Arriving and Unpacking

I will be happy if I never see another cardboard box again!! I have spent the last 4 days unpacking my home and classroom and lets say I am more than a little tired.

Let me start from the beginning though.  After postponing my departure from Ontario by a day, Monika, Carmen and I started the long drive back to Wemindji to start the new school year on Sunday.  The first day was uneventful and the drive was pretty nice!  I was ASTOUNDED by my highway fuel economy and made it all the way to Amos on one tank!  Pretty nice, especially since that trip would have seen me stopping every few hours to fuel up in the old Tercel.  We got to Amos around 8, had a late dinner at - you guessed it - Mike's and then crashed.  After spending a really lovely evening with my mom at a delish Thai restaurant the night before, I felt a little homesick and missed my mama so I spent a good hour on the phone with her which put me at ease and I had a decent sleep at the reliable ol' Amosphere.

The next day we took off early and made our last stop for gas before 381KM at Matagami.  Once we hit the James Bay Highway, the weather alternated between sunny skies and lotsa rain which really helped wash all the disgusting bugs off the windshield (a dragonfly got stuck in my wipers and I swear made eye contact with me before being swiped off to its death...).  I had some good ghostly podcasts playing and of course my favorite tunes to keep me company.  The van was SO COMFY and felt like luxury driving over all those crazy bumps.  I was born to drive a big vehicle.  Love it.

I had forgotten that forest fires had ravaged the landscape during the summer until I saw parts of the wilderness completely leveled and crazy burned up trees on either side of the highway.  I drove past a few burned down bush camps which was sad.  Fire had gotten so close to the road that even the guardrails had burned down, leaving behind twisted and melted metal lying on the side of the road.  Some of the damage was patchy and in other places it stretched for what seemed like miles.  Some green was starting to grow on the blackened earth but for the most part, the charred remains of birch and fir trees dotted the landscape.  It was beautiful and scary at the same time, but I could barely take my eyes off it!  It was interesting to see the size and extent of land affected by the fires and I was immediately grateful it hadn't reached Wemindji!

Anyways, we arrived home at about 5:30pm after about 9 hours of driving.  I was POOPED but somehow mustered up the energy to unpack my van (I have NO idea how I fit so much stuff in there honestly) AND unpack EVERYTHING! No, I don't know what is wrong with me either. I hit the sack and the next day headed into the school to assess the amount of work I was going to have to put into unpacking and setting up my classroom.  I made a good dent on Tuesday and Wednesday and today in between a short meeting, I finished unpacking and setting up!  Maintenance workers at the school have been fantastic and have worked really hard to help us get ready and settled and I was really happy to have a few odd jobs I needed done completed quickly! Tomorrow I will focus on organizing my resources, putting up my boards and decorating my door!  This weekend I will spend a good deal of time preparing for the student's first week and get some "Back to School" activities planned! With no black ink in my printer this might prove a little difficult however...

It has been great to catch up with my friends and colleagues and I have spent much more time socializing than unpacking I am sure!  Maquatua Eeyou School gained two brand new teachers this year who are great ladies and I can't wait to start working with them!  They have definitely landed jobs in a fantastic school with a lot of positive changes happening and I am happy to welcome them.  The school also saw a few returning teachers and educators who were previously taking time off or working other areas of the school board and it is nice to see them too!  I am very excited for this school year, I have to say.  I am teaching an adorable, awesome class of 12 (YES 12!) and have the most amazing staff to work with.  I think this is going to be a great year and definitely different from last year.  I am excited to try new things with this group and see how far we can go!

I will post pictures of my finished classroom as soon as I can, for now here are some shots from the drive and of my classroom in progress.  And yes you are not imagining things, those are WINDOWS and I have a SINK!

I miss this little feller!

A bunny I saved from the wilderness of Pinegrove Road

Packing in progress..

Almost finished product! I fit: a chair, a bookshelf, a patio set, a TV, a side table, 3 Rubbermaid containers, 1 bag of charcoal, a lamp, 3 mirrors, 1 diploma, 5 plants, 1 bag of potting soil, 1 million chachkies, 1 giant copper daisy and about 300 boxes.

My beautiful mother

My new view! No more silver Bug :(

Fancy security system at the Amosphere!

Hard to capture the damage of the forest fires!

Yah made it!

My favorite place to stop and take a picture, KM70

Strange arrangement I came home to...

Ugh.

ALL of that was in my van!?

My classroom.  Day 1

Its so cold! I love it!

Day 2

Day 3

Funny story behind this...

So long!

Well, the day has arrived. Or almost. I really can't believe how fast the last couple weeks of my 6 week summer vacation have gone!  Between shopping, socializing and family time, the last few days have really sped by and I am now feeling the pressure!  I leave Oakville tomorrow morning and lets just say there are quite a few things on my "to-do" left to do. I won't bore you with the details but lets just say they include packing my van to the brim with all my goodies for Wemindji! However knowing my Tetris car packing skills this could be fun. I just have to keep reminding myself of what happened last time I got ambitious and over packed my car...

I was reading through some of my old blogs a little while ago (vain, I know) and it was fun to see what I was doing this time last year. This time last year I was already in Wemindji, settling in and probably exploring the town. Carmen and I had given ourselves plenty of time to drive up (3 days, totally unnecessary looking back). I had spent my summer shopping and preparing and squeezing in a much quality time with friends and family as I could before making the big move, much like I have been this summer! 

It is interesting to see that while not much has changed in a year in that respect, so much has in others. I completed my first year of teaching, moved homes, dealt with classroom, personal and professional situations I never thought I'd be dealing with and most of all, enjoying a life I could never have pictured myself in before. I went up to Wemindji a little naive, ready to teach grade 5 (HA!) and excited to begin my career. I go up this year ready for round 2 of grade 2 with a new class, a new cycle team and a new home! I am very excited for the new adventures that will happen this year and getting the opportunity to take another crack at teaching grade 2 to a class that I feel will be receptive and excited to try new things with me. I am excited to be working with Stacy again and sad to see Carmen leave our cycle to teach high school although I know she  will be amazing. I am happy to welcome Monika into our cycle team as she tackles grade 1 with Marsha! This year is going to be full of learning curves, excitement and the need for flexibility and I think I am up for the task! Last year was filled to the brim with road bumps and "adventure" which I think has prepared me to deal with almost anything. I have learned to look out for number one, to be my own advocate and that as much as it may annoy other people, the squeaky wheel does get the oil! So I take those newly learned skills and hope that I don't have to use them as much this year, but know that I have them in my back pocket just in case!

Anyways, I write this on my phone as I sit in my mechanics waiting room while I get my tires changed for the drive back to Wemindji. I get some weird looks when I say I want my all seasons changed to my winters, but when I explain that I could very well encounter some snow within the next couple of weeks and point on a map to where I actually live, people smile and nod. 

Now that my Costco and Dollarama trips are complete and all there is to do is some last minute tasks, I hope to relax a little tonight with the family, spend my last night in Oakville in peace and mentally prepare for the long trip ahead!

Wish me luck!

New Car!

Well, the day has finally arrived and I am a new car owner!  I decided to bite the bullet and shell out (aka go into more debt) for a brand new Dodge Grand Caravan.  Yes, I am the proud owner of a... minivan.  Not quite the dude-magnet car I had always thought I would own but hey!  I shopped around for some time (as you know) and settled on my beautiful white van with optimal storage capacity, back row Stow-N-Go, removable middle bench and *gasp* POWER LOCKS AND WINDOWS! Not that these particular perks are a must but after years of having to remind my passengers to push down the lock to secure my vehicle, being able to "beep beep" my locks into place is quite a novelty!  Not quite a novelty however is filling up the gas tank.  I actually cried a little as my hand started to cramp from holding the gas nozzle for so long. 

Now, I have received a lot of teasing about my choice of ride, particularly about the fact that most single females don't opt for such an obvious family vehicle, but I am all about function and practicality baby.  This van will allow me to take as much stuff up with me to Wemindji as I can fit and not have to rely on the sometimes iffy Canada Post service for shipping my goods.  For this, I am happy.  This car is also brand-spankin' new so I hope that I will get to spend some time with it before major repair costs come into play.  This van is comfy, safe and came with the Quebec legally-required winter tires!  What more could a girl ask for. 

Anyways, other than that milestone I have had - as usual - a pretty busy week.  I visited Dollarama today with Monika where we stocked up on "prizes" aka bribes for good behaviour, odds and ends and supplies you can't get up north (who am I kidding, that's everything).

I have visited IKEA twice since getting my van last Friday and made use of my optimal cargo storage as well grabbed a few things from my storage locker to bring back with me (mainly unread books and decor. Now that I have a bigger home I need to fill it obviously).

The last stop on my shopping list is Costco and I may wait until the last minute to do that since I need to buy some fresh stuff and want it to last.  I am trying hard to stick to my budget but I am notoriously bad with money (hence working in the North to pay the bills!) and it has been difficult!!  Perhaps knowing that I won't be able to shop for 4.5 months inspires the shopaholic deep within.

On Friday after picking up the new wheels Carmen and I set into motion the surprise birthday plans that had been in the works for Monika's birthday!  We had been so sneaky with Monika's best friend and sister for WEEKS, it was killing me to not spill the beans accidentally.  We shopped at IKEA, went to dinner at The Three Brewers where Monika's friend and sister arrived to surprise Monika!  Then we took Monika to a Jay's game (I drove in that crazy rainstorm, and EVEN BACKED INTO AN UNDERGROUND PARKING SPACE - I know, insane) where we sat and judged the baseball players based on looks.  Okay, maybe I was the only one doing that since I had no idea what was going on, but it was fun nonetheless!

Since then I have been bowling with old friends, lunching, brunching and breakfasting, all while trying to squeeze in a nap here and there (nap count on vacation: 1)

Another exciting piece of news:  I have been honored with the position of Maid of Honor at my dear friend Katherine's upcoming nuptials! I knew I was going to be a bridesmaid but was totally surprised at being asked to be M.O.H at the engagement party last weekend!! Totally touched and very excited.  I can't wait to start planning all the fun events and being helpful to my friend as she plans her big day!

Anyways, I hate to say it but the countdown is back on, I will be returning to Wemindji on August 10th so it is social, family and shopping crunch time.  Still, I have a couple more weeks to enjoy this lovely (read: awful hot) weather with friends and family, I am a lucky girl!

My baby.

Game!  Sitting so close to the... goal net?  HA

Co-conspirators Sandra and Raquel - guess which one is related to Monika

Apparently I need to do some sun work on my face...

What is going on? No idea?

Juuuust take pictures to fill the time!

Buns!

I cannot turn this pic around!! Ah!! Delicious cake.

The happy couple Katherine and Mike

EEEE!

Ultimate seating capacity.

So pretty. 

Oh by the way, CONGRATULATIONS ROYAL COUPLE.  I lost all the bets on name, weight and gender but I am still overjoyed at the royal birth.

Obligatory Bobo picture.

Pooped after a long day of barking AT EVERYTHING.

Bowling! Where I lost every single game, bruised my hand and finger, chipped or broke each finger nail, pulled a muscle in both my neck AND butt.  So.. much.. fun...

Sweet Summer

I feel this post will be a little short as I haven't done much over the past week.  That is completely okay with me by the way!  My goal this summer was to DO NOTHING.  Besides the odd day trip or hang out with friends here and there, I really wanted to relax, catch up on my reading, TV shows and most important of all - SLEEP.  Slowly, this has been successful!  I started watching Vikings, amazing!  I am finishing the Hunger Games Trilogy and I am averaging about 8-10 hours of sleep a night.  Life is good! 

I am seeing family, friends and a lot of the open road for some reason.  I have done more travelling since I got home than I have in a whole year in Wemindji, and that is saying a lot. 

After taking in the '97 Tercel for more intense repairs, I am SERIOUSLY in the market for a newer car.  While I maintain that this car has been a life saver on more than one occasion, made it possible for me to complete teacher's college with my sanity 90% intact and travel to a foreign land to begin my career, it was not meant for such adventure.  I received this car from my generous Grandfather with 74km on it, a well taken care of vehicle with no major issues.  The odometer now stands with a staggering 124km, I can't believe I put 50km on it in 2 years! That's a lot of sitting.  And a lot of gas oy vey!  So stay tuned this week, we may be seeing me rolling around in something a little better suited for my northern needs.  Fingers crossed!

On another note, I spent an amazing few days at a friend Shelby's cottage with the Wemindji girls Brandi, Carmen and Monika.  Knowing that we will be saturated with the company of each other for a year in just a few short weeks doesn't seem to deter the need to hang out still!! Shelby's cottage was beautiful and rustic and I managed to get severely burned which is all my fault of course.  We went water sporting (I and Monika sat on the front of the boat and lounged while others risked their lives for the rush of adrenaline).  We were there during the big storm that hit Toronto and only really got some intense rain but it kept cutting out The Bachelorette so I feel your pain Torontonians :P

Otherwise I have been putting off reorganizing my lesson plan binders and planning the first few weeks (especially since I left my GVC binders at school so I can't remember what I am supposed to have ready for the first week of school, awesome - late nights are coming my way in August!) doing some light shopping here and there for supplies for the next 5 months and researching vans to possibly buy this summer!

4 more weeks and I am home (Wemindji) and a new adventure begins all over again!  But I'll stop counting down now :P

Katherine and I - in a nutshell <3

Bridesmaids shot!

My future dog.

Little snapping friend!

Brandi risking her life.

Model Monika - HAPPY BIRTHDAY ON MONDAY MONIKA!!!!

Catching some rays through deceiving storm clouds...

Carmen risking her life.

Me pretending to drive the boat.