Welcome to Fort Providence!!!
Hello family, friends and interested readers - we welcome you to join us at the beginning of our adventure. Our journey began Saturday at 4:30am- it was quite the early morning at Pearson International Airport. After saying goodbye to our families, we went to go check our "slightly" heavy bags. The suitcase that was filled with our fun teaching supplies barely made it on at a whopping 49.6lbs (please note: the limit was 50lbs).
After landing in Yellowknife, we headed to our B&B for the evening : The Dancing Moose Café. We settled in and then decided to venture into town. First, we went to Pilot's Point, a great lookout spot that overlooks all of Yellowknife. Next, we explored the downtown area, went to a little café and took in our new surroundings.
The next morning our ride came to pick us up ! OH the surprise Shanna had when she realized
there was no way 4 suitcases, 2 dogs, 3 humans, PLUS groceries would all fit into her car. After playing a bit of tetris we managed to get on the road. The drive to Fort Providence is 315km and approximately 4 hours from Yellowknife. We really enjoyed the scenic drive, talking to Shanna (a teacher at Deh Gah Elementary & Secondary School), and sitting real cozy with two fluffy golden retrievers.
We have now been in Fort Providence for a little over 24 hours - HOW EXCITING! Here is a little description for you: The community is situated along the beautiful Mackenzie River, which is still covered mostly by ice. We have been told that when the ice breaks, it is a very special event and everyone goes to watch. We can't wait for that to happen!
We are staying in the home of a local flight attendant who is generously having us stay while he is away (Thank you Albert!).
Today, we ventured to the school and met all of the teachers and other faculty in a staff meeting. Lois, the principal, and Jim, the VP, took the time to sit down with us and get us oriented to the school community and give us some more information on Fort Providence. The school counsellor, Margaret, also took us on a tour of the community which was extremely helpful. This afternoon, Shanna invited us to help out with one of her grade 6 workshops. It was a small group, and it was fun being getting to know some students and beginning to work with them. We did some icebreakers and other fun crafty activities - including clay!
In the next few days, we will be intereviewing and talking informally to community members and workers on the relevant health issues we should focus on while teaching. Everyone has been so welcoming and kind, so we are looking forward to our time here in the school and community itself. Tonight, we plan on compiling our notes from meetings today, making our question box, planning our introductory lesson and working out - PROV STYLE.
Looking forward to sharing the rest of our week with you!
xoxo
your favorite girls,
M & E in Fort P.
