Nine months ago today I arrived in Ocracoke to begin this great adventure. (I had a trial run in June, staying in the house and getting to know the island and the village.) From the very beginning, I decided to immerse myself in the culture and the history and the lifestyle of Ocracoke. What an amazing ride it has been.
Being a teacher makes it easy to meet people. Obviously I met my coworkers and students right away, as well as many of their parents. I was fortunate enough to meet a prominent Ocracoker, Philip Howard, through my landlady and Philip has not only made me feel welcome here but has also introduced me to many others. Philip’s first piece of advice was “don’t say anything about anybody until you know who is related to whom.” I know this to be good advice from growing up in a small town (still not sure which of my classmates and friends might actually be kin!) as well as from teaching in two other small communities. (Ocracoke friends, I hope I have held true to that plan and have not offended anyone!)
And when you are one of the two new teachers at the school, people learn who you are and know you before you know them! (Even Santa at The Variety Store knew who I was when I sat on his knee!) Peter Vankevich of the Ocracoke Observer interviewed me soon after I arrived, and he has not only been a source of information but also has helped me identify birds I see!
In my walking every day, places like Hammock Hills and Springer’s Point and, of course, the beautiful beach are part of my regular route. And in my walking, I pass the homes of my students and frequently meet them on their bikes, golf carts or (occasionally) cars or playing in their yards. I also run into parents and members of the community. An impromptu parent conference on the side of the street or at the post office is not uncommon. And since far more people know my name than I know theirs, folks will frequently call out to me and ask how it is going. I recognize them from where I met them or who introduced us or some other connection, but I do not always know names to go with the faces.
My coworkers have been amazing! There are so few of us– fewer than 200 students in grades pre-k through 12 and fewer than 35 total staff members, including everyone!– that we have to support each other. That includes things like sharing calculators and other supplies, covering for each other for lunch duty and meetings– all the things that good co-workers do in all schools. But it also includes being along the street to wave to me when I am being a leprechaun in the St. Patrick’s Day parade, cheering me on in the recent half-marathon, commiserating over weather and schedules and whatever, sharing family news, worrying about each other.
Having grown up in “don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes” Boone, I am no stranger to the whims of weather. But these nine months have offered quite a variety! There was the heat and humidity of late summer. Followed quickly by 
Tropical Storm Hermine, which I weathered here in my little house. The day after the storm came through, I stood here (well, walked around and around while talking to various friends and family members) and watched the water continue to rise– and ever so glad that I had parked my car on the higher ground of the “base docks” parking lot. And then came Hurricane Matthew. Not knowing what the impact might be or how my house might take it, I decided to head west to Lewisville. 
After five nights, I returned to the island as soon as the ferries started running. I parked away from the house again, and made several trips of more than a mile in rain boots to unload what I needed from the car. I was luckier than many. Because my house is raised, there was no damage inside and only a few of the homeowner’s belongings in the downstairs storage room were lost. Power was out for less time here than at some of my family’s in Raleigh, so I lost only a couple of things I wasn’t sure about in the refrigerator and freezer. The island itself– and many residents– were not as lucky.
Tons of debris had to be hauled away. But all over the island, one could see people helping each other as they coped with the damage.
But weather is a constant, and so Matthew was not the end of the weather challenges. Maybe it is because I did grow up in Boone (and even the western Piedmont where I have lived the last 26 years is not immune to extreme highs in summer and lows in winter), the winter here was not as harsh as I feared. 
Part of my Skype interview for the job went this way: Them: “You said you have been here; have you been here in the winter?” Me: “No; but I grew up in Boone.” Them: “Then you should be fine. You won’t have the snow, but the winds are brutal.” There was that one weekend when most of the state, including Ocracoke, was in a deep freeze and my heat pump quit working. I woke up on the coldest morning to a house that registered 41 degrees! That, my friends, is cold. But while I was at school that very morning, repairmen came and by the time I got back at lunch the temperature was on the rise. We never really got a Nor’easter, or maybe I just didn’t recognize it as such. Remember, I come from Boone!
So here I am. Not an Ocracoker, by a long shot. But I like to think I am more than a “visitor,” the polite term for tourists. Folks who move here are referred to as “dingbatters.” In a story about the Ocracoke dialect (“hoi toide”) one man said that his wife, who is from Maryland, is still a dingbatter after 43 years of marriage. So I guess I am and always will be a dingbatter. But I definitely have a reverence for the island and a respect for its people that exceeds that of most visitors.
It has taken a couple of days to finish up this post, so now I will be leaving in less than four weeks for summer on the mainland. Another school year will be in the record books. I will be on the ferry headed west. What an adventure this has been. What lies ahead….?
bethdlayton 