Well, we have entered the time of year I like to call "The Time of Year Where Nothing Happens." Yes folks, we are knee deep into winter and have entered the time when literally nothing exciting happens. There are no extended breaks, no exciting conferences, no holidays, no major events, no sunlight, no warmth - you get the gist. Not that I am really complaining or anything, but I find myself reluctant to write anything here because, well, there truly is nothing much to write about! Oh well, I will squeeze blood from a stone and find something to update you on!!
Okay, well living with Bobo is still a lovely treat (read with a hint of sarcasm). While he is the love of my life still, he really can get on my nerves with the constant chatter (aka barking) he is so good at! I am also a little concerned because I think he is going blind. For real! Of course I am no veterinarian but I noticed his eyes are a little cloudy (and have been that way for about a year) and recently he has been displaying some odd behavior, mainly walking into doors, getting spooked by newly moved furniture or a snowpile that wasn't there before, diminished depth-perception, barking at literally EVERYTHING and it appears he isn't seeing things that are directly placed in front of him. Very weird! This could be a result of his diabetes or semi-old age, I think he's only 7? Anyways, he seems to be getting on just fine but is explains a lot of the barking he does which I think may be because he can't see who is there and he is scared! Poor little fella. We'll get him checked out on Goosebreak for sure.
School has been trucking along and working with my student teacher Christine has been an absolute dream. She is creative and ambitious and works hard to engage the students. It is great to have an influx of creativity and new ideas in the classroom and the kids are doing really well with an extra pair of hands. She has taken over pretty much all aspects of the classroom as far as planning, teaching, facilitating and management. She takes advice and feedback like a champ and actually puts it into play which is refreshing. I am so lucky to have been "given" such a capable teacher-in-training and I am really looking forward to the next 10 weeks we will have together. I am also very lucky to have an extra pair of hands while we enter the season of heavy testing. I have already taken advantage of the sharing of supervision by pulling students to test and provide 1-1 support to when otherwise I would have had far less of myself to give. I am grateful!
Last weekend was quiet but I did attend Meghan's house-warming party. It was great to hangout and see people outside of school and it made for a nice night while the snow was blowing outside! At school last weekend I got some good organizing done and planning and prep for our new focus in Grade 2, fluency. I did some research and prep for new centers and activities to develop or enhance this skill in my students and already I am seeing positive results!
Tomorrow I am having some friends over for a nice dinner which I am really looking forward to! It's always nice to get together outside of school in a setting where you can just relax, vent, laugh and have a good meal. You have to find ways to entertain yourself in these long and cold months and for me, that often involves something tasty and a glass of wine HEHE.
So basically all the new teachers have been placed which is great! We were without qualified or permanent teachers for 4 positions for quite a while and now with a bunch of new hires and Raquel (Monika's sister) the classes now have teachers!! It is great to see new faces and get a breath of fresh air in the school. I am really looking forward to getting to know these new ladies some more and am happy that the kids finally have some consistency! Last week was also a half-PED day which took place in the afternoon. Meghan, Meredith and I were asked to present to small groups about surviving your first year at Maquatua Eeyou School. We put our heads together and tried to compile a list of must-know and do tips for a smooth first year of teaching in the north and I think we did quite well! Afterwards the Cree teachers cooked up bannock and made tea and we all hung out in the lodge which was stocked full of Cree crafts, handmade items, language documents and artifacts. So cool and I learned to spell my name in Cree!! I also checked that my Cree tattoo was correct, looks like it haha.
I am sad to report that my vaccuum cleaner broke and then approximately 24 hours later, my Swiffer broke too. So my house is filthy since I took the excuse that I couldn't properly clean to abandon the act altogether. I am living in one giant dustball and it is disgusting. Also it appears my snowblower is on the fritz as well. Perhaps a belt is lose/broken or it could be frozen. How I will find this out is by letting the machine thaw. THAW? WHEN!? I live in eternal winter-land! I have been offered some space in a kind gentleman's shed to let it thaw when I get around to it, so this story is not finished yet!
Well, I am impressed. I managed to write quite a lot about nothing, hooray! Until next time...
Monday 25 January 2016
Sunday 10 January 2016
Winter Not-So-Wonderland
Well, I made it back to Wemindji in one piece if anyone is wondering! Christmas vacation came to a sad end and the day after New Years I started the long journey back to Wemindji after having one of the busiest and shortest-feeling breaks ever! I managed to squeeze in some visits with friends and a little shopping but I dedicated most of my holiday to hanging out with family and seeing as much of baby Robin and my family as possible! Its hard to imagine that I won't see Robin for 4 long months, he will have grown so much between now and then! Bittersweet definitely.
Anyways, my holiday was great but I definitely didn't get to see as much as my friends as I would have liked (purely my fault) so at Goosebreak I am going to make a greater effort to see my old chums as well. Its just so hard when you have that little nugget face looking at you begging to be cuddled! Who am I to decline?!
So the drive back was better than I was expecting! It was not without some hiccups though let me tell you. I planned on leaving Oakville super early Saturday morning so I could get to Amos before 4. I wanted to get there before 4 so I could avoid driving in the dark and also so I could get to the Dodge dealership there before it closed so I could pick up my tires and contents of my old van which they were holding for me, It turns out they were closed because of the wonky holidays and I missed out on that but they are going to continue to hold my things for me until I can make it back at Goosebreak. Awesome! However, instead of leaving early I slept in 2.5 hours and was late picking up some items from a fellow teacher in Scarborough, whooops my bad. My phone charger literally exploded in the middle of the night (blue flash and smoke, the whole shebang!) which thankfully didn't fry my phone but did mean I used a different plug to charge my phone overnight that turns out didn't work and my phone died, meaning my alarm didn't go off. I was so tired from all the holiday activities that I really did need the extra rest so it was probably a good thing. A great start to a long day!
The drive from Oakville to Amos was unremarkable thankfully. A little grey but otherwise the roads were clear and my travel buddy Bobo made the journey very enjoyable. Yes that is right folks, I am now foster mummy to Bobo. Bobo will be staying with me until at least Goosebreak while my mom establishes herself in her new career in Addictions Counselling. Having to work her way up the food chain, she is taking on a lot of long shifts with crazy hours in a city not terribly close by which means that Bobo's new medical and dietary needs aren't easily taken care of, so I am taking care of him in Wemindji since my schedule is much more flexible and I can accommodate his needs. He, like myself, also hates the winter outdoors so we make a good team! I am very happy for the company but wish he wouldn't bark at literally everything and everyone.
Back to my journey. So I stayed the night in Amos with Bobo, making it in around 6pm. We had a nice little dinner in the room and got an early night so we could have an early start the next morning. I caravaned with Karen, a fellow teacher and we took it slow and steady! I could really feel the difference of my new and better quality winter tires and the drive was as close to perfect for a winter drive as it could get! We took 10 hours for what would normally be an 8 hour drive but we felt that given my track record, better slow and safe than sorry!!
We started back to school on Tuesday and as expected, the kids were both tired and loopy all at the same time! We welcomed our new student teacher Christine to the classroom and she has been a rock star! She is fantastic with the kids, has some great ideas and it is going to be a really awesome few months together!
Last night was Marsha and Vincent's 80's Prom-themed co-birthday bash and it was nothing less than spectacular! The decor and props were amazing, music on point and everyone came dressed to the nines in their most tubular 80's prom attire! It was a super fun night and everyone got to catch up and let loose and really enjoy themselves. In these long winter months it is so important to remember to have fun and get out of your house and head for a while! It is a must if you want to preserve your sanity!
Anyways speaking of sanity, I am bundled up warm inside my house while a storm rages outside. A special weather alert has been issued for Wemindji and surrounding area with expected snowfall of 40+cm over the next 24 hours so we shall see how that turns out!! Time to break out the snowblower! Stay warm people,
Anyways, my holiday was great but I definitely didn't get to see as much as my friends as I would have liked (purely my fault) so at Goosebreak I am going to make a greater effort to see my old chums as well. Its just so hard when you have that little nugget face looking at you begging to be cuddled! Who am I to decline?!
So the drive back was better than I was expecting! It was not without some hiccups though let me tell you. I planned on leaving Oakville super early Saturday morning so I could get to Amos before 4. I wanted to get there before 4 so I could avoid driving in the dark and also so I could get to the Dodge dealership there before it closed so I could pick up my tires and contents of my old van which they were holding for me, It turns out they were closed because of the wonky holidays and I missed out on that but they are going to continue to hold my things for me until I can make it back at Goosebreak. Awesome! However, instead of leaving early I slept in 2.5 hours and was late picking up some items from a fellow teacher in Scarborough, whooops my bad. My phone charger literally exploded in the middle of the night (blue flash and smoke, the whole shebang!) which thankfully didn't fry my phone but did mean I used a different plug to charge my phone overnight that turns out didn't work and my phone died, meaning my alarm didn't go off. I was so tired from all the holiday activities that I really did need the extra rest so it was probably a good thing. A great start to a long day!
The drive from Oakville to Amos was unremarkable thankfully. A little grey but otherwise the roads were clear and my travel buddy Bobo made the journey very enjoyable. Yes that is right folks, I am now foster mummy to Bobo. Bobo will be staying with me until at least Goosebreak while my mom establishes herself in her new career in Addictions Counselling. Having to work her way up the food chain, she is taking on a lot of long shifts with crazy hours in a city not terribly close by which means that Bobo's new medical and dietary needs aren't easily taken care of, so I am taking care of him in Wemindji since my schedule is much more flexible and I can accommodate his needs. He, like myself, also hates the winter outdoors so we make a good team! I am very happy for the company but wish he wouldn't bark at literally everything and everyone.
Back to my journey. So I stayed the night in Amos with Bobo, making it in around 6pm. We had a nice little dinner in the room and got an early night so we could have an early start the next morning. I caravaned with Karen, a fellow teacher and we took it slow and steady! I could really feel the difference of my new and better quality winter tires and the drive was as close to perfect for a winter drive as it could get! We took 10 hours for what would normally be an 8 hour drive but we felt that given my track record, better slow and safe than sorry!!
We started back to school on Tuesday and as expected, the kids were both tired and loopy all at the same time! We welcomed our new student teacher Christine to the classroom and she has been a rock star! She is fantastic with the kids, has some great ideas and it is going to be a really awesome few months together!
Last night was Marsha and Vincent's 80's Prom-themed co-birthday bash and it was nothing less than spectacular! The decor and props were amazing, music on point and everyone came dressed to the nines in their most tubular 80's prom attire! It was a super fun night and everyone got to catch up and let loose and really enjoy themselves. In these long winter months it is so important to remember to have fun and get out of your house and head for a while! It is a must if you want to preserve your sanity!
Anyways speaking of sanity, I am bundled up warm inside my house while a storm rages outside. A special weather alert has been issued for Wemindji and surrounding area with expected snowfall of 40+cm over the next 24 hours so we shall see how that turns out!! Time to break out the snowblower! Stay warm people,
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