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Alaska Update

Family / by

A number of readers continue to contact me asking for updates in regards to Feyma and Aaron‘s work in Alaska. The readers want to know how they are doing there, what kind of work they are doing and such. I had promised to update this topic from time to time, so here is another installment.

Feyma and Aaron arrived in Naknek, Alaska on June 24 and are working at Red Salmon Cannery there.

Upon arrival, Feyma and Aaron both had plenty of work, 16 hour days, so they kept very busy. After these 16 hour days went on for 4 days or so, the work dried up for a few days. The early work was because of some fish that were sent by another company  to the Red Salmon cannery for processing. At that time, the Salmon Season had not yet begun on Bristol Bay, where the Red Salmon cannery is located. So, after the overflow work from another company had been completed, it took a few “off” days before the salmon season got rolling for the cannery where Feyma and Aaron are working.

However, once the fish started rolling in at Red Salmon, things got real busy again. It is routine now that Feyma and Aaron work 16 hour days. Every now and then they will work only a single 8 hour shift, but it is far more common that they get a double shift. That means two things, one is good and the other bad:

  1. It is good that the overtime keeps stacking up, because they get time and a half pay for all hours over 8 hours in a single day.
  2. It is bad that after working 16 hours they are very tired and their bodies are sore!
Feyma and Aaron are working on Processing Salmon
Feyma and Aaron are working on Processing Salmon

Overall, though, they are happy if they get 16 hours each day. Even if it is tiring, as Feyma says, they went there to work and earn money, and the more work they get, the more money they earn, so that makes them both happy.

When they first started experiencing the long grueling hours, both Feyma and Aaron seemed that they would not want to do this type of work again in the future. However, it did not take very long that they adjusted to the long hours, and now both of them are already making plans to go back and do this again next year.

For Aaron, this is his first time to get a job. He is 20 years old. He has worked for me in the past, but working for your Dad is much different from going out and working for a company that is not owned by a relative, especially a parent. He seems to be taking to the work very well. His team leaders that he works under seem to like him a lot, in fact he is sort of a favorite employee there. In most cases if there are special jobs that need to be done, Aaron seems to be the go-to guy for that, even though he is new and still learning the ropes. He has been approached and asked if he would be interested in being a forklift driver next year, which has much higher pay. He is interested in doing that, he will just need to learn how to operate a forklift, but he has expressed interest in getting that training.

Like Aaron, Feyma is also often called upon by her team leader to do extra jobs, because she has shown that she can be relied upon. She often even gets a little extra work time beyond the 16 hour days, because most days that call upon her to stay over for the cleanup duties, only a few of the employees get that. Feyma says that her leaders like her because she never complains about the work that is assigned to her, she just does it, and does it right. She says that a lot of the people working spend most of their time complaining about the work. Because of her attitude she is well liked.

Usually, Feyma and Aaron don’t get to see much of each other, because they are assigned in different parts of the plant. From time to time they get to work in the same area, but not often.

Jared is working now too

Our youngest son, Jared, also went to the States in May with Feyma. Jared is only 17, so he is too young to work in Alaska with Feyma and Aaron,t hey only hire people 18 years old and up. He does intend to go up there and work next year, though.

After spending about a month with his grandmother in Vancouver, Washington, Jared traveled to Memphis,Tennessee to stay with some family friends during the months while Feyma and Aaron are in Alaska. Jared seems to be liking Memphis very much, and staying busy.

Jared really wanted to find a job and learn about working there in the USA. He applied at several places, but he has been hired at McDonald’s now. The branch where he is working is quite close tot he place where he is living, and he can either walk to work or ride his bike. He is just starting his job, and I don’t really have any updates on his work yet, but soon!

Jared is a really entrepreneurial guy, like me, and he is basically using his wages to invest into other business ventures there. Mostly, he is buying things that are not readily available here, and will be selling those items to his Davao friends when he returns, at a profit, of course.

Additionally, Jared has become somewhat of a fitness guru there. When he is not working, he spends most of his time working out in the home gym in the house of the people who are hosting him there.

What about Bob?

Things are certainly different for me here in the house. With Feyma, Aaron, and Jared all being away, it is pretty quiet here!

Our oldest son, Chris, is still here with me, as are our two daughters, Jean and Nicole. Our niece, Bebe is also living here in the house.

I am keeping busy with plenty of work, different projects with my websites and such. I do miss my wife and two sons though. I have been doing a bit of traveling, have made two trips to General Santos City in the time Feyma has been gone. I also like to go out for coffee and chat with friends, I’ve been doing more of that sort of thing than normal lately.

Overall, everything is going well for me, other than the fact that I miss Feyma and the boys, though.

Communication

It is often difficult to communicate with Feyma and Aaron. Where they are in Alaska is rather remote, and Internet is very slow and does not always work. Recently I went about 4 days without being able to contact either of them, but yesterday I was able to talk to both Feyma and Aaron, and they are doing fine. In addition to the Internet being spotty, cellphone communications are not much better, if better at all.

So, there you have it. That is what is going on with Feyma and Aaron, and I threw in Jared and myself this time too.

Good luck to all of the Stateside Martin’s! I hope things continue to go well for them.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Red salmon early summer. Then Pink, silver, chum and king. Pink usually runs the longest and most harvest. Then after summer, canneries switch to bottom fish and then crabbing season starts.

  3. Happy to know Bob that you and family are ok.
    On the “salmon” note, I would sincerely wish to replace my onmi-present purchase of sardines with salmon. The family tolerates sardines when there’s (most days) nothing else to put on top of the rice. I would in my old age be so happy as to instead open cans of yummy salmon here. Sigh zero available fresh! Sigh no salmon available at all here, none!

    Your wife and kids swimming in salmon there, tell them to eat up while they can; back here those yummy salmon will be an impossible to repeat faint old memory.

    If you do have salmon in any form, hey send it this way, I’d be so happy to buy!

    • Hi Ed – Thanks for commenting.

      I know you come to Davao at least from time to time. You can buy salmon any day of the week that you want it here.

      S&R has frozen salmon almost all of the time.

      Swiss Deli (right across the street from S&R) always has frozen salmon.

      Both sources have great fish, and it is delicious.

      • Thanks Bob; my most recent annual (last 3 years) BI reporting trips then on the long trek back home, SM and the G(uisano ) not sure it’s confusing, the one with the terminal there close to BI …all no Salmon ‘thanks for trying, maybe next year some’. They did have some in 2013 but not since – except – I would be remiss omitting mention of the 45+K *whole* one-meter+ salmon that no-way would fit into my freezer (let alone my budget) and surely the commuter-van driver would have objected to – or asked me to pay triple for. Yes you can buy salmon, very BIG salmon fish. WHOLE FISH!
        I should have taken a picture. Can’t buy just a few kilos, no way. hahaha want salmon, ok buy a SALMON – the SM plan – all or nothing, don’t even ask. You didn’t bring a ‘spare’ 50k to buy with?
        https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4b67e24ff13a942925a0b5106b65f2494d61f416caff0fec84cd6527c3e19c60.jpg
        All this triggered my hunger-spot, so for the first time ever I exhumed the “free” promo can of tuna. When hungry enough it’s ok but it surely isn’t salmon!

        • I am sorry, Ed, perhaps I was not clear. I told you where they have salmon, and SM was not on my list. S&R and Swiss Deli have salmon and you don’t have to buy a whole fish. You can buy it like a 1/4 kilo at a time at Swiss, and at S&R you can guy a filet of one side of a fish. Good luck.

    • Ed, you can buy canned (US brand, Bumble Bee) salmon from Lazada. Delivered to your door, anywhere in the Philippines.

  6. I have a huge amount of respect for Feyma & Aaron. Those are some really long hours, especially as a 1st job. I worked many 16 hr shifts as an RN & I know after 2-3 days in a row, I was exhausted (but the time & a half pay was great). I know it’s a sacrifice for all of you. Glad Jared was able to find a job, too.

    • Hi Kelli – I also respect them so much for what they are doing. I don’t know if you know this or not, but after my heart surgery last year, it really wiped out our savings, so they are doing this to help with that situation. They don’t want me to do it, as they feel my heart might not be up to it yet. I also have worked a lot of 16 hour days over the years, so I know how it is!

    • Yes, I knew that was why they were doing it & that shows what a great family you have & how much they love you! I do agree that it probably wouldn’t be a good thing for you to do with your heart.

    • Feyma is a great lady, I hit the jackpot when I married her, I can’t deny it. She will do anything without a complaint. I love her dearly. My heart is very good now, and I feel that I could do it, but Feyma would not hear of it! 😉

  7. Glad everyone is getting along good with there work. Staying very busy makes time go by fast. They will be done before you know it. I used to work 12 hour days when I worked in law enforcement, but those 16 hour days are really long and the work a lot harder. That will be a good job for Aaron’s resume, because it gives him good work experience and because the work is hard. They should be commended for doing that type of work. Looking forward to more updates.

    • Thanks PapaDuck. I totally agree, they are doing great work and I am very proud of them! I also used to work a lot of 16 hour days in my earlier days… don’t know if I could do it anymore! They are certainly to be commended.

  8. This is very useful work. What brand of Salmon are they selling, I’ll pick up a few cans next time I go shopping to support the company.

    • I am not really sure, Tim. The name of the company is Red Salmon, but I am not sure if they sell to others who repackage it for retail or if they sell direct to the public. Sorry I can’t give better information.

    • Sorry, Tom, that is a different company, Pacific Seafoods. They are talking about the species “red salmon”. My wife and son are working for a company called Red Salmon. Two different things.

    • at Naknek, that is the owner of the Red Salmon Cannery – or so their website says. “The North Pacific Seafoods Red Salmon plant is located on the Naknek River in the village of Naknek, Alaska. With a population of about 680, Naknek is situated on Kvichak Bay, an arm of Bristol Bay.”

    • Bob Martin, North Pacific Seafoods does in fact own the Red Salmon cannery. The cannery has changed hands a few times, but the cannery name has stayed the same.

  10. Have to laugh and wonder what that initial family conversation must have been like. “Our family could use some additional income and work experience. Any volunteers to move to Alaska?”

    • There really wasn’t anything funny about it, and they didn’t move to Alaska, they only went there temporarily for some work. It all came down that I had a lot of medical expenses last year and almost died. So my family decided that they would pitch in and help out.