Christmas Eve and the cafeteria catholic

Well I always feel a bit intimidated to post about my Christmas and Easter Mass Experience. Now since I have gone up North to work and not having a catholic Church on the Reserve, I end up attending Sunday Mass and the occasional Weekday Mass through internet mass sources. I do realize that there are those that can not make the trek to chruch every Sunday due to poor health and other issues. But those are not the people I have an issue with.
I do apologize to those of you who thought this would be a Northern story but this is just a rant that i have rolling about in my brain at the moment and wanted to get it off my chest.
Its the Cafeteria Catholics that get my goat. These are he individuals, that pick and choose what things they will follow from the dogma of the Catholic faith, they pass judgment about how the rules do not respect human rights. They are the ones that secretly support abortion, gay marriage and premarital sex. Now don't start thinking that I have anything against gay people, I definitely do not, neither does the Pope. But what the Catholic Church has issue with is acting upon that lifestyle and thinking gay marriage would ever be sanctioned by God. I won't out rightly ever tell anyone in a gay marriage that they are doing anything wrong, that judgment is not mine to make. But my dear Cafeteria cathoolic aquaintences will be out there protesting and support them. well that is their choice and they will answer for that on their judgement day too.
These Cafeteria Catholics also feel that giving God 1 hour a week out of  168 hours is far too much for God and the church to ask, they know deep down they are wrong but still they try to validate their position by saying things like "Oh  worship God in my own way" or "I don't need to be in Church every Sunday to show God I respect and love him."  The very fact that thay have these excuses handy shows that on some level they know they should be there.
Then 2 times a year these people flood into the Church. They are loud and rude and act like they have some kind of entitlement. While others are trying to pray and connect with God, they are speaking out loud and disturbing the reverence of the mass for those around them. sadly the priest not wishing to offend them tip toes around them and is careful that the sermon does not offend the 2 time a year crowd. Perhaps they will eventually change and be overcome with the spirit of Christ and realize they have been merely spectators in their faith, or maybe not.
As for me, i am committed 100%, When I am here in town I attend Mass every Sunday and often attend daily masses as well, I go to confession, and pray as often as I can for myself and others. I try as best i can to give to charity and do charitable works hopefully on a daily basis. Yes it is a lot, but with 2012 upon us already, I'm not taking any chances, its not hurting me to be devout, so I wonder why so many people think of their pleasure first before they think of pleasing God?
I do welcome all the cafeteria crowd to Mass this very Holy day, and do hope it has some special meaning for you. But please remember there are some very serious Catholics in the church today and tomorrow that would appreciate you showing some reverence when in church. Silence before mass would be a great gift you can give to these people. Perhaps you did not realize it before, but now you know. save the chatter for the end  of Mass and let the rest of us pray in ppeace.
Merry Christmas to everyone.

I'll Be Home for Christmas

I remember as a child hearing Bing Crosby and other legendary singers crooning this holiday song and wondering what the big deal was. At that age and really having had no actual life expereince I could not for the life of me grasp that some people were not able to be home for the holiday. I mean schools and businesses closed for the holidays so why would anyone be dreaming about coming home.
Well as the years progressed and I learned a few more things about the reality of life. I soon realized that not everyone can be with those they love during the holidays. Being self professed historical researcher I decided to find out why Ol' Bing was singing such a sad song. I was pleased to discover the following:
 
The song is sung from the point of view of an overseas soldier during WWII, writing a letter to his family. In the message, The tells the family that he will be coming home, and to prepare the holiday for him including requests for "snow", "mistletoe", and "presents under the tree". The song ends on a melancholy note, with the soldier saying "I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.

As I got older the song took on more meaning for myself when my brothers became Peace Keepers with the Canadian Armed Forces (Regs) They chose a LIFE of service e to our country and to the United Nations, for over 20 years, not a WEEKEND warrior who has the option to say No Thank You and turn down service overseas, these men MUST GO, they made a 20 year promise. Not to say those in weened service have not choose to make the same sacrifice, but to realize at the age of 18 they knew what was to be expected of them and did it anyway.
So the song changed in my mind, and when Christmas came around tears now formed in my eyes as i thought not only of my brothers but of all the brothers putting their lives on the line for us, leaving wives, children, and other family and missing those warm happy holiday moments.
Then I came to work in the Web (Webequie Ontario) and was separated from my children for 4 months at a time and the ache I felt was unbearable at times, and now the song tore at my heart with the desire to be with those I held in my heart but unable to physically hold. It is sad that my employer does not understand the emotional strain many of us carry with us, and realize its not a desire to flee the Reserve, just a desire to be with those we love. My employers are with their loved ones everyday, we are on an island that you can walk from one end of the community to the other in about 20 minutes, its not a long way to go to see your kids, mother, grandparents. For many of us who work in the Web, it more than a quick flight to Thunder Bay, like me, many must wait for a connecting flight to Southern Ontario and long drives before they can be with family. Often the weather works against us and with delayed and cancelled flights, well dear old Bing can be heard somewhere in our sub conscious mind.
So to all those away from their families at Christmas, my prayers and love go out to you, as you say to yourself "I'll be home for Christmas...if Only in my dreams....."

Merry Christmas Everyone!

As The Ghosts of Halloween become the Ghosts of Christmas yet to come

Ye all the hoopla surrounding the biggest day of the year here in the Web, as been put to rest. Ye Halloween is now a distant memory. I must admit as far as the door decorating contest goes, I did get caught up in the craziness. Grade three and I made a special fake door over our regular door, and when you open it a scary monster falls out at you. I know crazy. I even decorated the outside area at my classroom door to look like the side of an old dilapidated house.  

I must admit I miss being home so I can decorate my front yard, but when I finally am at home again, i have so many ideas or mt lawn decoration.

 

Notice the eye ball is hanging by a few nasty veins...oh its all in the details.

Here we can see his flesh has come off some of his slimy green hands to reveal his bones.

I realize it is hard to see the details, but  on the other shot of my panelled door, I have the panels attached with brass pins that make it look like small brass decorative ail heads.

Ah the whimsy, but as we lay those ghouls and ghost to rest our minds are already on the preformaces planned for the Christmas concert. I am keeping most everything under warps for now, except to say, it is going to take the entire 5 1/2 weeks to get it ready and in the bag shall I say.
Today we got a bit of snow and the temperatures are nippy so its easy to think of Christmas concerts, well just as soon as these pesky report cards are done.
Cheers all

Only in the Web! Case #1

There are many things that have happened as I work here and i say to myself with a slight shake of my head "only in the web!" There is some truth to this. There are times when I am surprised by something that I realize could only happen n the seclusion of an isolated community.

 

For example, the first week I was in the Web, I was sitting in my living room and admiring my incredible view out the front window. I was shocked when i cam e from another room into the living room to find the faces of several kids pressed against the glass. I asked them to go, and they giggled and ran off. I sat down and began to watch television only to be surprised again by several little faces pressed to the glass again. I finally gave up asking them to go and simply shut the curtain. Which was a shame because i enjoyed having the sunlight in the house. I continued on with my day and then somewhere about 7PM there were kids at the window, trying to get a glimpse between the part in the curtain, and then the vices of the kids "Carroll are you there?" I don't answer. I have been with the kids all day I need a break so I simply do not reply. hoping they will assume that I am visiting another teacher. However they are not deterred and continue calling for me banging on the windows and the doors. At one point I thought they would kick the door in.

The next day at school I mention this to them and express that when the school day is done, my time is for me and that I did not wan them banging on the windows and doors. However, it had little effect on there after school activities. In fact i discovered this was part of their night to go to every teacher's house to band on doors and windows. 

I mad the allowance that this is a somewhat isolated community and they were not use to this idea of people requiring that much privacy. They live in homes where sometimes 2 or 3 families reside, I assume that privacy is not a high priority,

But this is the 21st Century now and with the digital age and the world getting smaller because of the Internet it seems that this is something they must come to realize, and to respect the need for privacy. And my hope goes on. Yet here it is 4 years later and this afternoon I had someone almost kicking my door down and then 4 youngsters trying to climb the oil tank outside my kitchen window....some times you just can't win the debate.

Oh with the Snow, this is It!

No it is not a typo and no I did not forget the open words to the Bugs Bunny Show. I am goofing with the words on purpose. A little humour as I let people know that on Oct 16th it looks like the snow is here to stay. We did have some snow the second week of September but it was gone before the end of the school day. But overnight as the wind howled it began to snow and now at a wee bit after 10 in the morning here is the result.

Yup snow and a nice amount. Now is it going to stay? Very likely, but we never can tell. The earliest I have seen snow here is Oct 31, but I am sure in other years snow has come earlier in October. All I can say is that if this is the beginning of winter and I know the snow lasts well into April...and sometimes mid May...yes I said mid May, in fact there was a huge snow storm here on the May Long weekend my first year here.

So I just want all of you who are in Thunder Bay to stop whining about the temperature, just be glad you aren't shovelling this off your driveway already. Be happy with the drop in temperature and glad that you are not dealing with the white stuff yet....and remember SNOW is a four letter word...except here. For many they have been waiting for it, hopes that the water will freeze, allowing them access to the other islands by skidoo.
I was just thinking of my friend Karen who is off in Abu Daubi, and I bet there are occasions when she would enjoy the cooling effects of a little snow. "Think frosty thoughts Karen" and I will think warm ones...
Welcome to winter in the Web folks.

Dogs in the Web

Cute isn't he. Oh and the dog in the web are adorable, especially when they are puppies. But the one thing about puppies they grow up and become dogs. Normally that is a good thing, but the idea of pet ownership is a bit different here in the Web.

     Now I am a pet owner and I make sure my dog is safe when out in the yard, on a leash when we walk, and is secure in her little doggy bed when its bedtime. as you see little Rosie enjoying a snooze in the laundry basket. I would be heart sick if she were out wandering the strrets alone at night or any time of day for that matter.
     Pet owners in the Web, own the dog, but there are no leashes, no doggy beds, and i don't think I have seen more than 2 or 3 dog houses, although I am not sure the dogs are ever in them. No the dogs in the Web wander the reserve freely, some have collars and are tied up when there is a threat of the cull coimg, usually done in the summer when teaching staff is away.
      Its hard for me to accept this as the way of life here. the other morning i was walkingto the school and one of the dogs from the south end of the reserve came walking up to me (the shool is in the north section of the reserve) reserve dogs are extremely territorial. A Northern Revere dog barked a warning to the Southern dog, then whined a bit. the Southern dog barked back, the Northern dog apporached and barked again. I beleive this was the warning to the southern dog to leave the area. A warning the dog did not take and foolishly as within a few minutes 7 more Norterhhn dogs appeared and desedned upon the dog. A fight ensued, and I was quite scared, but knew not to get into the middle of it. The dogs seperated and the Southern dog still refused to leave the territory and so the dogs went at it again. It was at this point where you could hear every single dog on the island was howling. Not wanting to be around in case the southern dogs showed up I hurried to the school.
I felt sick I would have intervened in the city but here its the way of the reserve and the dogs are fierce about their territories, and it has occurred when a dog is killed in one of these scraps over territory breakout.It is just something that if you plan to work here,you have to accept as the way things roll here.

They are cute and they do make me feel safe walking in the early morning when the lake freezes over and the threat of wolves becomes very real. So for me I turn away but it does still make me a wee bit sad.

Fall approches in the North

As the leaves change from green to gold, the first month is now behid us and we hopefully have an idea of how our year is going to go. However this year there is a stange energy coursing just beneath the surface. I was talking with one of the Spiritual leaders in the community who expressed concern that there is a negative energy, or spirit surrounding the school. I have to say I beleve him as the students are becoming more and more defiant and almost violent.
The other day several feale students from grades 4-7 had literally ripped pieces of the clap board siding from the school. they used the pieces to barricade themselves in the mudroom of the school. when ia teacher came down to tell them to remove the bords the girls in short told the teacher where to go and what to kiss. It was shocking to see this kind of defiance and disrespect.from these girls. Some of them I would never have expected them to behave in this manner. But then last June I was shocked to see that even the gradde 2's were caught huffing white out with the Grade 4 5 and 6's.
It is no wonder the spiritual leaders sense an evil presence that is stirring things up. Here is hoping that the spirits will soon rest. Some-days the unrest and wildness is almost tangible, as though you could reach out and touch it. But I don't think that it is only affecting the kids, there is a negativity that seems to permeate all levels in the community and hopefully one day i can illuminate what this is about. At this point all i can say is that restless nights are in my future for sometime to come!

The Home Stretch: New priorities!

Yes indeed we are in the home stretch till it is time to board the plane to the Web. I am at a point where I am unable to do anything else until a few days before. I need to ship up my food but I can't do that until the day I leave, otherwise it arrives before me, and in the past someone has been nice enough to place items in the freezer, but forgot to put the perishables in the fridge. The result was a bin of spoiled milk, cream, eggs, yogurt....you get the picture.
Of course I will go next week and ship up all the dry goods and clothes because they can sit in the bins until I arrive next Saturday. Yet I still can't go shopping for my milk and other items because I want them to be as fresh as possible. So that means I go shopping for groceries at 4 am on Saturday morning, thank Goodness that metro by my house is a 24 hour store.

Seems like no big deal to most people, but when the prices are 50 to 75% more in the Web, you want to take advantage of the great prices at home. No i am not big on milk because i am lactose intolerant, but I love fruits and veggies and would much prefer the fresh than any other kind. (thus the reason I have 3 garden beds in my yard) .

But I can't ship up fresh produce for the whole year obviously. But I do fly home at least once a month for a weekend, like in October I come home for Thanksgiving, I come with my empty suitcase and backpack, and usully fill it with the produce so I don't have to send anything through cargo.
The quality is far better than what I could ever buy on the reserve. I know that the store tries to keep costs down if they can but often that means the size and quality of the items are poorer.
So just getting a square meal while living in such an isolated because something of a task..

You start to think about many things differently when you need to have them shipped by plane. For example I love laundry day here in town. I have a clothes line outside and hang everything on it. I enjoy the freshness of items hang to dry outside.

In the Web I can only dry my clothes with the dryer. So there is a less fresh quality to the laundry as far as I am concerned. Also, I can't haul up large jugs of bleach, detergent and fabric softener, the weight of these items makes it too expensive. On occasion I have purchased these products on the reserve, but that was way too expensive. So I found that Purex has a perfect alternative, they have those all in one laundry sheets. You place one in the was and it has detergent in it, then you put it in the dryer with the clothes and it has a fabric softening strip. It cleans pretty well, but I find that the fabric softener is not enough in the sheet so I usually add an additional dryer sheet.
I know most of you are saying "so what" and I think i would have said the same if i had not had the experience of shipping my life back and forth between home and the Web. It has made me realize that something as insignificant like laundry takes on a different priority.
Most of you don't think twice when you are hungry, you open the fridge, freezer or cupboard and make a choice. For those of us lining in places like the Web, we open the fridge and as we select an item, mentally we are noting that we are down, one apple, or yogurt cup or whatever, and its on to a shopping list in the back of our heads. Priorities change in the Web. But it also makes you appreciate the little things when you are home.

Just a Little Co Operation

Well we all love it when are plans run smoothly and we can complete our tasks without a snag. Ya, in a perfect world right.

What has got me upset is the lack of cooperation I sense with my employer. I asked which unit i would be in this year as I need to get my phone hooked up. One person says they don't know and passes me off to the next person. Now theirs next person should be expecting a flurry of questions from teachers as we head into the home stretch. Yet I have sent this person several emails and they have yet to answer even one.
So to say i am frustrated is putting it lightly. I go through this every year. I am concerned as well for the new teachers because for some they are already nervous about what they will experience when they arrive in the Web, but if they are being neglected like this as well it does not make for happy employees.
I am hoping that they are not simply taking their time over this, how long would it take to email "your in this unit and last years phone number was XXX-XXXX" RIGHT! not a big deal.
It makes me wonder if anyone is listening, if anyone cares...grrrr it is so frustrating!

So in the mean time I will fuss over my packing and hope that someone answers my question sooner rather than later.

The Countdown Begins

I know as I mentioned before, in the back of my mind, I have been planniing my packing since I arrived home in June.
 But today the real countdown has started . in 29 days i will be back on the flying cigar cube of a plane and headed back to the Web for another school year. And so, I unstacked the bins in my room and began to place items (mostly dry goods right now, into the bins, knowing I will repack those bins several times before i seal them shut.
Other prepartations are underway as well. Today I got my HUGE canning pot out to make several gallons of spaghetti sauce. I will use it for lasagnas, cannelloni, manicotti and yes for spaghetti. So my house smells like an Italian kitchen at he moment, the sweet aroma of fresh basil, garlic and Valida onion hang in the air making me hungry.
There is so much too do and I am in that HURRY Up mood, but yet not wanting things to hurry too much.as I still want to enjoy being home. There are still raspberries to pick in the garden, and the beans have come in, in a week the peas will be ready to be shucked, blanched and frozen. Last but not least the potatoes will need to be dug up, and then my time in the garden will be done.
At Thanksgiving I may be home to add so manure and perhaps turn the soil, but I won't be gardening again until Goose Break in April. Yes, it gives me something to look forward to as I trek though snow that is 6 feet deep, or sent home from school because the weather has dipped below -35 and its too cold for the kids to walk to school.
Ah, yes winter the main season it seems in the Web. There are good things about it. At least when the cold weather hits there is no sand flies....
So I will be distracted daily with concerns about what I still need to get and freeze before my bins take thier journey up North. I know some may wonder why I don't just buy my food at the Northern Store on the reserve, I am here to emlighten you. I am sure many are aware that the Northern Store is pat of the Giant Tiger chain f stores. And indeed you can get fantastic deals at the "GT Boutique" aka the poorer man's Walmart, The Northern store is the exact opposite. The prices are criminal. A box of KRaft dinner (I don't eat it but) is over $3, milk for the 4L bag $15.37 (the last time I looked in 2008) At those prices it is a wonder how anyone can eat properly on the Reserve.
So I will continue to ship my food and save a bundle in the process. With the savings maybe I will take a trip to Jamaica with my #1 son...haha!

As Summer proresses our minds turn to thoughts of ...snow?

Okay not seriously snow, but as I have been sitting in my patio swing enjoying the 30+ temps this month I have been thinking of the far north and my grade 3 class in September. I have been home only a month and I have to already have to start thinking about packing all over again to head up North.
Perhaps I am a bit my OCD when it comes to preparing for the trip back, but I like to make sure I have everything I need packed and ready long before I need to leave. I will inevitably pack and repack my bins several times in an attempt to get as much as possible in before I leave on September 3rd. I know crazy right, but once you are up there that's it if i forget my DVD player it means less entertainment for me on those long fall nights. Its not like I can nip to the store and get one...okay I could ; but the dang thing would cost me close to 60 bucks for something I can get for 30 here.
So when I should be lying in my patio swing enjoying the last 4 weeks of summer I will be running about obsessing over my packing. Maybe I need some perspective, after all i will be home for the Thanksgiving weekend so if i missed anything i can take it back then....but I know as sensible as I know that is i will remain obsessed for the next 4 weeks. Well all i can say is, those of you who don't have to think about packing to head off 500+ miles from home for work....enjoy the rest of summer and think of me now and again!

Home Again

Well it has been awhile since I posted and that is because, as all trachers know, the last ew weeks of school is like the last leg of a road race. You are simply focused on crossing that finish line. For those of us working in the north its more than just report cards, IPRC meetings, classroom parties and playday. We have a bit more involved.
Indeed all teachers must clean the room and pack away much of thier stuff, in the Web we have to lock away much of the items we leave behind so that it is there in September when we return. And this year it almost feels like I may not see my stuff again. I am not overly concerned about the classroom items, but more importantly the personal items from my teacherage I had to pack up and leave locked in the school.
Okay I know you are saying, "Don't worry its locked in the school", However in the last month of school we discovered that if the students want to get inside bad enough they will find away. One time they used and axe, the second time the simply kicked in the glass on the bottom of the door. Our Operations and Matience guys were preparing the school for "LOCKDOWN" as they brought out the dozens of sheets of plywood that they secure over every door and window. Yet, this dose not set my mind at ease and in fact makes me even more uneasy. As the students have recently taken to trying to set fire to the wooden clap board siding on the school. This nice dry plywood will be the perfect fuel if they decided to set it on fire over the summer. I just hope the volunteer fire crews will be able to save the school, as last summer kids set fire to the old Community Hall, and it burned right to the ground.
Teachers in the regular school systems don't have to worry about such things, although there are incidents of valndalism and a fire could easily be set. Here in civilization they can count on the Police and Fire department to respond quickly and to even deter some acitivity. In the Web it rarely happens that there are consequences for acts of violence or vandalism.
Well here is to hoping that there is a school when I get back there in September!
Happy Canada Day friends!

The Saga is coming to an end....for this school year

So last evening I was busy creating a powerpoint presentation for the graduation dinner on the 28th of June. As the soft sounds of Green day croon Good Riddance, Wake me up when September ends and Sarah McLachlan
and her tender "I will remember you" I coud not help but get a little misty.
Of course I will be back in September and more than likely every single community member will still be here. What caused the tears to threaten were some of those teachers that will be leaving and not returning in the Fall. There is great sadness with their departure. It is crazy the way ending come here and often leaving us wondering why. But I know deep dwn that each one of these teachers will excel in thier lives even though the journey seems uncertain now, there are some with incredible talent when it comes to teaching and they just don't know it or beleive in themselves enough.
Perhaps this is just the universe's way of telling them they need to take that first scary step to discovery. I know they will be surprised to discover that they are an incredible teacher and they can now let their talents shine in a new way.
So to those specail people moving on to a new expereience I wish you the best and you will be deeply missed not just by me but by those lives you touched, they are better for having you in their lives.
Fortunately for me I will miss the dinner and will not have to hide the tears when the presentation plays, but just know I created this little slide show and felt the emotion over and over. Hopefully the universe is listening when I tell her to take care of you!

A Day for Remembering Jordan Wabasse

Well I woke up this morning and stepped out onto the Reserve. There was a strange calmness that seemed to hang over the community. I took an early morning walk wanting to clear my mind. At 9 Am I was at the Band Hall with the other teachers making hundreds of sandwiches. I then volunteered to make the big pot of Chili and a roast pan full of chicken.
I was amzed at the organization and the way that this community pulls together and takes care of each other. I was informed by a former teacher that several planes came to Webequie from the community of Summer Beaver. The Grand Chief  Stan Beardy and his deputy Grand Chief Terry Waboose were in attendance at the funeral service. I smiled knowing them from a conference we both attended in January 2010. But the smile left my face when I reminded myself why they were present. It was nice to see those people that had moved from the community. One of my former students from Grade 4, Robyn Sanganequeb was there, my how she had grown since Grade 4.
I tried to keep my mind on other things but I could not help it. The tears threatened constantly, I looked over at Jordan's siblings and a new rush of tears would fill my eyes. The searchers read a poem and still mere tears. Now, I am a religious person and do believe with my whole heart that Jordan is with God, more than likely smiling down on us all, and still the deep sadness filled me.
But why? Jordan was not my son, and I never had him or any of this siblings in my classroom and yet I do feel this incredible sense of personal  loss
I do do know why and it has to do with this incredible community. In some way over the past 3 years they have become my family , every single one of them. I know this to be true because we meet each other with great joy, when we bump into one another in Thunder Bay. I belong here and with Jordan's leaving us, I feel like a part of my own family is gone. Also, Jordan had managed, with his getle ways and winning smile, to take up a specail place in my heart. He truly touched all who knew him.
Jordan you will be missed, but now that you sit in heaven, I will pray to you as my own special angel.

The People of the Web Mourn the loss of Jordan Wabasse

I know that as people have been reading my posts that they assume that teaching here in the north is all about the foibles and follies of my teaching expereinces here. But we must also acknowledge that I am also living here and am part of the community of Webequie Ontario. as hard as teachers may try to be a seperate entity from the community, it dose not stick. we become part f this incredible family.
Yesterday after 3 long months, we learned that Jordan Wabasse has passed. It was something that as long as he was simply just missing, he wasn't truly gone. But Police recovered him from the Kaministiqua river in Thunder Bay, and confirmation came last night that this much loved boy has crossed over to be with the Creator!
The entire community has been touched by this tragedy and we are all in mourning over such a senseless loss.
Being Irish, I beleive in the old "Irish wake" where we take time to celebrate the person who has passed. So I will share my Jordan story with you.


It was my first year teaching here in the Web and in fact I had only been here 3 months, and I was asked to chaperone the boys hockey team to Fort Hope for a tournament. We arrived in Fort Hope late in the afternoon after a long 9 or 10 hour drive on the winter road. The boys quickly unpacked and left the residence we were staying at to explore. Only one boy remained behind. Jordon was 12 at the time but even then he was some where near 6 ft tall. He was a giant to he at my 5 foot 2. He was checking his eqipment and was satnding in the asement with his goalie gear on. The home we were satying at had a small 2 year old boy named Jermaine and he tood there in a tshirt and a diaper looking up at this giant before him. Jordan looked down and removed his goalie mask and put it on the young boy who then squealed and giggled with delght. Jordan then played with the toot by handing him a little stick and shooting a ball about the basement with him. As I sat on the basement steps and watched this gentle exchange it brought tears to my eyes, It was at that moment I knew that Jordan was a gentle and caring boy and took the time to notice others around him, especailly those little ones literally looking up to him.
Jordan has crossed over and he will be greatly missed, and as long as we remember these sweet moments of his life, he will always be with us!
May God Bless and keep him, and until we meet again!

Spring rains brings thoughts of ....indoors?

Well yes indeed Spring has come to the Web. Along with the spring weather conditions comes rain. I have been hoping to take my class out for a Nature walk this week but mother nature is not cooperating. But I should not bee too disappointed as there is rain in the forecast everyday for Thunder Bay as well so I am not missing anything. Of course I peeked ahead to the 14 day forecast to see what May Long weekend would be like when i go home to plant my garden, and so far yes there seems to be a promise of sunny weather.However, I have learned that Mother  nature can be something of a witch and often reneges on her promises and can be spiteful and send torrents of rain, or just drizzly miserable weather.
I will try to be hopeful, and remember that there is no place like home, even if it is raining. But I do hope old Ma Nature cooperates with me. I only have 2 days to get my seeds in the ground if I want corn by August.
As for here in the Web, the kids are getting antsy and they do want more time out in the sun, if we ever get some sunshine.  guess I should not complain we did have sun on the weekend and most people would rather have a sunny weekend. But its different here in the Web, we can take advantage of being out doors more than we would if we were teaching in the schools back home.
I personally enjoy using the land and all it has to offer in order to make those connections to our learning, Its a blessing sometimes to have this kind of freedom at our fingertips. But at times the gorgeous weather can be a demon too, beckoning the students to escape from the class, to roll up their pant legs and wade into the warm water.Often times when you have a full class attending, after recess you are guaranteed to lose a few to the call of "hooky" on a warm afternoon.. Oh dang now I want to play hooky myself! Well here is hoping that Mother Nature dresses herself as alluring temptress to tease us all into wanting to escape the day and lay in the sunshine and daydream for the hot days a of summer.

Adeventures in the North: The Goose Break Reprieve

Well, I have been on Holiday since April 21, and the end of my holiday home is drawing near. Tomorrow after 1Pm I will be on the flying cigar tube back to the Web. I am curious to see what the warm weather has done to the ice on the river.
For those of you that don't know anything about Webequie we are an island surrounded by Winisk Lake and the  Winisk River flows around us.

When I left there was about 3 or 4 feet of ice. However, while we were busy having the snow and cold days Webequie, oddly enough, was enjoying the temperatures well into the double digits. Normally the ice remains for a good long time. My first year teaching in the Web the ice did not leave the bays until the first week of JUNE!
The picture above is a winter picture, although we still had 4 feet of ice on the lake, there was virtually no snow when I left, on the 21st of April. i am sure i will still need my rubber boots to walk through the clay like mud but it won't be long till i can sport my sandles outside the school as well as inside. Just to let you know, I have been wearing my sandles since the first week of April, but only in school and out on the playground at recess.
Goose Break is a cultural activity that many of the people in Web take part in, "The Goose Hunt"! They pack up and head out on the land and build blinds, in anticipation of the return of the Geese to the far North.  Normally it is a 2 week hunt, but this year it was cut back to one. Perhaps one day when I am feeling adventurous I will go on the hunt.
It will be nice to get back to the students and begin the dash to the end of the school year. One week for EQAO testing and then complete the last few units and our thoughts will turn to pondering about report cards and ah yes where we will teach next year, will I be in the Web for year 4, or will I choose another reserve. Who knows but the adventure will continue one way or another!

I don't really beleive it is snow!

As I woke this morning looking forward to spending time getting my gardens ready for planting when I return for May Long weekend, I was not surprised to see the thin blanket of snow covering everything. However, I have decided to deny its existence and continue my day as if it were not there.
So I went to the basement and gathered the planting trays and began to label each pot for the seeds. I set up a nice area in the kitchen at the window where they will sit and grow over the next 4-6 weeks. Now these will not find a spot in the garden until June, but it will be nice to see them as a promise of things to come.
I then spent time watering the new grape vine I brought and the two new blackberry canes. Then I got to wondering where Canada Post was with my blueberry plants and my new dwarf cherry tree.

So I managed to ignore the existence of the snow and was delighted when Travis, upon a return from his many trips to have the dogs do their business outside, announces that the snow is melted. I am extremely delighted that my methods have worked...I only wish that ignoring my weight will make it also melt away...

But I figure that once the weather turns nice and the roads are dry in the WEB, I can then go for some walks and maybe get an upper hand with the battle of the bulge. As well the fruits of my labours (literally )

...will  be part of my weight loss program, after all there is nothing like fresh veggies from the garden to add to that delicious steak I will be grilling this summer on the ole' BBQ. All this the looking forward, the planning the day dreaming, it all makes the isolation of the reserve a bit more bearable. So if you are thinking of teaching away from home, just remember the power of this forward thinking and day dreaming can have, its helped me through 3 years and counting (lets hope)

Is it really a rest?

I have been at home now for 4 1/2 days for my Easter Vacation/Goose Break. I have been going at break-neck speed to put in as much activity as I can while here. I have raked and burned the back yard, fenced the rose garden, put up tyhe trellis' for the grape vines and climbing veggies I plan to plant this year. I have been on 3 shopping sprees and I am presently planning to leave for my Spring trip to Vandrewees greenhouse to get my topsoil, manure and any other seeds i need. But that is not the end.
I Also plan to start my pepper, tomato, eggplant and squash seeds indoors, I have a massage at 1PM and then I need to take a walk to M&M Meats, and my favourite nutrition store. Yet I still have another trip to make to the grocery store and I have to prepare 12 individual pans of Super Nachos for Travis so he idn't eating the unhaelthy bags of sodium and fat filled snack foods that are indeed tasty but not a good choice to eat.
So there is so much yet to do and I only have a few days left, since on saturday all my food must be packed and taken to Wasaya cargo to be shipped to the Reserve.
And, what was my original question? Well, I must ask myself is this a rest, a vacation, a chance to get it away from it all, or am I stuck on a new hamster wheel, spinning and spinning and getting nowhere. Not to mention, I have a reserve dog here as well and she had some specail needs after surgery.
But, my answer is I am at rest, I enjoy the planning and craziness that comes with the prep of the yard for summer. I thrive on the planning that goes into my garden each year, and it gives me something to think about when I am away and longing for home.I am exhausted , but its a healthy kind of exhaustion. I can sit down and look around and see all I have completed and I feel a great deal of satisfaction. The second wave of satisfaction will come when I open my freezer and see my frozen veggies, or to check the hallway pantry and see my canned spaghetti sauce made from tomatoes from my on garden. So although I am tired and have been going nostop since I arrived and will be going full bore until I am at the Airport Sunday afternoon, but I will not complain just smile a satisfied and be glad I had the time to be here and run myself ragged!

Ya this is living

So we have had 3 days of Cultural activities at school this week. I found myself, being fed, enjoying a few afternoon of Ice Fishing, roasting marshmallows, making dream catchers, and walking stick. The only thing missing from this week was a hammock I could crawl into and have an afternoon nap.
There are a lot of places I would love to be, like home with my kids, and enjoying my Friday night glass of wine.

But, at least here, telemarketers are not calling, or my mother for that matter ;) there is something to this peace and quiet thing. Its almost like being retired.
Of course after the Goose Break and classes resume on May 2nd, there will be a price to pay for all this slack.

Yes, I will be racing at break-neck speed to get the curriculum cover and somehow manage to fit in the EQAO testing too...oh and write report cards....I am even too scared to count the number of days that are actually left in out school year....but I did....35 ...EEEEEEEKKKKKK! So enjoy now and pay the piper after!

Fantastic Friday

Yes we all do enjoy the weekend. Normally if i were back home in Thunder Bay i would be filling my weekend off with trips to the mall, the beauty parlor, a massage, maybe dinner at the Keg or something like that.
Here in the Web, I look forward to sleeping in, a walk to the airport, foraging in the bush with my friend RJ to cut down a sapling so i can spend my weekends, whittling a walking stick.
Who knew that a city girl could find so much excitement from very simple pleasures. Okay, I am not a true city girl. I long for the day when I can buy my house in the country and spend my days digging in the garden and growing roses.
The students seem equally to be as excited about Fridays and yet they almost seem to long for  it to be Monday again. They too yearn for the simple things, a ride on their bike, a hike through the woods, a candy from the Lillian Store...hmmmm...perhaps I am experiencing a new childhood! Or perhaps I simply never grew up to begin with? I will ponder that as I sit on me steps on Sunday and begin my whittling....LOL.

It's All In How You Look At It

Sure there are times when you ask yourself..."why am I putting through this?" and think that being so far from home and isolated from the familiar things like sidewalks, or 24 hour Walmart stores. But in reality if you sit back and see what this job entails you really begin to appreciate the job.
Take today as an example. There i was teaching the grade 3's all about multiplication and the Principal walks in. She said oh your entire class is going camping next week for Cultural week. Only one student is staying behind. so my huge choice was did my student and I want to go Rabbit snaring for the day or Ice fishing.
Okay how mnay of you working in a regular school have those kinds of choices to make....ya I knew it...well just know that on Tuesday the note on my classroom door will read..."Gone Fishing!"

Ya so after looking at it this way I think I love this job!

Learning Goes Both Ways

As we teacher's were making our way home from school today, amidst the treacherous frozen ice and equally frozen globs of mud. A few of us stopped outside the Board office to chat with our Financial Officer Paul.
It was at this time one of the high school teacher's mentioned how randomly community members will come up to you a teach you something about the culture or language.
The other high school teacher informed me that the issue of dogs and the Oji Cree word for it (An-imoush) would be a great topic for my blog.
However, I declined giving the same langauge and cultural lesson that Johnny gave RJ and we will leave it at the fact that Ani-moush can have more than one meaning like many words in the English language. I think we laughed more because the alternate meaning brough a bit o blushing to some and left RJ somewhat speechless. Yup! The community is always ready to expand our learning any chance they get, so be careful if you are the shy type....

I will  leave it at that for now and say be glad there were no gestures involved in my explanation and hope that where ever you are. I am dang sure it is a heck of a lot warmer than here today! So long now from the very cold North

The Adventures of the Drill Sargent Part 2

 Well I guess the morning's sleepiness had wore off while the kids were enjoying the blast of -28 C air on the playground, because the day was about to get interesting. One of the boys asked to go tot the bathroom, and had been gone for quite sometime. After 20minutes Stanley, our school security guard came back with the lad saying he had been hiding in a closet in the Grade 3 classroom. I thanked Stanley, told the student the behaviour was not acceptable and went on with the day.
Now a few other things occurred that were in keeping with this "wildness" of the Grade 4 class, and yes I did stop the behaviour announce it was unacceptable and moved on. Honestly i did not for the life of me believe that they would just behave because I told them so. I grew up with 3 brothers who could have been easily been mistaken for a group of monkeys on a rampage, and I also had 2 sons, not quite as bad as my brothers but had their moments as well. I knew though that I had nothing to "take" from them if they behaved badly. There had to be something worth losing that would hopefully make them think twice before they did something out of line.

The only thing I had was the class Christmas Party. So the second day of school, I went over what we would be doing for the class party, the food we would have, the movie we would watch and the games we would play.I had taken the 2 computers that had been locked away since the previous teacher high-tailed it out of there. I showed them the stack of computer games (all learning games by the way) that I was installing on the computer. Then I placed the letters P.A.T. (personal activity time) next to my daily schedule and put 10 inside to indicate they were starting with 10 minutes. I told them good behaviour would earn them more minutes and bad behaviour would cost them minutes. I also let them know if they wanted a movie on a Friday afternoon they would need to earn at least 120 minutes of PAT minutes.
I then began the lesson, if someone stepped out of line like poking another student, getting out of their seat, I would walk over as i continued to teach and erase the minutes from 10 and write 9. Usually the bad behaviour stopped. Once the lesson was over I told the class if they worked quietly for the next 20 or so minutes they could earn 10 minutes. This allowed me time to work one on one with the lower students in the class.
This wasn't a completely smooth operation a few times I had to subtract minutes, but after the first week. I could leave the room and go to the staff room to photo copy something and come back to find the students still in their seats and working quietly.
My next hurdle walking in the hallway to go to gym. The first day I tried to take them to the gym, you would think the hallway was on fire the way the ran screaming down the hall to the gym. But I remained calm and stood in the gym indicating, they were to walk back to class and try it again. We tried to line up in the class quietly 2 or 3 times, and when they were not doing so, I simply had them sit at their desks with their heads down and erased the Pat minutes back down to 10. They had no gym that day. But the next day we had gym, they lined up and walked to the end of the hall and stopped as I had directed them, giving me time to lock my classroom door and join them. Then they walked to the gym doors and stopped until I told them to proceed..
To be honest I did not think this was any great feat, I assumed they had behaved in the past and that they were just out of practise. It was then end of the first week when the Principal came to thank me, saying I had the class under such great control, and that for a few days she was surprised to see how much work she was getting done, as she had not had to go to the class and deal with any of the students.
Wow! she said she could not believe that they listened so well and that she was surprised on Thursday when they were walking down the hall on their way to gym, she had to take a second look to be sure it was the Grade 4 class. But she admitted, they are good kids, they were looking for someone to come in and give them their boundaries.
Okay don't think "Oh my God in one week she did it, she is a super teacher" Not by a long shot there would be other moments of learning for me and my class and new ways to encourage and to inspire some. There would be struggles and I would be surprised at what things would come up and how I would find new ways to deal with them. Mainly it would be 2 students I will name A and B for now. The tales of A & B will follow! Cheers!

The Adventures of the Drill Sargent

Monday morning came early, I was awake at 5 AM, what's up with that. I never get out of bed till 7 back home, so why was I lying in my bed now, eyes wide open, and sleep a distant memory.
Well I didn't bother laying there trying to figure this out. I got up started the coffee maker and headed for the shower...Whoa! sure needed a bath tub mat it was a slippery experience and almost landed on my but in the tub. A note to self remember to buy a rubber mat for the shower. Okay now my heart was pounding and I was definitely awake and ready.
After a quick breakfast I went over what my plans for the day would be. I grabbed my bright pink backpack and made my way to the school.
I stepped out on the back steps of my house and was hit with a blast of icy air. I took a deep breath, and could smell the rich smell of wood smoke in the air. I always loved that smell, it reminded me of my carefree days as a kid out a camp every summer. well it was definitely not summer now and this was definitely not camp. I proceeded off the steps and began my 3 minute walk up to the school.
I was joined very quickly by a few of the Reserve dogs ( there is a few interesting stories about the dogs i will tell later.) They escorted me to the school and then disappeared into the dark morning.
I was the first one in and the quite was relaxing, as I "set my stage" preparing for the battle with these out of control Grade 4's.
One by one staff came in, they made their way to my room and introduced themselves, if I had not met them earlier. It was a blurr of names that the moment they said them were gone from my memory, ( Now this is a concern for me as i always worry about my memory as 3 members of my family had Alzheimer;s) But not to worry I eventually memorized names and a whole lot more.
My neighbour in school was the Grade 5 teacher who was also from Thunder Bay and we were also on the Supply list for the catholic Board in thunder Bay. I'll refer to her as Miss L. Miss L was a tall amazon of a girl, and when i met her I had a feeling she was something of a stream roller of a personality, and I'd discover this to be true as time went on.
Before I knew the bell began to ring, and very very slowly the students began to wander into the school. I was a bit surprised at how slowly he students moved, but in time I would discover that everything in the Web, moved at a "relaxed" pace.
However, all my students were in the classroom by 9:15, oh and the bell rang for those 15 minutes as well.
I handed my students a worksheet as they passed me at the doorway and allowed them to work quietly before I began to speak.
I introduced myself and told the students a little bit about myself, starting with the story I always used at St. Edward's school. "Good Morning Grade 4 My name is Miss Merritt (oh the Miss Merritt would disappear as I remembered when I worked in Sturgeon Falls, culturally first names were more acceptable) I am better known in the Thunder Bay Schools as The Drill Sargent. I want to take this time this morning to let you know I will not tolerate any of the behaviour you displayed to your previous teacher, or for Susan who filled in until I was hired. My voice was low, it was firm and as my sons will tell you, when i talk to them in this tone they take it very seriously. Then I pinned them al with the "CHURCH STARE".
The Church Stare" was a gift learned from my mother. When we were young and in church and not listening, my mother would not say one word, she would get our attention and give us this stare, one that said with out words "when i get you someplace where no one can hear you will be sorry for this behaviour" It was the most frightening stare there is and it worked on my sons and it seemed to work on the Grade 4's now. They all looked very serious, and they bowed their heads and continued with the worksheet I had given them as they came in.
Now as far as my class went I think they were trying to figure out when they could go wild. They were quite good that morning, but what was a real surprise was the other students from other classrooms would walk into my class and try and hide in the closets, or sit at vacant desks. It was a chore to try and get them out of the classroom. It was clear the drill Sargent would not work in this case, and seeing how extremely shy the students were ( i will mention it was mainly the boys who did this) I would say the moment the door opened or when the stepped across the threshold of the doorway..."oh look class someone came for a hug," and I would get up and walk toward them....this would of course cause them to leave immediately.
Well that was the first part of the morning and it seemed to be okay, until recess. I had never in my life seen such unbridled energy displayed in such inappropriate ways. Yard duty was more like being a referee at Ultimate fighting. This was going to be something i had to approach a bit differently than i did the classroom.
The bell rang and hardly any students lined up they continued to do whatever it was they were busy doing. So i stood at the back doors and waited. The kids wandered in, and stood in a group waiting to go inside. I continued to just stand there. One student asked me "Can we go in?" I said "Nope, not until there is a line" they made some kind of movement, but nothing that resembled a straight line, so i just stood there string off toward the Band Hall and waited. (Interesting even at recess the bell rings for at least 8 minutes) The bell stopped and we were still standing there, and I then said "I think that at your age you should know what a straight line looks like, and until you get into one we will stand here." it took seconds for them to get into that line and stand quietly. Then I smiled "Good, and so that you all understand, you will not step one foot into the school unless you are lined up and quiet just like this."
This was the very first success. From that day on my class was usually the first lined up and waiting after the recess bell. But i had just scratched the surface of the behavioral issues in this class.
Just a note as i close this story today, this class was an incredible group and it was a rewarding expereince to work with them and i enjoyed my 8 months with them, don't think for a moment this was abad expereince, it was one of the most rewarding ones of my career. (Part 2 coming soon)

Where on earth is Webequie Ontario? (Part 2)

Okay, you arre saying..."Hey its 2011, why is this story happening in 2008?"
Well I am here in the Web now, but my story began in 2008, so I felt I had to give the background, so bare with me for the next few posts.

I was now in my little house no bigger than a large Hotel room, but it had everything, bedroom, bathroom, laundry area and a living room/kitchen area. So I had everything I needed, heck it was far easier and quicker to clean than my 3 bedroom 1 1/2 story home back in Thunder Bay. It was alright, and it had a satellite dish all i needed to do was buy a receiver. But for right now I had nothing to watch on television, you guessed no cable, not even off cable channels. i had brought my potable DVD player with its own screen and a stack of movies, So I hoped that would help me survive. I had also bought a Netbook computer and that would be my connection home. My son had installed "team speak" something similar to Skype, so I hooked everything up and nothing happened...there was no signal, the internet was not working in my house. Thank God for wireless, and I was bale eventually to piggyback off the Principal's connection. She lived next door to me. But it wasn't until almost 8PM that I was able to talk to the boys. I was really nervous about leaving them alone, but then they were 16 and 18 and the most trustworthy kids a mom could ever have.
So we chatted and I told them everything was great and that as soon as i could I was calling Bell to get the phone working in my house.
Now you would think that was easier said than done. But I was soon to find out that things don't go as quickly as it does back home. I had emailed Paul and asked for the previous phone number for my unit so i could give Bell the info and then I could be hooked up. Well just so you know I never did get the phone line until after the Christmas break.
It is interesting how you don't realize how much you rely on technology until it is no longer there. It was also funny that I had brought my cell phone with me, thinking they over the massive expanse of land between Thunder Bay and the Web I would actually get a signal.
Well it was a long 4 weeks as i had arrived the last week in November and would be teaching till Christmas break, when I could go home for 2 weeks.
Monday was coming fast and I was eager to get to meet my students. I spent Saturday and Sunday creating lesson plans and putting my classroom in order. I was excited more than most because I was teaching my dream Grade. Yeah sounds crazy but Grade 4 was the dream Grade, They usually can read independently and with some fluency, there is no EQAO prep to worry about and they are mature enough to behave properly and young enough to have a healthy respect and a bit of fear of the teacher.
As I prepped my room the other teachers came in and introduced themselves, each providing me with the horror stories of the 14 students that made up the Grade 4 class. They were an unruly bunch that literally would climb up on the window sills swing from the curtains, run from the room and go into other classrooms to disrupt the learning, some would take off at recess and of return the rest of the day.
I was a bit thrown at this point and was sitting in my house that Sunday night thinking back to my Classroom Management class in University, I remembered one thing that Dr. Haines had said "It is better to be tough when you come in and soften up over time, because if you come in a softy you can't become tougher, the kids won't buy it. So that was it, "The Drill Sargent \" was going to be in that classroom Monday Morning. Just so you know, "The Drill Sargent" was a nickname the students at St Edward's school in Thunder Bay had given me, because I was the only teacher who could handle the tough students that went there. And so, the adventures of The Drill Sargent will follow, stay tuned!

Where on earth is Webequie Ontario?

I was really excited about getting a teaching job up North on a remote fly in reserve. However, I had no idea where I was actually going, I knew it was North but north of where. I checked google maps and it had a general location, and boy it seemed pretty far.

Now just let me mention I am from Thunder Bay Ontario, so I am already in Northwestern Ontario, so if you look at the map Webequie is Northwest of that....a lot further north. I had asked one of the community members if we were far from James Bay, to which he said it was a two day canoe trip from the island.

Yup, we are an island, Webequie Ontario is up in the Ring of Fire, where all the mining excitement is happening. The only way to get there is by plane, or winter road. (I have a few stories about the winter road too). Driving takes about 16 hours, flying is about an hour and twenty minutes if you are on the direct flight. Oh and the plane is not what you would expect, its essentially a flying cigar tube and everyone gets a window seat and an isle seat at the same time.
When I first came to Webequie in November 2008, I was on a plane that had 5 people on it and the cargo hold was just the area behind my seat, everything held back by a nylon netting.We left Thunder Bay and flew about hour and some to Fort Hope. It was here i discovered I had to wear long underwear even on the plane. Because as the pilot and co-pilot got out and had to retrieve baggage the opened the side of the plane to do so, and that opening was right next to my seat. Now like I said I am from Thunder Bay and I am use to cold winters, but man I had no idea how cold it could be when you are in the FAR NORTH, the temperature was -32 C. BRRRRRRRR!
Well after about 10 minutes we were off agin and this time the flight was about 20 minutes until we landed at Landsdowne House or the proper Oji-Cree name Neskandega (Nish, can, de gaw). Another blast of sub zero temps, athen back in the air and 15 minutes more till we landed in Webequie.
Now i will mention that I have been to Reserves before, there is the Fort  William First Nation Reserve in Thunder Bay, and I had visited my friend Darlene on the Nipissing  Reserve in North Bay Ontario. So i thought I knew what to expect.
As I stepped from the plane the co-pilot directed me to the "terminal" just ahead of me was a wooden shack that some one had put a painted sign, I think it was a joke, that read "Webequie International Airport". i chuckled and walked toward the building. It was about this point that I was thrown for a loop. Outside the airport were 2 outhouses, their doors banging on the strong November wind.
It had not occurred to me that there would be no indoor plumbing, and a million thoughts raced through my head, but most importantly how was I going to survive if I had to use an outhouse at 3 AM when the temps were -40 or more. Oh I had thought to myself I was not going to make it.
My distressed must have been fairly obvious, a native  woman who had boarded the plane in Fort Hope put her hand gently on my shoulder and reassured me that the houses all had indoor plumbing.
Well that was a relief, I began to look around and wondered who would be coming to bring me to my residence. Of course I was the only white girl on the flight, so it was obvious I was the new Grade 4 teacher. A small man with bright brown eyes and a deep smile approached me. He said "You must be Carroll, I'm Morris and I will be taking you to your house."

The plane was now unloaded and he grabbed my 13 boxes of stuff and my 2 suitcases and placed them in the back of the truck and headed into town. as we drove he pointed out the Northern store, and the Post Office, telling me that on Sundays everything was closed. Then down the road to the Teacherage, which is just a grouping of individual residences reserved for teachers.
Morris unloaded my stuff gave me my house key and the keys for the school and wished me a good day.
I stood in the tiny house, about the size of a large Hotel room and sighed deeply. I was here, and now what?
(Part 2 to follow)