WEEK 1 IN WEB: lots of fun!
Since our arrival in Webequie and we've had so many wonderful experiences!!
Upon our arrival on Monday afternoon, we walked over to the school -SJMEC- where we received a warm welcome from the students and the staff. We learned that this time of the year is the goose hunting season and as many older students go out camping to hunt this week, the higher grade classes have taken a more informal structure. Additionally, we arrived just in time to the second half of Cultural Week (it's really two weeks!) and many of the younger students are learning about their culture and gaining knowledge about traditional skills from the Webequie community members. We saw this as a great opportunity to focus on getting to know the younger students of SJMEC, the community members, and also get a first-hand experience of the culture.
We spent many afternoons this week going over to the tipi behind the school with the Grade 1, 2 & 3 classes to learn about how Goose is prepped and cooked, and how Bannock is made. We were so proud of the students because they loved to share their knowledge on traditional foods and tried everything. It was a great experience for us getting to see the kids passionate about food and their culture. We even tried Bannock for the first time - which we loved!
During our time off, we looked for new opportunities to engage in the community and become more familiar with our surroundings! On Wednesday night we went to the Sewing club at the school where we began making our very own pair of gloves from Deer Hide! Our sewing teacher Madeline was very patient with us and we're so excited to continue attending this club to work on our gloves and also make new connections with community members! We've also managed to make some four-legged friends during our time off as we take long walks around the island and explore!
Each evening we're amazed by how late the sun sets and we've been fortunate enough to witness the most spectacular sunsets so far! We are really looking forward to this upcoming week where we'll be starting our lessons on friendships & emotions! We look forward to making many more wonderful friends to all the extraordinary experiences yet to come!
- Nat & Gabi <3
