction. I wish every teenager (and person) had a chance to experience the world like we have these last two weeks, but I hope that moving forward we all can focus more on the people around us and less on screens. These are the lessons we are learning in a small island town in Southeast Alaska. Thanks for your prayers and support
