Peace in Unpacking

It is amazing how light and happy I feel now having my things around me. I don't have much by way of expensive electronics, or fragile knickknacks, but the few things I had sent to me in the North make such a difference. I had almost resigned myself to another weekend without my luggage, having heard the plane leave and being told by the airport that there was nothing for me, when I heard a knock at my door. As I went to the door all I could think was "I am really not in the mood to say no to another carver tonight" but when I opened the door I was shocked to see a big delivery van at my front steps. I think I was in shock, all I could say was hi with a look of confusion on my face. The delivery guy quickly explained that he had my boxes at last, to which I jumped up and clapped my hands with glee (really I did, he must have thought I was a little nuts). With a huge grin on my face I helped him unload my boxes, not even feeling the rain that was falling on my head. With a final wave goodbye and a shower of thanks on the delivery guy I shut the door and did a little happy dance in my kitchen, giggling like a maniac the whole time. Three weeks with nothing around you that is familiar can bring you into a feeling of semi-depression or at the very least melancholy, a feeling that is quickly dispersed upon seeing familiar handwriting on boxes. After whirling around for a minute or two I fell to opening my riches: pictures of family, a few well loved posters, my kitchen goods, and best of all my fluffy warm blankets and pillows. Winter clothes, school sweaters, bath goods, an orange gorilla :), and my books. It felt like all my favourite holidays rolled into one as I discovered things I had forgotten I sent. The house I rent from the school is a nice house, better than some apartments I have lived in, but until I started unpacking it didn't feel like my home. Now I feel like I am home, I have a place that is mine to recharge and feel comfortable in. Anyone who says that you don't need to feel safe and comfortable from time to time hasn't felt as if they were living in just a house, not a home. I am happy to say I am starting to feel at home in the north:)

1st week at School

Well, it has been a whole week teaching at my new school. High school...remember high school? It hasn't changed much. The student cliques still exist. There are still those quiet students who do their best to work while others try their hardest to get a rise out of the teacher. So far my students have not been successful in getting a rise out of me, not for lack of trying. The first few weeks of school are when the students try their hardest to challenge the teacher and put on their masks, not willing yet to allow their teacher a glimpse into their heads. Time and patience it seems are the best defence and offence in trying to establish relationships with these teenagers that are now a part of my daily life. Though I had forgotten how exhausting teenage apathy can be at times. Aside from a few surprises, like that fact I found out that I was teaching Math and Bio a couple days before classes started, it has been a pretty good week. Nerve-wracking, peaceful, exciting, fun, and frustrating all at the same time.

Heading to the Great White North -Aug. 8

It has been a hectic month since returning from the road trip with the girls. First weekend back was a flurry of packing and an assembly line of wrapping/addressing boxes. At the time it seemed unreal that I would be leaving so shortly for a northern part of Quebec known as Nunavik. Flew out of Sudbury on the weekend of the 8th for Montreal and points north. Feelings: excitement, nervousness, peace, curiosity, and a tiny bit of fear. I love to fly. Doesn't matter if it is a small plane or a jumbo, it never fails to entertain. One thing that I find endlessly amusing about the Sudbury airport is that after you go through your scanners and security you still actually walk out onto the tarmac to board your plane; the airport is actually that small. Smooth flight, short and uneventful; just watching the scenery below drift by. A quick transfer in Toronto and the on towards Montreal. I met up with another teacher heading to orientation with my school board, nice to have a friendly face for the flight. During the flight I am one of those people that takes pictures from the windows of clouds and passing landscapes below. I make no apologies, I find it fascinating. Rainy as we descended into Montreal but the city light still shine to welcome travellers. After a bit of confusion trying to find luggage and the airport shuttles, my fellow teacher and I say goodnight. Hoping for a restful night before flying north tomorrow. Hotel was nice, cozy with a queen bed all for me. I found it difficult to settle down for the night despite the knowledge that I would have to be up early to catch the charter flight north, nerves and excitement making equal headway. Finally drifted off dreaming of the new school year ahead of me.

Return to Canada - July 24-26

Crossed the border this morning. Nice to be back but must remember that we are also back to kms instead of miles..hmm bit of a lead foot it seems. You never know what to expect at the border crossing; sometimes it takes forever as the guards inspect the different vehicles. But luckily today was not one of those days. Some of the cars ahead of us were being questioned very closely but when it got to our turn we just got the standard few. We had decided to stop on our way to Toronto to see our cousins, it has been a while. It was fun catching up with them but too soon we had to get on the road to TO as we have theatre tickets to see Miss Siagon. Ok, it is definitely one I have wanted to see for a long time and luckily the girls were game as well. Despite the construction that seems inevitable during summer in TO we made it to the theatre with time to spare. The show was fantastic! Such a sad, beautiful story. I loved every minute of it. Too soon the show was over and it was time to hit the road again, thankfully not a far drive. We stopped for a visit at Aunt M's, with plans to return to chinatown the next day. Back in TO the next day was full of chinatown with dim sum for lunch, visits to some essential stores (Lush & David's Tea), and a quick stop in koreatown for some kimchi to take home. I love visiting TO but cannot honestly think of having to drive in the city on a permanent basis; the drive to and from the show on saturday was enough to drive a person mad with all the detours due to construction. Spent the evening at M's weeding and then relaxing on the deck, getting ready for our final drive home tomorrow.

Headed north again at last, still construction but interesting to see how far they have gotten since we first drove south three weeks ago. We had almost perfect weather for our drive home, much like what we had when we first set out on this crazy adventure of ours. The last few kms flew by as we got nearer to home, all the familiar sights that scream Sudbury to a local. Home at last, hugs and kisses all around. Now the next adventure: the great unpacking and sorting of everything we accumulated on our trek :)

Wild Weather

Lesson learned about travelling across the USA in July: the weather is very unpredictable. We have had everything from thunderstorms to tornadoes, flooding to dry dessert heat, and even some perfect days. Sometimes we could see the weather coming while other times it was a complete surprise. The tornado weather in South Dakota was a surprise, we knew the weather was bad, we could see the lightening in the distance and luckily decided to pull off the road just in time to take shelter in a roadside rest stop. Rain and sun for Independence Day, just took a change of city. California went from gloomy cool to hot and sultry. We even brought rain with us to Arizona; think sheets of rain at the Grand Canyon and in Flagstaff. To finish the trip: multiple thunder storm crossing Michigan. As we drove towards home it got to the point we had to pull to the side of the highway because I couldn't see the road ahead of me. Don't get me wrong, I do love storms. I love watching them roll in and the lightening streaking across the sky. I do not however like to drive on the highway in them, particularly as many other drivers neglect to turn on their headlights. Oh well despite the storms that plagued us we drove for three weeks across the States, safe and sound, enjoying the sights along the way.

Nauvoo IL - July 22

We decided to stop in Nauvoo IL on our way home to see the church pageant that is put on there in the summer. R and KJ have been before but for K and I it was our first time. The weather has been getting steadily hotter and more humid the farther east we go but the scenery had made up for it. Skimming the Mississippi was a beautiful drive but getting to it was interesting due to the flooding in the area. We were rerouted twice on our way to Carthage but manages to finally find it. The area water was really high, you could see it in the rivers and the local ponds that we passed. We finally got to Carthage jail and did the tour of the jail. Such interesting history and there is a solemn feeling to the building. There were quite a few youth and family groups that we passed as we went on our tour and then headed to Nauvoo. The area around the stage in Nauvoo was surrounded with games and music to entertain as you waited for the pageant to start. I was able to dance with a few country boys, saw a log with KJ, do a little highland fling, and piece a quilt. The view of the temple is just beautiful. It sits on the bluff over looking the river, just lovely. The pageant itself was a great presentation of music, dance, and history. The cast had a lot of energy and obviously loved what they were doing. The crowd enjoyed the show under the stars and there was such a peaceful feeling to the evening. Tomorrow will be the long drive towards home. We are aiming to be in TO by saturday.

Bull busting and county fair - July 21

If you have never been to a county fair I highly recommend it. Where else will you find dubious carnival rides, animals of all kinds, a local beauty pageant, all manner of fried eatables, and a rodeo? When we planned to drive all over the USA we looked around to see if there were any state or county fairs happening along the way. We were in luck and there was going to be one in Rolla MO. The tourist info girls told us that events would be happening rain or shine and boy did they mean it. The area had gotten a heavy dousing before we arrived, making parking in the field a concern. The midway that was set up at the grounds had a good array of rides but I am always a little nervous when I see how quickly the can set up and tear down a midway. I swear that the rides set up were on the trucks the night before at a rest stop where we stopped for gas the night before. Despite this we had fun flying through the air on a couple rides and spinning around on others. While we killed time before the beauty pageant we headed into the animal padlocks. I did not realize how many different varieties of rooster there are before I saw the kids exhibits. The beauty pageant was an interesting experience. They had different sections for all ages, with the fair queen round for the over 16's. It was fun watching the little ones try their best to do the dance routines and answer the interview questions. I can't help but wonder whose idea it is to be in the pageants; the girls or the parents. Well whoever decides, they all seemed to be having a good time and the former queen had a good cry when she gave up her crown. After the pageant the sky opened up to give the fair a good soaking before the main bull riding event. You had to feel sorry for the riders because the field was so muddy by the time they got to ride the bulls, anyone who was kicked off the bull had a very wet landing. It also made things difficult for round 2 because all their gear was wet and muddy. It was such fun to watch the bull riding, I haven't seen that since I lived in Alberta and this was the first time for the girls. Once the rain had let up it cooled off a bit and the crowd got into the spirit of the event. Great seats, eye candy, good music, what more could a girls want.