Time spent living in Alaska imprints on the mind and heart in a very particular way. Whether you spend your childhood, a summer as a young adult, or a winter contemplating in the mountains, anyone who lives in Alaska will always be a little bit Alaskan. The smells, sights, and experiences of this wild, rugged frontier are found nowhere else in exactly the same way. These things will always bring to mind a moment in Alaska no matter when and where you come across them.
No matter when or where these come up in conversation, or are able to be seen, Alaskans are sure to remember being rousted from their warm beds to go out and see a spectacular display of aurora borealis.
The familiar buzz of swarms of mosquitos will definitely make an Alaskan think of home. Mosquitos grow to huge sizes in the last frontier and any Alaskan will recall unfortunate times when the "bugs were really bad."
If you grew up in Alaska, you have eaten your share of salmon. Each summer, most inland Alaskans fill the freezer with fish for the winter, and those on the coast tend to eat seafood year round. There is nothing like the distinctive taste of wild Alaskan salmon fresh from the water. The taste of salmon is surely a taste of home.
Some summers, wildfires break out across Alaska and the smoke will fill the air in the nearby area. Anytime an Alaskan smells wildfire smoke, they are sure to be transported to a time and place in the motherland.
Any blueberry will likely make an Alaskan remember the small, tart, dark blueberries of home. Wild Alaskan blueberries taste totally different than other berries that share the name. It may be a homemade blueberry muffin from your childhood or memories of picking blueberries out on the tundra, but blueberries are sure to make you homesick.
Alaska has three mountain ranges: Brooks Range, Alaska Range, and Aleutian Range. The state is covered in staggering mountains and the foothills that roll before them. Rarely is the horizon a straight line in Alaska, and that can make much of the rest of the world fall a little flat for an Alaskan.
Any mention of a moose will take you back to pulling over the car and watching one of the majestic animals slowly chew vegetation in a marsh. Perhaps longing to see a moose grazing outside the window will tug your heartstrings.
When early October hits, you'll miss that Permanent Fund Dividend. The annual pay out to all Alaskan residents is usually accompanied with excellent airline ticket sales.
The fluffy, light, perfect powder that falls across the great state is sorely missed by those that enjoy winter sports. Alaskans will always miss how a fresh snowfall makes the world a winter wonderland.
Small slices of whale blubber are a food staple of coastal Northern Alaskan people. Whether it is part of the food you grew up on or a something you tried at a special Inupiaq event, the sheer mention of muktuk will have people turning to the Alaskan for answers, and you missing home.
A blast of cold air anytime will remind you of life in the old country, when you had to walk uphill both ways in fifty below zero temperatures just to get to school, or so it seemed when you were little. Alaska is cold, and a sudden freezing breeze may make you miss the bracing temperatures of Alaska.
