Skiing Program, Winter Carnival and the Winter Road

I haven't forgotten about this bolg, but it seems that we've settled into our weekly routine and not much that is noteworthy has occurred since coming back to Fort Good Hope after the new year.  These past few weeks have held some excitment, however.

Scott and I completed a community coaching course, we are now certified to coach beginning cross country skiiers.  Through a grant for a large sum of money I recieved earlier in the school year, I was able to purchase 14 pairs of skis, boots and poles for the elementary students at Chief T'Selehye.  Scott, myself and a community volunteer have been going out with the kids every Monday and Wednesday this month, and its been a big hit.  We run out of skis each time.  I stay with the little ones (I'm afraid the grade 7s will find out how slow I really am!) but we've been having a good time showing them the basics that Scott and I have just mastered ourselves.  This afternoon we taught them how to climb small slopes, which the kids found challenging, but forgot all about it as they travelled down the downhill... and turned back around for a second go.  Its been pretty rewarding, not only for Scott and I, but for a few of my students in particular.  The weather has been absolutely fantastic, too.  The sun has been shining, no breeze what so ever, each time we've gone out.  Its been pretty fun.  Aparently the best time to ski here is in April - the days are longer and the temperature hovers just below 0.  Look'n forward to it.  Scott and I still go out on our own each weekend, we're discovering new trails all the time.  I actually had an interview with CBC radio based out of Yellowknife about the program, I talked a mile a minute out of nervousness, but its neat that our little project is getting some attention.  Hope it does some kids some good.

"Dead bugs" - learning how to get up!

Scott demonstrates.

This past Friday was also our school's winter carnival that I got up and running, I hope it can become an annual event.  Kids traveled around through different activities all afternoon, including outdoor parachute games, relays and a tug of war, snow related activities in the gym, hot chocolate and a craft.

We also got a great chance to visit Matt and Marie, our friends from university who introduced us to the north, in Coleville Lake.  The small town is about a 3 hours drive (highly dependant on weather and road conditions) north from Fort Good Hope on the winter road.  This was our first trek on the road - its a beautiful stretch!  Some parts are much more travel friendly than others, it made for a bumpy ride at parts, but as we travelled north we passed lakes, mountains, trees...

Its late here, Ill write more about our trip and visit later this week :)
love and miss you all.

Update

Yes Laura, I know its been a while since I've blogged last... so, with you in mind...

Only 10 teaching days until I (fingers crossed!) fly home for Christmas. I'm excited for the next few weeks in school - there's going to be a lot to keep me busy with my kids, including rehersing for their Christmas concert debut, helping cook many feasts, going skating, making and painting murals... and then the long flight home, first to Ottawa to visit with the Robertsons, and then to London to see the my fam for several days. One of my best friends is getting married on New Year's Eve, so there is much to be looking forward to this month!

An October update with a few pictures.  My kids looked super cute in their costumes, and we won a pizza party for best door decoration!

 

No, this isn't a costume (well, some of it used to be....)  This is Scott in all his house husband glory, chopping wood to keep me warm.

This is one of my kids in my quickly made costume (the painting "The Scream").  Most people thought I was a postage stamp.  Oh well, the kids had fun with it.

November was a good month as well.  Our friends from Coleville Lake (a community north of here) braved the trails and freezing temperatures and skidooed to see us over the Remembrance Day long weekend.  The winter road was not completed at the time, so the trail was rough and it took them nearly 6 hours to get here.  They brought along several huge frozen white fish, ground caribou meat, caribou steaks and caribou ribs.  I’d never eaten caribou, and the ribs were so long and huge they barely fit in the oven.  They were amazing.  So are my friends... such a great visit, we are looking forward to hopefully getting up to Coleville sometime in the new year to visit them.

 Matt showed us how to gut-and-cut and fillet a fish. Tonight I successfully filleted one of the huge suckers for a dinner of fish and chips. I’m still getting used to the slimy things, and the smell is terrible – but it is getting easier to cook raw meat the more I practice.

I also celebrated my birthday this month. Scott surprized me with cake, nachos (my favorite!) and the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy DVDs (because I burned through those books quickly). Our good friend Dave came over to help us celebrate. Turning 27 is a tough one to swallow, but I’m in a good place with a great guy and a job I’m grateful for.

Scott's typical hang out.

Dance for Jill

My little sister Jill has been sick for the past year - she's been diagnosed with Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia, also known as Oscar Weber Rendue.  The disease has been found on my mother's side of the family - and while I am lucky enough to so far be clear of any signs or symptoms - this disease has highly impacted my immediate and extended family.  The disease can affect a number of organs, including the heart, lungs and brain.  Jill's liver has been affected however, and she is now awaiting a liver transplant.

Due to her illness, Jill has been in and out of hospitals in Toronto and London for the past year, and her condition has made it impossible for her to work. Meanwhile, the drug that has helped her is not covered by Ontario's health care plan.  It has typically been used to treat cancer patients, and so it is considered "experimental" to be used to treat HHT.  Jill and our family have had to cover much of her medical costs.

On November 19th, there is a benefit being held for Jill.  Proceeds from the dance will assist Jill with medical costs and loss of income. 

WHAT: "Dance for Jill"


WHERE: 2451 Hamilton Rd. - Masonic Hall in Nilestown.

WHEN: Nov. 19, 2011

TIME: 8pm - 1am

TICKETS: $15 @ the door, they can also be purchased ahead of time.

If you are unable to attend (like me) and would still like to help, please call or send me an email. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all those who are helping organize and run this wonderful event.

Love,

Geni

October

Hello all,

Not too much is new in Fort Good Hope, but I thought I'd take some time to put up a few pictures.

Scott and I have been cross country skiing a bit: there is a decent trail not two minutes from our house that leads down the beach (a.k.a. "Rabbit Skin River"). Halloween is just a few days away, and I've tried to incorporate the season into everything we do, especially art!

 

Making and baking pumpkin seeds in grade one :)

Paper mache masks in afterschool Art club

Our door decoration entry: Seated Scarecrows! We are definalty contenders!!

The Snow is Here to Stay

Each passing day we lose approximately 15 minutes of sunlight.  I walk to school at 7:45am in the dark, the sun rises around 9:30 and by that time I'm too involved with my little ones to notice.  I'm enjoying the snow, going for walks often, as soon it will be too cold - I'll be walking fast and the layers that will wrap my face in warmth will also probably limit my visability!  It's beautiful here. 

My classroom is functioning well.  Mornings are going smoothly - students know the routines now, we are beginning to learn various strategies for decoding words.  Their favorite things are Raffi songs - the best CD I've ever bought - The Lady with the Alligator Purse, Robert Munsch, and our daily dance to wordwall words.  Somedays I can't believe I get paid to sing and dance with cute kids.... Students go home for lunch for an hour and they come back unfocused, so I'm still trying to keep them as active as possible, with alot of independant activity-based lessons and centers.  Its a work in progress.  I'm lucky to have a great group.  I've also applied and was approved for a grant to run cross country ski events starting in November, I'm looking forward to getting active out of doors afterschool.

Northern Lights and a Sweet Sunrise

Hello all, 

Its a sunny day here in Fort Good Hope.  Scott and I have a fire going, there is bread in the oven, and I'm planning my week, half hour my half hour... it must be Sunday.  Last night we caught a glimpse of the awesome northern lights.  I've yet to master capturing this spectacle on film, but its since become my goal to get one great picture before I leave.  In the meantime, these pcitures do no justice to the wonders we saw last night. 

  

On the Land

Here are a few more pictures of our trip "on the land." As previously stated, Scott, the staff and I were invited by the community to a strip of land 40 minutes north on the Mackenzie River before school started. It was chilly when we arrived, but we quickly (and pretty efficiently, I might add) leveled out the rocky shore to make a space for our pop tents and a canvas tent. We hacked through weeds and also collected pine branches to form a warmer, more cozy layer between the hard ground and our tents. We built a fire and huddled around it for the majority of the 4 days, keeping warm and cooking meals. We helped schuck some fish, ate some fried fish eggs and collected wood - there's tons of drift wood laying around. It was a pretty nice experience, as we met alot of community members and a few of my students.

Cutest boy ever - wanted to help with everything, including carrying logs 10 times his weight back to camp.

Foggy morning on the Mackenzie.

I'll blog again, soon. Miss you all.