Friday April 5, 2024

April 05, 2024

Greetings all!

I can hardly believe that spring break has come and gone--it was everything and more then I had planned. It was so wonderful visiting friends, playing music, and eating fresh fruit and vegetables!! And, already, one week in the my final teaching term. Yes!! Don't let me breathe a word about coming back north again!! You have my permission to call my doctor and tell him to dis allow it!!

The trip back was great until we flew from Montreal to Puv. That was a horror show. We ended up staying in the hotel there, but no transport to the 1 restaurant where a beer cost $20, and glass of wine, $25!! We earned the drinks by walking the 3 k there and back in blowing snow, at 20 below. The following day, we had to sit at the airport, with no food from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. I was lucky to get out with one other teacher first, on a 16 seater cargo plane with fold down seats. The others were stranded until 8:00 pm that night!!

It was a very eventful week, though, and full of fun. Students from Montreal were on a return visit, and they were just great. They were so interested in the life here. Also, it was culture week. Each day, there was a special activity to celebrate the north. We had story telling, inside a tent. The secondary students went on an excursion on Wednesday, and we went today, Friday. It was a snowmobile trip to the hinterland where we did ice fishing with just a wooden handle, twine and a 4 pronged hook. Only 1 person caught a fish. It was pretty cold and windy, so it was a welcome relief to get out of the weather by going into the tent. I was so surprised at how warm it was inside. We had tea, noodles and hot dogs--yum, yum. As my mother said, eating food outside is always more delicious! I was lucky to be on the director's ski doo!! He was an excellent driver, and we were at the head of the pack!

On Thursday, we had Corinne. She always comes with specially designed things for fabric painting. This year, she brought pouches--just big enough to keep fishing gear in. She speaks about being responsible citizens. Students select a picture from her pack, and then talk about it. For example, a picture of someone sleeping. She asks what is going on, and students say sleeping, then this leads to the importance of getting a good nights sleep so that students can get up and come to school on time, ready to learn. She is so skillful at this. My students had a lot to say about the pictures, and they really understood the messages. They have come a long, long way.

Last night was the launch of the Inuit folk legend, The Earth Egg. First, 2 Inuit elders came to the school to tell the story. Soon after, a couple of ladies from The International Laboratory for Research on Images of the North, located at the University of Quebec, in Montreal came to help the students retell the story, and to illustrate it. This was a 14 day process. At the end of it, they went back to Montreal to put the book together. Last night was the launch. The whole community showed up. The ladies displayed pictures of the process: students speaking, writing and doing art. There was a power point presentation of the book, with voice overs. At the end of the presentation, all involved were invited up to the front, given books, and congratulated. There were many hands that touched this amazing project. The books are in Inuktitut and English and Inuktitut and French. ISBN 978-1-7382506-0-8

nord.uqam.ca

I will get the ordering information if anyone is interested.

Thankfully, I have Saturday and Sunday to rest and to prepare for the final 7 weeks. I know they will go by very quickly, so I must enjoy every remaining moment.

Ice fishing pictures to follow.

One of my lovely parents. I told her we were sisters, and she thought that was very funny.