Fort Albany, Tuesday August 30, 2011

We had a guest speaker into our staff meeting this evening; Dr. Alicia Dunlop. An exceptional woman that I'm lucky enough to get the opportunity to work with a bit over the next few months.
Everything's settling into a routine around here. Between planning lessons and running home to take Belinda out it's been very busy. To bed early and up early seems to be the rhythm.
My biggest and final bag came in from Timmins today so I'll name that as the highlight of the last few days :) I've got a pair of indoor shoes for school and an alarm clock beside my bed. Life is good!
The internet's been set up in Unit 10 so assuming it works, I'll be moving there within the next couple of days as I get my stuff shifted over.
The weekend coming up is the long weekend so some of the teachers are planning a bit of a bon fire in behind our housing. Each two houses or so has a fire pit in the bush behind them so we figure we'll split on a bag of marshmallows and have a ball!
That's about it for now but I'll try to get out more just for the sake of keeping this blog lively ;) G'nite.

Fort Albany, Saturday August 27, 2011

As quiet as today has been, it started out early thanks to my new friend, Belinda; up at 5:30am on a Saturday. We got outside quite a bit before it cooled down and she got along well with the other dogs. My neighbour connected to me came over to give me a cord she used to use for tying up her old dog, and another teacher had some dog food and stuff from the dog he had last year. She seems to enjoy it all, though she can't figure out why the cord keeps stopping her! She was a stray before she got picked up by the vet, so she's never been inside much and certainly not on a leash. But she's clever and is learning fast. She Sits and lays Down pretty well by now and rolling over beginning to evolve. We need to work a bit more on Stay and Come but I'm confident she'll get the hang of it soon. I've been reading through the "Dog Training for Dummies" book as-needed and following it's instructions pretty religiously so hopefully they're not leading me astray!

A group of us went over to the Northern Store as well so I was able to pick up some dog food, treats, and a toy for Belinda. The toy doesn't look too hardy but there wasn't much selection and I figure it's better than forfeiting my sandals.

I ran over to the airport (direclty beside the Northern Store) to check for my lost bag, but it's not there so I'm beginning to get a little bit concerned. It's got the mass majority of my wardrobe including most of my cold-weather gear. At least my boots came through :D

Fort Albany, Friday August 26, 2011

The first week of school is over and everyone seems to be walking around with extra-big smiles on their faces. It almost feels like there’s a festive air about the place!

We’re all meeting up at the school around 7:30-8pm tonight to have a staff movie night and socialize a bit. It’ll be nice, but I think I can safely say that everyone’s going to be stretching their faces yawning by the end of it. It’s been a busy week!

The clouds are rolling in again so hopefully it holds off at least until we get there. I ran home at lunch to let Belinda out and say hello and ended up getting soaked through! She appreciated it, I’m sure.

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Ghost Writers, there are better movies. I’ll leave it at that.  As for the quality and quantity of popcorn – it could not have been made more desirable :D About twenty people showed up and we had a lovely time. Someone got the van to drive us all there and those of us from the far units all walked back together under a spectacular sky. I haven’t had a chance to see it so clearly as we did tonight and it’s truly breathtaking. I can’t wait to see the Northern Lights start dancing!

I took a picture of the school on my way in at one point so here it is. You can’t really tell from this distance, but it’s been built in the shape of a goose, except that the neck and head of the goose are far off to the right. As far as I can imagine, it wasn’t built to be symmetrical so much as to divide the longer elementary ‘half’ from the shorter high school section. 

We actually saw a dozen or so geese from the classroom window today and all the kids got excited and ran over to see. They said they’re starting to fly South for the winter. A lot of the kids take some time off for a week in October for cultural week – everyone goes goose hunting! The moose hunt will come later on in the year and there are several of us teachers hoping to find someone to tag along with!

Fort Albany, Wednesday August 24, 2011

The first day of class at a different school with a brand new class as a shiny new teacher. It’s something to be remembered. I had eleven kids attend today with fourteen total registrations so far. Should make for an interesting year. The day went smoothly enough though considering none of us really knew when recess, lunch, and snacks were. Or what time the school day actually ended. I’ve written out a tentative schedule now and I feel quite a bit more secure. I think that may be one of the little secrets older teachers forget to mention – the security and peace-of-mind a simple schedule can bring with it. 

We had a community barbeque after school as well and I must say it was very well attended. The mass majority of the community did indeed seem to have turned out! And we saw the chief, he’s very young, possibly in his early 30’s but is very well respected by all. He was present at the Opening Ceremony in the morning as well as the bbq in the evening. The Opening Ceremony was really interesting. They held it outside in the Dreamcatchers Area and had the female drummers circle playing a drum song and singing in Cree, as well as an elder come out to say a prayer (also in Cree) to bless the school year.

Many of us think it odd how strong some of their religious tendencies seem to be around here considering their very recent ties to residential schools. There is a Catholic church in town, which seems to be the main one, as well as a Pentecostal Church. I’ve been told that we’ll be having Religion as a subject next term; Catholicism.

Also eventfully – I got a dog! Hahaha – entirely unexpectedly but completely wished-for. Her name is Belinda though that can still be altered as it’s only been her name for about 24 hours. She’s approximately 9months to a year old and she’s a husky cross. She was another stray around town but just got rounded up for being spayed and getting her shots done so really she’s a bargain! And she’s so sweet! Of course I can’t judge just yet as she was just so groggy and sore when I met her this afternoon. I was meant to have her by now but I can’t seem to get a hold of the woman who was meant to drop her off. But tomorrow I should have her as well as all my baggage from Thunder Air! Apparently they’ve had my luggage but I had to pay extra weight or something. So really it looks as though I could have had it yesterday but instead I’ll get it tomorrow. Goodness me.

Anyway, I’m exhausted now and looking forward to another challenging day tomorrow.

Fort Albany, Tuesday August 23, 2011

There’s a simply spectacular lightning show going on outside my window at the moment. It’s dancing across the sky and lighting up the clouds so they make a really striking silhouette, nearly looking like mountains on the horizon. There’s no rain and only a whisper of thunder. As tomorrow’s the first day of school, shall I look on this as a warning or a celebration? It’s getting closer and I think I can feel the rumbling rather than hear it now. Almost like a train.
 

My bags are still MIA so it looks as though I’m going into the first day of school wearing my travelling clothes. I hope none of the kids are too much taller than I am. Oh dear. I’ll be in my socks. Students and teachers alike are not to wear their outdoor shoes in the school. We can have either indoor shoes or socks. It’s a beautiful building and I suppose they’re trying to protect the floors. So far, I must say they’ve been successful. The artwork hanging in the hallways are truly where it’s at though.  Unfortunately the incredibly talented artists who made it all possible, have both since passed away.

Well tomorrow is a new day and although I may need some luck to get through it, I may need even more to be able to fall asleep through this – it’s right overhead now and it’s lighting up my whole room.

Fort Albany, Monday August 22, 2011

I’m off to my first day of work in Fort Albany. School doesn’t officially begin until Wednesday but we’ve been given two days to get settled into the school and set up our classrooms. I’m much more excited than I am nervous – there’ll be plenty of time for that come Wednesday!

It was lovely and my classroom is pretty sweet. The school itself is shaped like a goose – well it’s got a neck and head and the actual school building is shaped like a macaroni noodle/semicircle/wings. The Elementary is in one half and high school in the other. I was able to create a reading centre, a computer centre and kind of a science/art centre. The desks are set up in two ‘U’s and my desk is off to the side.

I asked the head maintenance guy who takes care of us teachers beautifully, if I could look at any other available units. Apparently #10 is open and another teacher highly recommended it with lots of essentials left over from the last teacher as well as a possible internet connection. He said he’d take me over to look at it tomorrow.

The principle and five of the remaining teachers arrived today, so we’re just waiting on one more who should be coming in tomorrow. As I’ve called Air Canada and my bags are definitely in Timmins, I can now reasonably hope that it’ll all be in tomorrow or the next day along with the straggler teacher ;)

Fort Albany, Sunday August 21, 2011

It’s simple enough to understand the phrase: You don’t know what you have until you’ve lost it. Moving to a new place with a vastly different culture and not knowing a soul; it’s something I’ve done before but never without possessions. And as shallow as that may sound, I never realized how much of a true difference in mood and spirits it might cause to go without.

I landed in Fort Albany, Ontario on Friday August 19^th 2011 at about 12:45pm. I had left Toronto Ontario only four hours previously and switched in Timmins Ontario to a charter flight with a usual 9 seats, most removed to make room for cargo. I was the only passenger until we landed in Moosonee Ontario a half hour out from Albany where we picked up one small girl. It was in Timmins that I learned all of my luggage had been left at the Toronto airport and would not arrive until the next day. Little did I know that the carrier they would be using did not fly in to Albany on a Saturday. I was able to scrounge up some food the next day and the tap water in my place is potable so no worries there. I slept on the end of my mattress with a pillow from the couch and fell asleep listening to the rain and wind lashing against the siding. My headache had evolved into nausea but for the most part I was able to hold the tears at bay with silent reminders of the lack of toilet paper to blow my nose. My cell phone stopped working once we took off from Timmins, I have no house phone, the possibility of no internet for a year and the post office at the corner store is not open on weekends. I was feeling extremely cut off and terribly lonely.

By this time I have had the chance to meet some people, the majority of them teachers and most of them returning for their second year and thus with the experience and hindsight to know what it is I might be going through. Most have been exceptionally helpful, one giving me a tour around town and handing out any and all advice that came to mind. Another, after figuring out my present lack of necessities has lent me a make-shift curtain for privacy in the living room, bed sheets and a blanket to sleep on, a kettle to boil water and blessedly a towel and shampoo to shower with. A week ago this may have seemed basic and terribly uncomfortable but from where I now sit and look at things, the view is looking much less harsh and smiles come more easily.

My helpful neighbour presented me with the use of her phone last night to allow for me to make connections back home, letting them know I’d arrived safely and was indeed alive! Today I hope to get my bags and be able to set up my new home. Tomorrow I meet the rest of my yet-unknown colleagues and will have the chance to see my classroom for the first time.

Wish me luck!

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As it turns out, the flight from Timmins was cancelled today due to technical problems, though I suppose I shouldn’t be worrying about my stuff so much as the fact that two teachers and the principal will not be in until tomorrow afternoon. Only I was so looking forward to having a pot and a fork to make and eat my pasta with! 

A couple other teachers and I walked out to the point on Albany River today in the hopes of seeing a few seals. They say it’s about the right season for them now. It’s around an hour and a half walk one way so we were out for quite a while but unlike the last two days, the rain held off. We made our way past the dump where they were burning garbage, and saw the sweat lodge just before reaching the boat launch. The beach was a bit of an adventure to climb down to but was well worth it, covered as it was with tons of clay and rounded multicoloured stones, in several of which we were able to find very clear fossils. We had two of the dogs along with us; Squatter and Crazy Dog. They’re both very protective and Squatter especially is extremely loyal. They were nice to have on the back roads and had a grand time guarding us.

I took several pictures of the river from various angles; we’ve been told that in the spring when the ice breaks up the water can rise one to two meters in a matter of minutes. I’m just holding out hope that there’ll be a safe chance to match the before pictures with some after pictures J