When in Wemindji...: KooKoo Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas concert...

Holy moly I am tired but very excited for tomorrow! Tomorrow is the annual MES Christmas Concert, and this year there is a very awesome twist. As you may know, Meghan, Monika and I rewrote some of ABBA's classics to reflect a holiday theme. I have never been more proud of something in my entire life. The lyrics are off da chain (as the kids say) and I have seen a couple of practice performances so far and I am loving the enthusiasm and dedication from these kids! It's going to be awesome. I will post some videos after tomorrow.

Otherwise I have been very busy in a few areas of life. Allow me to list the ways in which I have been busy.

SOCIAL: I had my 2nd Annual Ladies Whine and Cheese night. It was a lovely group of ladies and some new faces. We had some seriously delicious wine and cheese and some good laughs! It was a Friday night which is always iffy because people are dead tired but otherwise it was still pretty fun. I also attended my good friend Shelby's goodbye party (mixed with another couple Devon and Courtney who are also leaving Wemindji for greener - literally - pastures). It is so sad to see Shelby go but I am really happy that she landed a great spot on a supply list down South, so good luck to her and I can't wait to see her again in March! All December I have been participating in a daily small-gift Secret Santa exchange which was so much fun! I drew the name of a teacher and friend Tiffany and had so much fun planting little gifts every day in her room. I also got a great Secret Santa of my own who totally spoiled me and seemed to know exactly what I needed each day! Thanks Marsha! It was so much fun and everyone who participated was really thoughtful and took great effort to make their person feel special.

SCHOOL: Last night was our staff Christmas party and dinner. It was held at the Community Center (aka the old grocery store lol) and it was an awesome night! We played games, ate delicious meals and had the gift exchange! I drew the name of a new staff member, Science Chris, and had a great time looking for the perfect gift (coffee/caffeine-themed science gifts, super fun). A coworker Amanda pulled my name and I got truly the most amazing gift. A teepee lamp! It is GORGEOUS and has my name on it and I was about to cry I was so touched. The Elf on the Shelf Sylvain totally took over the classroom this December and I had a blast coming up with fun stuff for Sylvain to do and bring the kids. They loved it and it was really nice to see them so excited. I am also gearing up to welcome my student teacher from Bishop's University, Christine. We have been communicating frequently and she seems like a very down-to-earth, prepared, fun and creative teacher-in-training. The kids are pumped to have another teacher in the classroom and it will be fun to pass on what knowledge of education I have, as well as surely learn from her! We at the Cree School Board also participated in a solidarity strike for Quebec teachers a week ago (see last post). It was a Wednesday and I slept in and avoided picketing hehehe. I lost a day of pay but know that our voice was heard and hopefully an agreement can be reached.

HOME: Since I don't have a vehicle currently, I will be flying home for Christmas! I am flying out on Saturday afternoon with a whole bunch of teachers and while there is a full flight leaving on Friday afternoon, I am quite happy to be leaving Saturday instead. This is why. I hate to rush. I am glad that I get time on Friday after the concert to "close up" my classroom and home, do last minute things, prepare for the week we come back and just leave feeling settled instead of rushed. I am VERY much looking forward to coming home to Oakville and spending as much time with family and friends as possible and of course ROBIN AND BOBO. I love them both almost equally (I will not tell you who is the winner, that's not fair to either of them) and can't wait to snuggle in shifts with both of them.

VEHICLE: Well, lots has happened on the vehicle end since I last checked in. From afar, I have managed to buy myself a brand new van! Who knew you could do that from a distance of 1500+km!! I was originally shopping for my dream truck but in the end decided that it was really out of my price range. So I settled for a slightly better version of my first van. It is not white. I am happy with this van because I always loved my van and it is much more affordable and as long as I don't drive at Christmas aka bad driving conditions, I don't need the heavy duty features that made a truck so attractive. I will also be getting myself some much better winter tires than I previously had because as we all know, my last set of winter tires were absolute crap. That being said I do have to drive my van back up here after New Years which I am really not looking forward to but I will just be taking it extremely slow and steady and also travelling in a convoy with some friends for added safety.

Anyways, Happy Holidays to you and yours and I hope that if I am South I will see YOU!

Love Aidan