Saturday January 21, 2023: Happy Lunar New Year!!

 Hello

Yes, I am back in the saddle, so to speak.  Already  a month since Christmas.  Where does the time go when you are having fun!! 

We were hit by a severe blizzard last week, closing the school because of the high winds, over 100 k an hour, cold temperatures of up to minus 50 and blinding snow.  It took one full day for the loader to clear the roads so that the water trucks could run, so, we were out for 3 days.  I can not imagine what it was like before our modern way of living.  The Inuit were tough people!!

I have a new neighbour, and his name is not Jaques or Pierre--I can hardly believe it.  He is Germaine!! Germaine is the new, trained, maintenance guy--how lucky he lives next door.  He wants to use my internet--sure--fine--but--I want him to drive me to get groceries and water--fair trade, don't you think!

There are 4 trucks here.  In the past, it has been very easy to use the truck--kind of the honor system.  When you need it, you just get it.  I don't use it because I hate driving--I just find out who is going out and I join--no biggy.  But now, the prince has changed the rules.  Teachers no longer can use the vehicles.  We are subject to walking or calling the community bus--which is $2 a ride.  I don't really know how that works--but oh well!!

Next week we will start our kitchen program again.  Thanks to Raida at Bodynetix, and my dear friend Grace who donated the material, we will don our new aprons.  Our first class will be smoothies!!  My greens are almost ready!!  YAHOO.  Tomatoes on the way as well!!

This is my first weekend off in the year and a half that I have been here.  I finally have my self organized, and planned--thanks to the blizzard!!

It was fun communicating with my friends in China--they mostly have survived the covid, except for the grandparents, sadly.  But, we look forward to a better new year.

Sledding yesterday.  This is Chris, the art teacher with his puppy.

These are the Inuit primary teachers.

Having fun slidding.

Etua and Sandy are now in grade 5.  But, yesterday, we combined the classes for a lesson with visiting science teachers.

This was an experiment about water.

Susie Mae and Penina really enjoyed it.

This was the instructor and he was excellent.  We are in the Secondary Science room.  It was a real privilege  to be there.

The truck was stuck here for the 3 days of the blizzard.  This is the hill up my house.  My house is to the far right, not in the picture.

Nice picture of the science lab.  Nice picture of our kids.  Only 3 out of 9 from my class--Susie Mae, Penina and Ahoyak, and only 2 out of six for the other class, Etua and Sandy.  Attendance is the number one problem.