Greetings from Yellowknife!

Greetings From Yellowknife, Northwest Territories!

The Wilson children during our journey to Yellowknife.

I know - long time no blog.  I have been pretty overwhelmed lately, what with a new community, a new house, a new job/school, and helping the family settle in, too.  I have made the mistake of sitting down one too many times, because the next thing I know, Greg is waking me up asking me to come upstairs to bed and I've been asleep for 4 hours already! So much for blogging! I have fallen asleep at the computer working on lesson plans, on the toilet (that one's embarrassing), mid-folding of laundry, and in all kinds of unusual and bizarre places over the last few months.

The good ol' grain elevator,
a familiar sight to those
who watch(ed) the show
and for the prairie
provinces in general.

When last I left you, I had announced that we were leaving for Yellowknife.  Well, we made it!  We drove cross-country again, but this time we were allowed to drive through the USA, so we took full advantage of the cheaper gas and hotel rooms and we saw a lot of incredible sights along the way.  Once we crossed back into Canada we drove through the little town in Saskatchewan that is now known as Dog River, where Corner Gas was filmed.  That was pretty amazing!

We told the kids that Yellowknife is a town of 19,000 people and that there is pretty well anything you could need here.  The kids nodded their heads but as we approached our destination, the questions started flowing.....

"You said it has a McDonald's right?".  

"Yes."

"You said there are paved roads, right?".

Corner Gas - used to take the exterior
shots.  The interior of the store
was filmed elsewhere.

"Yes."

"I am going to be in a regular sized class at school, right?".

"Yes.  Probably around 20-25 students.".

"Is there a Walmart?".

"Yes.  We live close to it.  We told you that, remember?"

"Oh yeah.  Right.".

The kids really needed a lot of gentle reassurance that just because we were driving back to the Northwest Territories, it didn't mean that we were headed back to a remote area again.  I pointed out how beautiful the airport was when we went through there last Christmas, and all three kids nodded their heads tensely.  It was a heartbreaking watching the kids go through this during our last day's drive from Hay River to Yellowknife.  Hay River was rather, um..... lacking in amenities and that freaked both them, and I admit, myself out a bit.  What had we gotten ourselves into?  It would be okay, right?

"Yes.  Breathe.".

The inside of the Legislative
Building in Yellowknife, where
the Territorial Gov't sits. Greg
took the kids on a tour while
I was at a PD Day.

When we arrived in Yellowknife, we were pleasantly surprised. There are car dealerships, there is an enormous Home Hardware complete with lumber yard.  There are all kinds of big box stores like Canadian Tire, Staples, Marks' Work Wearhouse, and Walmart.  There are fast food restaurants like McDonalds and Subway.  There is one Tim Horton's (which always has a line-up going out the door for counter service, and across a parking lot in the drive-through).  If you want a coffee from Tim Horton's in Yellowknife you had best get there before 6am or you will be waiting in line forever!  Apparently, there are no plans to add another Timmy's to Yellowknife, although it would definitely be a successful business venture.  Downtown has several local shops, as well as a Shopper's Drug Mart, A&W, and banks, and, of course, the government buildings which house all the Territorial ministries.  There are a few hockey arenas and an indoor pool, where Charlotte's class went last week for the Red Cross Swim to Survive Program, and even though it is across town from the school, they walked there in about half an hour.

The thing about Yellowknife is that although it is a town of almost 20,000, you can get anywhere you need to go in about 5 minutes, 10 tops.  This is lovely.  There is a minor rush hour around 8am but we have learned the short cuts which help us avoid the traffic, and help us to arrive at school in about 7 minutes, even though we live across town.

We live in a townhouse we are renting from a couple who are finishing their final year in education in Inuvik before retiring.  They bought this place in the summer and wanted a family to keep the place warm while they were in the North, and that family would be us.  You heard me talk a lot about Inuvik last year as the hub for all the outpost communities, and the end of the road for those who brave the Dempster Highway.  We were known to the couple whose house we are renting and they are next door neighbours and colleagues to a dear friend of ours whom we met in Tuk and who is teaching in Inuvik this year.  It's a small world!!  

All our worldly belongings fit easily
in the living room.

The house itself is on the smallish side compared to what we rented last year but we are happy here. There are three bedrooms, and Charlotte is thrilled to bits with her new snug room, which she has blissfully made her own, posting all her artwork and posters as well as her Anna and Elsa wall stickers.  She was reunited with most of her Barbie collection, having only brought a small bag of dolls and furniture with her to Ontario for four months.  She has already spent many happy hours playing Barbies with friends in her room, which is something she sorely missed last year - neighbourhood friends who have the same interests. 

The boys did not fit into the remaining bedroom - but that was not a problem.  There is an open space upstairs which is large, and is supposed to be a sitting room/family room where all the upstairs bedrooms/bathroom empty out, and there was already a giant curtain rod and curtains installed across the room, sealing it off from the rest of the upstairs, creating a large bedroom and a hallway.  The boys love this, and have called their hideaway Private's Cove, and they are snug and happy, still preferring each others' company in sharing a bedroom rather than being on their own.  We are in the process of turning the rejected bedroom into an office.    

With Greg in charge of the kids on the first day of school,
this was the closest thing I got to a 'first day of school'
photo for anybody.  Sigh. Welcome to Weledeh!

Since we moved to Yellowknife because of my new job, I figure you want to hear about Weledeh (pronounced Well-a-day) Catholic School, WCS for short.  Weledeh is a school of about 200 students and it is modern and progressive.  It is a warm and inviting place where the students are treated with a great deal of respect, which is the main word used throughout the school.  Everybody is respectful to each other, and we are amazed at how blessed we are to be part of the Weledeh Family.   I believe I mentioned that the school was overcrowded, and since it is connected to the high school, the Grade 8s were moved over to the high school, which eased the overcrowding issue and actually allowed the staff and services offered in the school some wiggle room.  This means that instead of living off a cart and running from homeroom to homeroom to teach French, my teaching partner and I have our own classroom, which is wonderful! When other French teacher friends hear that I have my own classroom, they are jealous because the 'à la carte' method is becoming the norm for French teachers these days.  I am teaching Grades 4 through 7 Core French from 8:20am to 12:20 pm, and then she teaches Grades 1-3 in the afternoons.

With this shifting of the Grade 8s over to ESPHS (École St. Patrick's High School), this means James has entered high school!  He operates on a two-day rotational schedule.  He is taking French again, which he found is more or less like riding a bicycle. Once you are forced to get back on the seat again, with a bit of practice balancing and holding on, you can be a pro all over again.  He is also taking a Robotics class which he really likes, too, along with your typical subjects.  His interim report card from yesterday shows that he is moving along smoothly in his courses, and both James and Greg and I are pleased with this.  He is slow to make friends, but he has started playing cards at lunchtime with a small group and he is happy about it.  James and Patrick have always had each other, so when they arrive home, they hang out together.

Patrick has opted to join a unique program offered by Weledeh, and that is late entry French Immersion, which is an option for students in Grade 7.  All his subjects, except Religion class, are taught in French, and he is learning a lot.  He, too, is slowly making friends, but the spark is back in his eye.  No bullying or turtling - just our happy boy who loves school and life.  The heavy weight of being 'different' is gone.  Weledeh has kids from all walks of life and everybody is loving and accepting of everybody.  Patrick admits that it hasn't been easy settling back into a formal school environment after months and months of homeschooling, but he enjoys it.

As for Charlotte, she is happy to have friends both at school and in the neighbourhood.  There is always drama no matter where you go, and with girls her age, this is not surprising.  She has joined a community choir and they are gearing up for a Remembrance Day performance.  She has also joined the Fiddle Club at school, where she is learning to play and is super excited about it.

The casting call for the play
Greg is in.  The play is
called 'Wait Until Dark'.

Greg began the year with lots of time on his hands, so he started volunteering his time with a political party in Yellowknife to help support them through the upcoming federal election.  He also auditioned for and got a medium-sized role in a play a local theatre troupe is performing at the end of November.  There was a bit of a hiccup in getting Greg applied to and available for substitute teaching, and in the meantime he has leaned on skills/experience he gained in his university days, and is working at Boston Pizza as a server.  He is still working there even now that he has regular hours as a substitute teacher.  Since my job as a first year teacher is only 0.67, we can use the extra money.   There is a full-time contract position for which Greg has applied at a middle school in the public board, known as YK1 - Yellowknife District One.  The best part about this is that he is currently substitute teaching in this position, and both the staff and students are cheering for him to get the job because is well-liked on both sides.  We are keeping our fingers crossed!

As for me, well, let's just say that my learning curve is high.  Even though I am finished every day at 12:20am, I stay at school and plan for the next day, as well as work on all the never-ending reports and organizational tasks and assessments that seem to follow teachers everywhere they go. I have spent a good deal of time feeling overwhelmed and on survival mode, but, thanks to a lot of people, I am making my way through my first of year of teaching one day at a time.  It is incredibly rewarding and I love my job.  I am also really glad that it is not full time!  By the time lunchtime rolls around, most days I am exhausted.  I put a lot of energy into my teaching and it drains me, some days right down to nothing, and when I arrive at home I am running on fumes.  This was noticed by Administration - and I have been instructed to back off a bit and try to find my work/life balance - not exactly an easy thing considering how much more there is to teaching than simply preparing and delivering lesson plans, but it is something I am working on.  Besides, sleep is over rated.  Too bad it is essential to human survival.  Bummer.

I still have loads more to say, but this will do for now.  I will no doubt type again tomorrow or Monday because we have much to be thankful for, this year far more than ever, and I would like to share that with you, but my fingertips are worn down to nubbins and need to get to bed to rest with the remainder of me.

We are happy and healthy and hanging in there.

Good night from Yellowknife.