Northern Lights

About a week or so ago I was able to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights with a few teacher friends. While these photos are extremely fuzzy, the lights were very clear, boldly swaying in the sky. Shortly after taking these pictures a bunch of us jumped into the bed of a pickup truck to escape any light pollution coming from nearby streetlights. As we drove towards the outskirts of town the lights began swirling, like a large slow moving green tornado. Unfortunately, being in a moving vehicle I wasn't able to take any photos. Beyond the dike the lights began to fade fast - and it was too dark for my camera's sensor. Hopefully next time I'll be more prepared with a tri-pod and something warm for my hands so I'm not trembling so much. Hopefully there will be a next time - the northern lights are absolutely breathtaking.

Professional Development (aka Ice Fishing)

This past Friday St. Andrew's took a P.D. Day. Down south, P.D. Days means workshops for staff on assessment, evaluation, management, literacy, numeracy... we got to go ice fishing instead! Teachers jumped on a bus around 9:30 and took a ride 20 minutes or so north of Kash, heading towards Apawatiskat on the winter road. Our bus stopped at a small fiver crossing and we all piled out. I wish I could say we had a grand adventure – but it was more or less a very quiet day on the river. Everyone drilled a hole in the ice (at least 4 to 6 feet thick), tied a hook and some bacon to a stick and set about trying to catch some pike. I was a little cold without something to sit on, but I surprised myself by really enjoying fishing, for the most part the peace and quiet! Moose stir fry, bannock and boiled dumplings were served for lunch. A traditional tea made from water, lard, flour, black tea and sugar was also served. It's pretty sweet and supposedly very filling… however I'm striving for a beach body (Cuba in 3 weeks!) so I didn't indulge too much, only had a few sips! The snow around the river was extremely deep, up to our waists in some spots. I enjoyed snowshoeing along a few trails and through some brush. Like I've mentioned before, I've come to really love winter since being up here – perhaps that's because I don't need to drive here… but cross country skiing and snow shoeing have really been highlights for me.

It's been extremely icey here, so much so that school was cancelled Wednesday afternoon. Boys can strap on their skates and skate down the streets with a puck and hockey sticks. This upcoming week is the Winter Carnival – which means spending only mornings in our classrooms, and the afternoons outdoors, playing snow games with the kids. The week following I have my second evaluation, and come April 8^th we fly out for two glorious weeks down south. Scott, Jill, Zach and I have already paid for a trip in Cayo CoaCoa, Cuba, and obviously I can't wait for that!