A Final Morning of Calm

Composed Saturday, August 22, 2009; 7:08A.M.

It is 7am, and I just got back from using the internet behind the band office. The morning is beautiful, if a bit cool; I was wearing a scarf and light sweater, but was still chilly. Last night we stayed up late with our friend Danno, playing cards, going for a walk, and watching two movies. On our walk we saw the Northern lights, in a beautiful display. For a short time they even had a few colours and were dancing, although apparently it’s even more extravagant in the winter. Along with hanging out and just enjoying our last night, we finished up a lot of business – community books are now finished – and packed up most of the house. Today we just need to do a few final things at the school, conduct some interviews, and say our goodbyes.

This week we only had camp for two days, Thursday and Friday. Late last week a community member passed away, and so we assisted with the wake on Monday and Tuesday and funeral events Wednesday rather than running camp. This was in line with community procedures, as some other businesses and workplaces were also shut down this day, or devoted to funeral preparations. Although it could tend to be tedious work over long days of cleaning and cooking, it felt really good to be helping out in the community in another way. We had a few people mentioning how much it was appreciated, and on Thursday the family of Josh, the man who passed away, came by camp to thank us and give us each a pair of moccasins, which each member of the family put money toward buying. It was an incredible and completely unexpected gesture, and definitely made us feel that our work was recognised, despite the fact that the recognition was not necessary.

Thursday and Friday were both smaller days of camp, and we ran them in a fairly laid-back manner, sometimes allowing campers to decide between activities, and offering many prizes. Thursday night we sent campers home with a scavenger hunt and Human Bingo, both of which had many participants follow through with, and some even got their family member involved!

Now I’m back in our team kitchen, a bit cold, but running high with enthusiasm from the summer and excitement to get back to Thunder Bay, and back home. I haven’t been in Chatham-Kent since 2008, making this the longest I’ve ever been away from home. I can’t wait to see my grandparents and the highschool friends that are home. I will only be back for a week, and if this year has taught me anything, it’s that that week will fly by. Time’s been racing by, but I’ve been enjoying every moment. Since starting this blog just over a year ago I’ve lived in about eight different cities, towns, and villages, but could not decide which one has been best. There are no comparisons possible. For now I will just say that Sachigo has been an incredibly strong community, and I’ve been very impressed with how well people come together, how forward everyone was in approaching us, and how accepting they were of having us as newcomers in their community. I’ll miss Sachigo Lake, and I hope today isn’t the last I see of it.

Now I’ll finish off, while only a handful of others in Sachigo are awake, except for the crows and ravens that greeted me on my walk to the band office, and the soft sun that is just starting to burn its way to life for another day.

Wishing everyone all the best, and a wonderful end to the summer,

-V.