When in Wemindji...: Aaaaaaand we're back.

So Goose Break has come and gone. It felt long to be honest, but the 2 day drives back to and from Southern Ontario really did me in. I left in a convoy of vehicles on Friday April 26th immediately after the bell rang at noon. We drove pretty much straight through to Amos that day (about 8 hours) and stayed the night in the good ol' Amosphere. I shared a room with Monika and got dibs on the hilariously cool hide-a-bed complete with mood lighting. It was something to write home about. The we left early the next morning and with typical 400-401-427-403-QEW traffic, we made it home in about 10 hours. Not being used to bumper-to-bumper traffic, I almost killed Monika and I twice but what's life without a little thrill!?!

I spent the next two weeks shopping, shipping, hanging out, seeing family and trying to catch up on my sleep (not possible it turns out.) I also spend an astronomical amount of money on my little green machine (new brakes, new seat belts etc etc.) but got a very good deal at Preferred Muffler compared to what the evil Toyota dealership was trying to charge me. NICE TRY BUDDY. I may not know A THING about cars but I do know when I am being ripped off.

It was really nice to catch up with friends and family and I managed to squeeze some sunburn time in as well, oh joy! I am going to look SPLENDID in the strapless dress I am wearing for my friend Clair's upcoming nuptials. I am hoping to even out my "bib" burn this weekend with the predicted warm, sunny weather we will get up here!! (Fingers crossed).

Another fun and exciting thing that happened was I got a tattoo!! I have always wanted to get something to remember my father by (he died of cancer May 10th 2007) but I couldn't decide where or what. Once I began working here I saw that the Cree written language, known as syllabics, was really neat looking and now held significance for me. So I decided to have a trustworthy Cree teacher write out my dad's name, Michael, in Northern Cree syllabics (Carmen then took the paper around the school and had it verified haha) and I got it tattooed on the back of my left shoulder. I went to Nick at Way Cool Tattoos in Oakville and he did an amazing job. It was my first tattoo and I wasn't totally sure what to expect pain wise but it was pretty manageable. It helped that it only took about 20 minutes so there wasn't much time for me to complain haha!! Anyways, it is healing nicely and I am trying to take good care of it so it doesn't fade or rub off and I am left with some completely different word like "crap donkey" instead of "Michael".

After 2 nice weeks in the sunshine I was ready to go back to my routine and my kids. I am totally spoiled by having my own home and living out of a suitcase was a little annoying but at least I had a bed to come home to! I got to spend some really nice quality time with my mom and family and for that I am grateful.

The drive back was pretty nice as well however not without it's own drama! The day before we left we heard reports of washouts on the James Bay Highway that closed down the roads completely in some cases. Luckily the washouts were repaired by the time we got there. We left southern Ontario after a delicious "last meal" of EXCELLENT sushi (FYI I now eat raw salmon. I know, this coming from a girl who pukes at the sight of onions and tomatoes). Arriving in Amos again on Saturday night we had a quick bite at the ever-reliable Mike's and straight to bed. The next morning it was SNOWING huge chunks of slushy snow which made visibility really poor and we had to drive quite "slow" for the first couple of hours. After that the clouds parted and we were sailing. We made it home to Wemindji at about 6 and I quickly unpacked and went to bed. I am still not fully recovered from the lack of sleep the days before leaving and the draining drive but I am glad to be home, back in the classroom and back into my routine.

Don't worry too much though Oakville, I will be back at the end of the month to be a bridesmaid in my aforementioned friend's wedding, a quick weekend trip!

PS!! I am famous!! Actually, Wemindji is and I am famous for a split second. The CBC came and did a story on the success of Northern Quebec Cree communities. Very informative and you get to see where I live and work!! Go Cree Nation of Wemindji!

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/TV+Shows/The+National/ID/2385270324/

and the accompanying article:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/story/2013/05/14/pol-james-bay-cree-northern-quebec-attawapiskat.html

Enjoy!