Jenn and I have arrived in Colville Lake, NT and are happily settling into our new cabin. We have been pleasantly surprised every step of the way. We love the community, the school, and the cozy little cabin that we now get to call home.
The first few days have been a bit of whirlwind. We arrived August 14th in the evening. That evening Martin took us on a tour of Colville and we went door to door meeting all the families and our future students. We were warmly welcomed by all we met. We then went and visited the community dump, which is a large hole in the ground at the edge of town. When that hole is full they then cover it with dirt and dig a new hole. We spent a lot of time cleaning and sorting our cabin. Teachers who have lived here in the past left a lot of things in all the cupboards. We thought it would be helpful to have an inventory of everything that is here and to throw away anything that has expired. My bins arrived yesterday and my luggage (that was left in Yellowknife on the 14th) arrived the day before that. I am so happy that we planned the way we did. We are both feeling fully prepared for the coming year. Something that has surprised both of us is the poor quality of water here. A regular water filter does not do the trick. Jenn learned that the hard way on day one. When we arrived she drank a good litre of water and subsequently spent the next few hours sick and vomiting. Our principal brought over his water filter, which has been a life saver. We have one of our own coming in the mail. Our cabin is one of the few buildings in Colville that has running water. Most of the homes have a large water bin that is filled each Saturday and they transport water into their homes with buckets. We also have a large water bin that is filled each week. The difference is our bin is connected to pipes. I am already learning to adapt my water consumption habits - it is all about conservation up here. The cabin is lake front. There is a long dock that connects to a path from our front door. People fish off the end of the dock. The views are breath taking. The Co-op is a 5 minute walk along the river. The prices there are quite high, but we are happy to know that anything we could possibly need is so close by. We have long hours of sunlight. Sunset is around midnight and sunrise is around 5am. People here adjust their sleep patterns around the sunlight. You can hear kids out playing at all hours of the night. Kids are always around. They try to peak in our windows and are always knocking on the door- one of the perks of living next door to the school. We have already adjusted to cabin life. It feels like we are camping. Each night we have had our principal and a district staff member over to play games and hangout. We have all become fast friends and are anticipating a great year. The guys went hunting this morning and we will be having duck for dinner! We have not sorted out our wifi yet, but once we do I will share pictures of this beautiful community! It is a different way of life up here. Slower. Peaceful. I love it.
9 Comments
Lorraine McWilliam
8/19/2018 04:04:45 pm
I am really going to enjoy reading all your adventures this coming year! I so appreciate good water just by turning on a tap... we are a privileged people!
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Siobhan Coulter
8/19/2018 04:18:05 pm
Hearing about your adventures is going to be fun!!!
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Megan Blair
8/19/2018 04:36:06 pm
Oh Heather!! God has you right where you're needed at this moment. I'm so thrilled for you. ❤
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Courtenay
8/19/2018 05:01:49 pm
Love the post! Can’t wait to hear more about your amazing adventure.
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Emily
8/19/2018 11:04:56 pm
Thanks for sharing your first thoughts Heather! Looking forward to reading about your experiences this coming year!
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Tess
8/20/2018 07:38:24 am
I feel inspired, Heather! Reminds us all how much we take for granted... I love hearing the children are excited to have a new community members!
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Rylie
8/21/2018 12:41:58 am
I am glad that you both have settled in quickly! I’m excited for your adventure this year.
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