Sunday, September 24th

Fall arrived in a hurry...In less than a week the birches are sporting flaming yellow apparel, which contrasts beautifully with the dark green of the pines. It's too bad that maples don't grow over here, or there would be reds and burgundys in the palette as well. As you can see, the house sits at the top of a hill, which has a few advantages: rain runoff, a lake view from the kitchen window, and in winter I can forsee some sledding off to work....
Weekends are the most peaceful I've experienced yet, you wake up to silence and relaxation with the only agenda being the one you make up for yourself. I enjoy writing this journal, as part of my weekly reflections and Sunday to do list.
Yesterday we went for a walk by the lake in the eastward direction, which was accessible as the water line had gone down. The best part was the clean beach, given the normal inaccesability of this side and the absence of litter. We had a different perspective and companion for this outing, different direction: different dog, I suppose it must be a territorial question among the canines over here. When we got back home, Ricardo and I took our first unexpected lesson in Oji-Cree. We sat out in the front deck, eating bananas and getting our first list of most used words and phrases from three young visitors, Rosanna, Carla and Robin (all in the school).
The weather is quickly getting fresher, we can expect snow as early as October so I've been told. Ricardo has begun Karate lessons in the school gymnasium twice a week for adults initially, and it becomes a great venue for exercising and releasing frustrations (great for the teaching staff).
Work has been completely unexpected, since I've been here. Certainly not the usual administration job description, I've been involved in counselling, in organizing crisis interventions, and doing research on suicide prevention. This past week there was another attempt, fortunately caught in time by the "informal buddy system" put in place. It is very hard to pinpoint one solution, as there is a myriad of sociopolitical causes for the situation, and has to be faced with short and long term interventions. For now, the band's chief has imposed a curfew, which at least keeps the kids of the street past ten at night. We are also organizing parent information nights, with coffee and cookies as a hook (food does it here).
All in all, it is a surprising challenge which gets creativity and innovation going.....for now we continue with our walks by the lake, enjoying the majesty of nature and facing one thing at a time!

September 18th, 2005

Last night we had our first bear sighting, making for an exciting Saturday evening. Ricardo and I were watching a movie on TV, when we heard a noise just under the kitchen window. Moopy the cat had been pacing, not wanting to lie down on the sofa as he usually does, and sat at the front door miauing. We got up and looked out the window, but couldn't see anything initially as the darkness was quite pronounced.

After a while, as our eyes got used to the dark Ricardo spotted something moving. He got the flashlight and went out onto de front deck and illuminated A BEAR! Fortunately it wasn't too close, he'd moved onto one of the other houses and was checking out the garbage. When he realized he was in the spotlight, he moved back into the bushes. He wasn't huge, but we were glad he was far off anyways. Now we understood why we found a garbage bag ripped open, just down the hill, and why Moopy stands guard by the windows!

The weather is starting to get chilly, and after last night we'll make sure to keep our walks to a daytime affair....The leaves are starting to turn, mostly the birches and poplars and we will make sure to take some pictures when it gets colourful. The third type of tree is pine, very tall too.
Our daily life has settled into a routine, I go off to work (5 minute commute), come home for lunch, back to school and home again. Dinner and a walk, as nature is the entertainment part of the program, and can become exciting as experienced last night. We've had some sunny days, plenty more of the cloudy type though. Rain comes at least once a week, which is good to keep the sandy streets from getting too dusty.
For now, we are comfortable and rejoice every time Gloria (best daughter) sends us a box with goodies that aren't available here. It makes you appreciate everything so much more!

Sunday, September 11th 2005
This past week has been hard for the community to deal with the pain created by the senseless loss of life, thirteen years old is just the beginning! The toughest decision was to re-open the school on Thursday after two days of mourning.
Watch groups patrolling all night, while the children were running around trying to face their grief was difficult to observe. Parents seemed at a loss, with lost control over their kids and opening the school seemed the best thing to do. Crisis counsellors were in to help the affected classes deal with the situation, and children were given opportunities to work through their grief. Yet, seeing the kids in school rather than running around unchecked made me realize that the decision had been the right one.


Yesterday was a welcome day of rest, fishing and canoeing seemed a welcome oasis. Fish abound in these lakes, Pickerel, Muskies and Jackfish keep Ricardo busy... Once you get away from the shore, out of the reach of snagging bushes the task becomes much easier.
Here we are about 20 meters out, where there are a couple of rocks that make a good place to anchor. Guess who was the anchor....there's a first!
Moopy the cat is getting a good source of fresh fish, although I tasted the catch and was quite surprised by the pleasant taste and consistency.
By the time we got back home, we were both tired, paddling and fishing can be more exercise than one thinks at the time.
The weather has been very pleasant, more days of sun than not for now. Yesterday was hot, the lake water was enticing until I put my hand in, brrr....not that hot, I thought.

The silence over here is wonderful, no background sirens or traffic hum; it's great to be able to witness the serenity of nature and wildlife (although litter can be seen around town). Another goal for the educational agenda. Children are very sociable, they'll come to visit anytime and enjoy the attention. Here you can see some of our visitors, including the puppy.

Dogs roam free, and the population tends to increase after a time. Unfortunately, they control the increase by shooting strays every so often, not very humane but effective. The band has their unique way of dealing with situations.

Sunday, September 3rd, 2005

Last night, while out on a walk by the lake Ricardo and I had our first vision of the Northern Lights. The beauty of it is breathtaking, I kept wishing I could have taken a picture, but our camera isn't that good...plus we'd need special film for night shots. For more shots use the internet key words 'Northern Lights Pictures'.

Tragedy hit us on Friday night when one of our Grade Eight students commited suicide. Needless to say, the community is dealing with the aftermath with crisis counsellors and support from friends and families. This is the second instance, in less than four months after a long spell of no cases since the early 90s.

What can drive such youngsters to such an irrevocable feeling of helplessness? This is what I plan to look into, as we develop some long-term solutions perhaps in the way of educational workshops. Any suggestions?

Last night, after walking on the beach (small, but sandy) to ensure all was quiet, Ricardo and I dropped in on a gathering in the house you see on the left. Here, you just enter without knocking and blend in. No invitation is required....Somehow, I ended up playing the guitar and singing songs in English and Spanish. It was so comforting to see that music makes people laugh, in spite of the sad situation.
My challenge is to learn some Christmas songs in Ojee-Cree for December.