When in Wemindji...: Mmmmm Hummus

It seems that fall has arrived in Wemindji! And you know what that means! Winter is about 2 seconds behind it!! Awesome! Well it has been cool since my arrival in August so fall in my opinion, has technically been here all along, but now the leaves on the trees are beginning to turn which is quite pretty!

Last week was MES's first full 5-day week (a number of PED days and holidays made the work schedule light up until now). It was rough! Who knew working 5 full days in a row could be so taxing haha. Well, to be honest, we didn't even work 5 full days as on Friday morning there was another power out! This one lasted the whole morning so school was cancelled and we started in the afternoon. It was planned but no one knew how long it would be out so I just went into school anyways and got some much needed electricity-less organizing done.

Things are going well in my class, my students are steadily improving their reading skills and last week we began our first independent writing activity! They needed a lot of guidance and reassurance but they are on their way to being fantastic independent writers as well. These kids love to learn and I am trying my best to provide them with quality, meaningful learning experiences that engage them and broaden their horizons! This week in art we are going to make pictures of what they would like to be when they grow up, a request from the Cree School Board to help initiate their new mission statement. I am curious and excited to see what kinds of jobs these kids see themselves doing in the future!

In a couple of weeks my mum and aunt are making the long drive up to Wemindji to visit for Thanksgiving! I am SO excited and really happy that they are making the drive. I am so proud of Wemindji, my home and my school, I can't wait to show it all off! They will be staying in the good ol' Amosphere on the way up and back down and I am preparing a little note with all the things to see/do/watch out for on the way. The best part by the way - they are bringing BOBO with them! I am going to die. I miss that little feller like you have no idea!

Before my family arrives however, it is the weekend of my 26th birthday! I have planned a party extravaganza! A PJ party! If you know me at all you know I live for comfort. As soon as I get in the door I am immediately in pj pants. I have often had dinner guests over in pj pants. This is not abnormal. So why, I ask, would I spend my birthday evening in regular, often uncomfortable pants? I can't give you a good reason either so PJs it is!! I have ordered a special PJ outfit that arrived last week which I will hold off on revealing until the night itself.

Last night was also the MES 2013 graduation ceremony! 11 Graduates, one already started in College classes and the school couldn't be more proud! There was a huge turnout and it was so nice to see the pride and excitement in the eyes of the grads, family members and teachers in the audience. There was a delicious feast, cake and nice ceremony followed by generous gifts and awards for the grads (Mac Book Pros for each grad, can I regraduate??)

Anyways, not too much has happened to tell about. I made the mistake of soaking a 1kg bag of chickpeas with the intention of making *a little* hummus. I did this last year and did not learn my lesson. 1kg of dried chickpeas = 11L of hummus. And I started this at 8:30 on a school night. Dumb. Anyways, lets just say I have hummus for years packed away in my freezer. I also defrosted my ripe bananas today and made 6 banana breads and 2 zucchini loafs. You'd think I was nesting with all this baking but nope. When the weather gets cold in Wemindji, I retreat indoors and start baking! So I hope all my friends are prepared to get fat this winter because you know its going to be a long one!