So now I will need to back track a bit so I can tell you
about my arrival in Sandy Lake. Now I have flown Wasaya Airlines before so
there was nothing new in that experience, except instead of the small flying
cigar tubes I was on the Dash 8, which has two rows of seats each side, so that
was different, but the numerous take offs and landing in and out of remote
communities was the same. This flight however, was not even sure that we would
be landing in Sandy Lake. Apparently there had been constant rain in the
community over the past week and the ceiling was very low.
Yet off we went from Sioux Lookout Ontario heading as far
North West as you can in the Province of Ontario. We had to by-pass Deer Lake
as the pilots could not land. Fortunately there was a break in the clouds and
Sandy Lake was a go.
We landed and as I stepped from the plane a man called my
name “Are you Carroll M?” he asked as he was helping the pilots unload the cargo
hold of the plane. “yes” I said and he told me he was Marty Jourdain and he’d
be taking me to my residence.
So after the security check ( such as they are in the north)
we loaded up my stuff and heading to the house. Now I have been in some pretty
bad places, ramshackled shacks at best, but I was surprised as Marty pulled up
in front of #23 and it was a 4 bedroom bi level house. My roommate Katie opene
the door and greeted me, and I told her I’d be back as Marty was going to give
me a quick tour of the community….okay I thought it would be quick.
As some may recall Webequie is an island community and you
can walk from the west side to the east side in 10 minutes, and then from the
North to the South in about an hour, so I assumed that Sandy lake was also an
island…..
It’s a big island, and thankfully Marty only showed me the
areas Known as Center/Airport (where I reside) and Riverdale where the school
is located. It took a lot longer than it should have as they had been attempting to
work on the roads, they had dug the mud from the ditches and put it on the road
and then of course it rain for a week straight…so it was muddy and rutted and a
terrible mess.
Now when you are in a place like Thunder Bay where you are used
to the sidewalks and paved roads, you forget how muddy these communities can
get. The mud is the same at every reserve it’s a sticky gooey clay substance.
As many of the locals will tell you they have 4 seasons, Summer, Mud, Winter
and yes Mud. Sandy Lake is indeed muddy,
but it isn’t muddy they the wind blows about this dry dust walking along the road
is hazardous to your breathing when everything dries out.
So here it was the last week of August and I discovered that
in Sandy it rains every day. Not for long most days it’s bright and sunny, the
clouds will come in it will rain for 10 minute and then the sun returns. Now don’t
think I am complaining about this, I prefer a bit of rain to keep the dust
down, so that was all good.
The following morning Katie and I headed to the High School
for the orientation planned by the Board and I soon found the people to be very
nice, and interested. As I was sitting in the main hall I noticed a local woman
who seemed very familiar to me. She was looking at me with this sense of
recognition as well. It was after a few minutes that I had realized she had
been one of the students I worked with at Lakehead University back in 2004…wow
after 10 years she hardly changed. I was very glad I had chosen to come here
and as the day progressed and more and more of the community members talked
with me I noticed how genuinely glad they were to have me there.
Yes I thought that before and was sad when I learned how the
presence of outsiders was merely tolerated in the other places, and in my last
posting not tolerated very well. But as I am writing this at the half way point
in the school year, I can say that we have been so lucky to come here to Sandy
Lake. The generous nature of these people is wonderful and makes this a great
place to be.
One lady had come her to open a store and was only planning
on being here a few months at the most, that was about 10 ago (somewhere in
that ball park). She owned a place called the Adowgamick which my students tell
me means “Store”. They have a restaurant, and a small convenience store , with
movie rentals and gift ware. As I said it’s a big place.
No comments:
Post a Comment