Guns!

The lady I am housesitting for is coming back tomorrow, so this post will have to be short because I have yet to clean up. I would have done so already, but there was this puzzle that I was working on...

This morning, we had a morning wake-up call that was better than a cup of coffee...an entire class of kindergarteners! Brendan showed them some artifacts, and they enjoyed "shooting" him with a bow and arrow as he donned a caribou skin. It is interesting to see the differences in culture between here and back home as it relates to education. For example, when Renee asked the kids about what they used to go hunting, they all said, "guns!" Back home, the only time our teacher mentioned guns was to tell us to stay away from them. However, gun crimes are unheard of here. Guns are used for hunting, plain and simple. They are not something to be feared, because people are familiar with how to use them and keep them kid-safe.

The experience with the kindergarteners was very cute. However, after a while, it got closer to recess time and the kids became increasingly rowdy. This experience confirmed that I would never be able to be a kingergarten teacher without a continuous supply of caffeine.

Brendan reads "The Cat in the Hat" to a pre-school class that dropped by in the afternoon

I e-mailed the Hamlet Lands Director to see if she could meet with some of the environmental students to talk about a location for the recycling drop-off site, and she agreed to meet with us. Unfortunately, she said the hamlet does not have any sea cans available for our project. She did suggest, however, a few local companies that may be willing to loan us one of their extra sea cans.

Pia and Cameron pose with the Hamlet Lands Director

After almost a month and a half, I really feel like a part of this community. When I walk down the street, I always see someone I know. When I go to the co-op, I know my cashier by name. As I walk by the Youth Centre's basketball court, there's always a kid that shouts my name and waves. Today, I even got invited to a birthday party (a party for two elementary schoolers, but it is still a birthday party)! I also get a daily phone call from Johnny, who always asks me what I ate for dinner and whether I played on the computer.

Though it feels nice to feel accepted, I must admit that I probably couldn't live in a town this small for a long time. Cambridge Bay has the same characteristics of small towns everywhere else, and I cannot help but feel that small towns are stifling in some ways. Certainly, in some ways they can be positive and uplifting environments, but many times small towns harbor resistence to change and "drama." It is fascinating how many similarities I have discovered between the Cheraw, SC community (from last summer's service placement) and the Cambridge Bay, Nunavut community.