Bead Looming

Since Greg shared with you guys what himself and the grade 8's did at the cultural program, I thought I would share with you what the grade 9's and I did. We were supposed to go fishing but unfortunately it was raining so that got cancelled. Instead we did bead looming. This is a way to make jewelery. The pictures below are pictures of the bracelet I made. I really had fun doing it and I might even make more!

Channel 19

So there is a local tv station up here and it is channel 19. I actually really like watching it. They post notices about happenings in the community, they sell things, read the bible, sing and do other various activities. I just thought I would share some of the latest things on the t.v station. This is a random sign up on the t.v. station one day. I don't really get it but I thought it was funny. A moose dog chasing a man. It is Traditional Week this week, so a lot of the men and women go hunting so I am sure this picture has something to do with that. The next pictures you may want to use some caution with looking at.

We turned on the t.v. one afternoon and there was two dead moose laying on the floor. This was the most random thing we have seen yet. Although we thought it was funny.

Then later that same day, at night, they were cutting up the moose and packaging it. We thought it was kind of interesting watching 2 ten year olds (approx) cutting up the meat and packaging it with their parents. They were using pretty big knives too.

Just thought we would share some of the happenings on channel 19!

Beach Day

Today we thought we would have a little getaway. So we went to the beach. After a very bumpy ride there we finally made it. There is so many potholes in the road, and by then end of our trip today all three of us had headaches from going up and down so much. Some of the potholes are really deep. We walked the length of the entire beach, it isn't huge maybe 200-300 metres. At the end of it there is a little path that you can follow around to another part of the lake. Since there was a little path we thought we would risk it and follow the path (we have been told never to go into the bush without a local). This is a picture of the bush. It is very dense and completely covered in moss. It is really quite pretty. The moss makes everything so soft and nice to walk on.

Greg and I in the bush on the moss Dexter (Amanda's dog is trying to eat the stick in my hand).

Amanda and Dexter!

On the other side of the path is more of the lake. There was a little shelter frame set up and a fire pit that was basically in the water.

Amanda and Dexter again!

This is the frame of the shelter and if you look to the right you can see a dark spot by the water, that is the fire pit.

G+C Martin 2010- Greg wrote this on the rock with a piece of wood from an old fire.

Dexter thinks he is a big dog walking with a big stick. He doesn't like to carry a stick around to long. He gets bored.

Yard Saling

Wow, we have really posted a lot today, but we just have so much to update people on.



Yesterday we went yard saling. It was quite a different experience. Unlike at home, yard saling(it is called yard saling because they don't have garages) starts at 3pm. In the morning a list was posted on the local channel of who was having a yard sale. Crystal and Vicky copied this list down and then came to pick the three of us up.



We travelled from house to house seeing what they had to offer. Everything was inside peoples homes. The sold clothes and other stuff they wanted to get rid of but the biggest seller was food. The reason the yard sale doesn't start until 3 is so that people have time to cook and bake. I discovered yesterday that most people go for the food and the clothes and stuff is just extra.



Yesterday Greg and I bought an Indian taco for $5. It was so good. I added a little sour cream to it. SO GOOD.

This is a pizza pop. We also bought 2 of these. They were $4 each. Greg ate his and told me it was so good. I was still full from the taco so I am saving mine. It was pretty neat to watch them make these. They roll out the bannock, put the filling in it and then fold it in half. They then put it in a pan of oil and fry it.

We made a few more stops, one being to the Brown Store where we bought a slushie. They also have really good milkshakes there. The last stop was to a house for really good tarts. The pastry was so nice and tasted a lot like my mom and grandmas.

Later that night Vicky and Crystal came over. We hung out for a bit, played Just Dance on the Wii and played alittle Mad Gab. It was a nice evening. Vicky and Crystal also tried Smart Food Popcorn for the first time. They do not have it here. Mom sent us a bag so we shared it and they really enjoyed it. I am glad we are not the only people trying new thing.

This week is Traditional Week so we have the week off school. A lot of the fly in staff have left and went home, or have travelled some where. One lady is in New York City. Amanda, Greg and I are staying here and doing our long range plans and hanging out. I am really looking forward to this week. Hopefully we get a lot done.

The Mop Sequel

So I have been told that some of our readers would like a mop sequel. So here it is. I love my mop, and I am so happy to have it. I just love its long stinky hairs, that clean my floors so good. We track in so much dirt and sand into our house, so I really get a thrill out of using my broom and mop. It has become alittle bit of a Saturday morning ritual to sweep and mop our floors. That about wraps up the life of my beloved mop.

Indian Tacos

As promised by Greg, here is the picture of the Indian taco. I was quite jealous of his taco eating experience, since I lOVE tacos. However he was very nice and made me one, that I shared with Amanda. We loved them. Like Greg, I think I like Indian tacos more then regular ones.

Gone Fishing

For those of you following along at home, September 17 was our first snowfall. At mid-morning with another day of heavy rain, it quickly turned into snow. Since the ground had yet to freeze, no snow accumulated, but it was still exciting all the same. Everyone was pretty nonchalant about it, since this is normal to them. Claire and I were amazed and quickly told them that at home we wouldn't have snow for quite some time still.

Every Friday afternoon, one grade spends time in a cultural program. Last week, Claire and the grade 9s made bead bracelets. This week it was my turn with the grade 8s. We went to the rapids/dam and spent an hour and a half fishing. I kept thinking to myself that this has to be one of the greatest experiences in my lifetime. Taking an afternoon to fish, while still considered part of the curriculum. While at fishing, the snow continued as we survived a small, quick blizzard. The weather then turned again, as hail replaced the snow. All the while the students continued to have fun.

Unfortunately I didn't catch a fish, as I had to supervise the students. I had spent the longest time at one spot casting in all directions. After half an hour I moved along the shore. Vicky's (the Native Language teacher) husband came along to help. After I moved, he took my spot and caught a walleye on his next cast. Altogether there were around 5 fish caught, a mixture of walleye and pickerel.

This is a picture of the grade 8 class. As you might notice, most of them are soaked from head to toe.

A picture of the spot where I spent the most time fishing.

Another interesting observation was the thickness of the bush. Trees are no large than 5 inches in diameter and have very small branches. This allows for many trees to grow in the same area, which creates a thick bush. You cannot walk through the woods by making your own trail. As well, the ground is covered in moss.

This is the rapids where we fished. It creates quite the current.

This is a view standing beside the rapids.

Standing beside the rapids.

After fishing we went back to the school and played games with the students. I played one student battleship, but lost miserably. Then we had Indian tacos. The students had been assigned different food items to bring. A picture of the taco will be uploaded soon, but I will describe its uniqueness now. Instead of shells or tortillas, they use deep fried bannock. On top, they put their meat, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. They then use a knife and fork to eat the taco. I sliced my bannock into two pieces and ate the taco like a hamburger. I will admit that this had to be the best taco that I have ever eaten. It was more filling and the bannock was excellent (it was homemade by supposedly the best bannock maker in all of Deer Lake).

On Thursday night we had our first fundraising event, a flea market. It was quite unique as it only lasted for only 20-30 minutes. People seemed to come altogether and then came at us like a school of piranhas. In less than half an hour we had sold just shy of $250. Pretty good considering almost every item was $1.

At the same time of the flea market, Mission Air was selling their goods. It is company that is owned by a man who used to run a flight service for the north. He now flies into reserves on pay days on sells meat and other grocery items. One interesting item was Big Macs from McDonalds. They were selling for $10/burger and were going fast. Since we were running the flea market we stayed at the school until the end. We found out that as the time goes on, the prices drop for certain items. The man is quite nice and friendly and understands the troubles that come with living in the north (freshness of food and things like that). We eventually bought 4 packages of bacon for $15 (they were selling for $10/package). They are less than a pound each, but were fresh from the butchers that morning. Afterwards, we bought a package of chicken burgers and a ham roast for $15, but I gave him a $20 because I felt bad for abusing his generosity. I told him that he had been nice to us (selling the bacon, burgers and ham for much cheaper) and I wanted to thank him. In turn, he told us to fax him an order for next pay day. He will bring vegetables/fruit/fresh milk and eggs for us. It will be around the same price as the Northern Store, but will be fresh. For example, the milk at the store expires in less than a week, so you can't expect it to last for a while.