On July 5 my mom got some bad news from my aunt Buggy that her uncle Antone Pitka, her father's brother, passed away. So the next day my mom made reservations to go over to Bethel. Carlie, my baby sister, my mom and I all went over together by Yute Air.

When we reached Bethel we went to my grandmother's place across South Harbor on the slough. We stayed for a couple of days at my gram's, then we went to AVCP housing to see his coffin with his body in it. It was so sad that almost everyone there was crying. He had a lot of friends and relatives there to see him before he left. A couple days later they brought his body to the Catholic church near Swansons because the Russian Orthodox church was too small for everyone to fit. After they were done singing and preaching the people started consoling Antone's wife and child and brother and sisters who are his only survivors. His brother and sisters are William Pitka, Lucy Keilila, and Mary Abruska. He had two more brothers but they had already passed away.

They drove his body to the cemetery near AVCP housing on the tundra rather than fly it to his home town, Crow Village. They buried him by Chet Atkins, his good friend who died before him. After the funeral they had a potluck reception where they gathered to eat and to remember him. Afterwards I went over to my cousin, Teresa Hunter's, apartment which was in AVCP housing. A lot of my aunts and cousins were there, and my mom and I decided to stay at her place for the night since it was too late to go back to my grandmother's. That night my cousin and I were talking about me staying to babysit for her kids and I said, yes, but I had to get permission from my mom. When I nervously asked her she said she'd think about it. I thought I was really just going to go straight home after the funeral, but later my mom said O.K., for a little while before school starts.

From then on I babysat Teresa's two young children. They weren't as bad as my brothers and my baby sister, and I had a lot of fun. At times I'd get tired of staying in though, so I went out to see my friends. I had a lot of fun with them going out on walks or to see other people. I met a new friend, Rachael Birdsong. Her father is from Bethel and her mother lives in Oregon with her parents. So she travels a lot back and forth.

I also visited with some of my Marshall friends in Bethel. We'd stay out late and have fun riding around in cabs. A couple of times I also got in trouble and Teresa's husband William would talk to me about staying out too late and all that. When I got tired of it over there I decided to come home and be with my family.

I had fun babysitting over there and I enjoyed it a lot. But next summer, I plan to stay home and work to make my own money.