MARLA:  Is there any advice you would give to somebody today who is a health aide who might want to become a health aide?
 
ROSE:  Any advice? 

MARLA:  Uh-hum.  Things that you've learned that you would want to pass on to them or --

ROSE:  Yeah.  I can do that.  Yeah.  I could do that.  But see, most of the time I don't say nothing because I don't want to act like I got it.  I know it all.  See.  So most of the time, I just keep quiet.  But see, I'm pretty old.  And when I go to clinic, I say, I -- oh, I just say, this is wrong with me. 

MARLA:  Well, but is there anybody -- is there anything you would like to say to anybody who would like to be a community health aide or somebody who might want to become a community health aide?  To encourage them or to --

ROSE:  To encourage them. 

MARLA:  Yeah. 

ROSE:  Because I know what's going to happen.  You know.  In the next few years or something like that, all of us elders will be gone.  Yeah.  And they got to stand up, they got to stand up for their village.  I think they are aware of it. 

But there's some of the young ladies, they are doggone good, you know.  They are -- they are the backbone of Huslia.  So it ain't that bad, the way out there.
 
You know, we're a long ways from the -- the main -- main towns or main places.  We're about 200 miles out.  And we come -- you know, we could travel only on airplane, which is all right.  That's all right.  We'll go stay in the woods all we want. 

MARLA:  And do you think that there are advantages or disadvantages to growing up and living in the same place where you were a health aide? 

ROSE:  With -- could you say that again? 

MARLA:  I -- I just wonder if it was difficult or easier because you lived in Huslia and then became a health aide? 

ROSE:  Oh, I know what you're talking about.  I didn't always live around here. 

MARLA:  Yeah. 

ROSE:  I lived on Yukon River for half of my life.  And yeah.  That -- I know what you're talking about.  It would have been easier, let's say -- let's say I altogether moved to upper Yukon or oh, let's say around the coast even.  Then I don't know who is who.  Then it's maybe it will be much easier. 

At the same time, it's the other way, too.  You know how we work when we work, we know the history.  And that that's -- that help us out. 

But if we move somewhere else where we don't know, just nobody.  We wouldn't know -- we wouldn't know the history except by looking at the chart.  But -- but we know.  We know the history. 

Like in my -- in my mother's family, we mostly got like heart disease.  In another family, they wouldn't have no, like, body disease, you know, like their heart, their heart or their thyroid and all that.  But see, if we work in one place all the time, then it's all up here already. 

But did I ever enjoyed Nulato.  I worked there one full week, more than once I worked down there.  That I ever, ever enjoyed working in Nulato.
 
MARLA:  And why? 

ROSE:  And I'll say I tackled all of what I was doing.  Because we used to live there.  And I am so happy to just see everybody there.  I am happy to see them, and just like I'm visiting them, but I am happy because I know what I'm doing.  That's the thing.  (Whispers) I think I'm bragging. 

Let's say at one time, very, very sad thing happened in the nearby village around here.  Lots of -- lots of traumas.  Drownings, you know. 

And my boss transferred me to Hughes.  We don't know all who came from the coast, from all over and everywhere to help them search.  I don't know how much people I had.  I don't know how much people I had.  And these people were from the coast.  Today is September what, 27th.

MARLA:  Uh-hum. 

ROSE:  What, 2005.  I just got to be proud I didn't get stuck. 

MARLA:  Yeah. 

ROSE:  I had a lot of people from the coast side and they came to clinics for this and that.  I didn't get stuck.  That's -- I was coming close to retiring.  And that's because I know what I was doing, but it's all of because my instructors and experience I went through.  I just thought when I was leaving I could just about talk and just say no sweat. 

MARLA:  That's what happens when you get 25 years of experience.
 
ROSE:  Yeah, that was -- that was going long ways.  That was going long ways.  But anyway, I'm just -- at the same time, you know, I'm pretty dumb and I'm pretty -- pretty worthless.  And that's why, you know, we got to -- we got to say good words once in awhile. 

MARLA:  Yeah.  I think that that makes sense. 

ROSE:  Yeah.