This week has been so full of amazing moments and gestures I know not where to begin. I suppose the best place to begin is where we left off. Last Saturday morning was the day of our race. I was a perfect sunny morning and the best way to start it was to refresh our minds and bodies with a long distance run. It also allowed me to see more of High Level to which we had not had reason to venture yet, helping me round out my understanding of the city. The rest of the day continued with brunch with our running group then our first trip to Chateh, the community in which the two other fellows are staying. In Chateh we continued our active lifestyle by spending the afternoon trying to learn how to walk on a slackline, then our evening playing baseball. We were trying to insight the community to join for the game but it ended up just being us four fellows and a RCMP officer who lives on the reserve in Chateh. Afterwards we had supper, spent hours chatting about light and heavy topics alike then ended with a movie night, watching Zootopia. All in all it had been a wonderful, fulfilling and active day filled with companionship and laughter. The next day proceeded with many of the same gifts, however it started with a homemade brunch, eaten outside, and continued to the Chinchaga River. The Chinchaga area was a beautiful mix of rocky beach and beautifully treed forest. We spent time exploring both then settled down drinking Yerba Mate on the tailgate of my truck. This summer has been filled with opportunities to learn about first nation culture, but also due to the multiculturalism of the different fellows I have also been learning about other cultures. Lily has been teaching me about Chinese herbal medicines and teas and Brenda, staying in Chateh, offered me the opportunity to glimpse into Argentinian culture, via the sharing of mate, a social tea drink. After that Lily and I headed home after our many adventures and settled down for the night. That same night we ended up going fishing with two friends from the community. Lily and I have both yet to catch anything.
Monday in terms of work was fairly routine and slow, but upon coming home we were in for a lovely surprise! The night before while fishing we had been discussing how we both wished we had a outdoor area of our own at our home in which we could have fires and relax, because to that point, next to the fire hall was just a communal field of weeds and tall grass. Monday after work we were delighted to see this area had been transformed by the same friend who had taken us fishing. The grass was cut and a fireplace including chairs and cut logs for a fire had been left in its place! As soon as we saw that we raced to High Level to get food which we could cook on the fire, as well as to do some laundry. That night we had a a camp fire with friends, we roasted hot dogs, we even had a marshmallow roasting competition, and in general just a wonderful night. The next day, work again was slow in the morning and pretty standard but that afternoon/evening we attended some work shops at the school. These workshops were about drug abuse and overdose recognition and prevention. Though this does not directly relate to my field or work here, I found it important to engage in this difficult discussions and to be present. The presentations were very informative and I am very glad I attended.
Wednesday was another exciting day for Lily and I as we received a new addition to our life at the fire hall, our very own cat Luna! Luna comes from our neighbor and very close friend who had a extra cat, she is a gentle, sweet and very vocal 8 month old cat. She has already snuggled her way into both Lily and I's heart. From that same neighbor we also received a stack of DVD's and from another community member we received a TV and DVD player. This goes to show how amazing the community has been to us and how much they look out for Lily and I. In this week alone we have been given so much and I don't know even know who to begin to express my gratitude to all the amazing people here who have been looking out for us. Wednesday we also took a trip to the water treatment plant here in Boyer. I was very excited to see things I have learnt in classes and simulated in labs in action.
Lily and I drove to La Crete to go shopping for craft supplies for fathers day celebration on Thursday. We will be making kites with kids at the event and needed to get the supplies beforehand so we could make sure our project idea worked! While in La Crete we also bought supper and had a nice meal out. However, when Friday rolled around we realized we had forgot some key supplies for the craft, and seeing as we were going to be meeting Papa Henry for supper in High Level, we went early and finished our shopping there.
These are just some of the special highlights from the past week, but some of the consistent elements never change. We still had kids come by to visit with us, but now we were able to sit with them outside around the camp fire. Lily and I spent time watching TV together and working out. Above all the connections we have created with community members continue to deepen and my personal perspective continues to broaden and the adventures continue.
