Getting into the swing of things...

I have not posted in a while for two reasons.  First, the internet here is so spotty and it is hard to get this page to load.  Second, I struggle with how much to share with you all.  

Jenn and I are slowly adjusting to life in the Arctic.  There have been many surprises - some good and others bad.  

I often forget that I am actually still in Canada.  The luxuries of home do not exist here.  There is no water treatment plant here.  

The water is pumped directly from the lake and stored in a tank in our laundry room.  The tank is very dirty.  Both Jenn and I have been sick as a result of water contamination.  We now boil and filter all water.  

There is no police in town.  Police do rounds once every few months. There is also no medical care here.  A man broke his neck a few weekends ago - he lay on the ground for half a day waiting for a helicopter. ​

This is my third week with my students.  I am so grateful for each of them.  Our classroom is quickly becoming a little family.  Each morning we start the day with breakfast and journals.  I find that they are hungry, tired, and in need of a slower paced morning (which is also often the case with me...haha).  

As a school we are focusing on literacy.  It is my goal to have every student in my room reading and writing before the end of the year.  

I am falling in love with Colville Lake.  The culture is rich and the community is beautiful.  Yet, within the beauty, there is unimaginable pain.  Generational trauma and hurt from residential schools is ingrained in the stories of the people.  No one is immune to pain.  I am struggling to navigate where exactly my place is within the story of this community.  I am surrounded by so much hurt and want my time here to be purposeful.