As I informed my students that I would be missing a week of school to attend orientation, they only had one question and one request
Question: Where am I going?
The answer: Fairbanks, AK! 4,157 miles away from our school and I got here by taking 3 flights, which actually took 16 hours not 13.5 hours. To answer my students' follow up question: Yes, Alaska is part of the USA and it is on the North American continent.
Request: Take a Picture of a Polar Bear
I explained to my students there would not be any polar bears in Fairbanks. I did indeed find a polar bear though, it just happened to be taxidermied in a glass box right next to baggage claim at the airport. I hope my students are happy :)
Polar bears do live in Alaska, but their prey includes seals, walruses, and even beluga whales, which all live in the ocean. Fairbanks is located towards the middle of the state of Alaska, way too far from the ocean to find polar bears.
Fun Fact: Polar bears actually have black skin and transparent fur, not white!
If you would like to learn more about polar bears visit Polar Bears International they even have a web cam.
Comments