The last couple of weeks of school were typical. Busy, hectic, filled with fun activities and the usual drama. The kids shone in the series of standardized tests we had given them and really made me proud by displaying incredible acquisition of skills! I am SO SO SO proud of these guys I can hardly contain my pride when I talk about them. This year has been the most rewarding teaching year thus far. It has also been the most challenging and stressful year but in a good way, if that makes any sense. Not only did my students grow and change and rise to meet their daily challenges, but so did I as an educator. I stepped outside my comfort zone on a daily, if not hourly basis - guided by some truly supportive, knowledgable, honest, resourceful and generous coworkers and friends. Without them, I wouldn't have made it!! I feel that I have grown so much and learned so much that I can tackle a 3rd year of grade 2 with a whole different perspective and approach. I am ready!
Anyways, the last week of school began and the typical preparations for closing down had begun. We only had 2 teaching days to finish up but there was still plenty to be done. The grade 1 classes hosted our own awards ceremony, recognizing the student's efforts and contributions to the classroom community. Parents attended and it was a really touching little ceremony (preceded by a hotdog "picnic" in the classroom). The kids were tickled at being recognized. We had lots of fun and games and then suddenly, as quickly as the year had started, it was over! A successful 3rd year of teaching in the North in the bag.
I was also preparing to host my family for the last week of school for a little visit! The weather was slowly turning pleasant and I was anxiously anticipating their arrival Tuesday around dinner time. Well, that was until their car left the road, went down a steep embankment and flipped a few times on the James Bay Highway Tuesday afternoon...
THANKFULLY everyone was mostly uninjured and survived this horrible crash. Not the car though, that was totaled. Honestly, my sister, mother and aunt (and BOBO good lord Bobo) were extremely lucky to survive given all circumstances. The James Bay Highway is a particularly isolated 600km+ stretch of road running north/south along the James Bay. There is no cell phone service along this road, plenty of curves and each community is located approximately 100km from the Highway and hundreds of kilometers apart from one another. To say it's isolated really is an understatement. It's beautiful but also unforgiving. So when they rolled the Toyota Camry 30 feet from the road, they were lucky to have daylight on their side. It wasn't long before many passing cars stopped to come to their aid, which was a relief because emergency services, once alerted, wouldn't be there for about an hour and a half (distance from the closest community Eastmain - to the crash site, 170ish kilometers - and back).
The kindness, concern and generosity of a number of complete strangers astounded me and my family. A nurse stayed with my aunt who was trapped in the drivers side, some went to the SOS emergency phone checkpoint, others provided blankets to keep my family warm in the cool rain, one dismantled the battery to ensure the car wouldn't blow up (??) and another let my mom use his satellite phone to call me, alerting me to the accident and trying to work out a plan before the ambulance and fire department arrived!
It was a terrifying ordeal but I was kept up to date by strangers who were given my number by my mom. They were taken to Eastmain, a community south of Wemindji by about 4 hours. With various health issues, my family was anxious to be seen by a doctor and they were taken to the clinic in town. By the time they reached a phone in Eastmain to make a plan with me, it was too late for me to travel so I hooked them up with a coworker's family member who had room to take them in for the night. These people were truly saviors for my family as they were alone and shaken in a foreign land. My friends rallied around me that afternoon and evening, keeping me company, cooking me dinner, helping me pack while all I could do was pace and keep my family in the south updated! I am so grateful for the kindness and generosity my friends showed me in a time of uncertainty and extreme stress. The next morning I rose at 4:30 and hit the road at 5 to reach my family in Eastmain at 9:30. They needed to be seen by a doctor again before taking off to the ER in Val D'or, about 8 hours south. I was graciously given permission to leave a few days early by administration, something I am truly grateful for. Since they had no car, no car rental place in the great white north and everyone too shaken and on pain meds to drive, I became the sole driver of the journey and took my role very seriously. We arrived in Val D'or after a total of 15 hours of driving for me and went straight to the hospital where staff were waiting for my family's arrival. They were seen and given the ok to continue travel. After a well deserved dinner of takeout Mikes, and a very sound sleep, we were on the road back to Oakville the next morning. We arrived safe and sound after another 10 hours of driving and I basically collapsed. Everyone is still doing well, cuts and bruises are healing and a new car has been purchased! And best of all, my summer has begun!!
Take care people and wear your seatbelts!!
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