Week Four... We Want More!
Week 4 started off with the long weekend - we used this time to relax, get outside, learn more about the culture and spend time with our new friends of the Salluit community. We decided to stay active and take some of our little neighbours for a hike. Little did we know these kiddos would be our tour guides and lead us to a whole new (and higher!) part of the mountain - the view was magical! We were also so excited to start a new project - making pualuks (mittens). We were lucky to have Cindy accompany us to the store to buy our materials: a warm inside material, outside seal skin and a rabbit fur trim. Throughout the week we've been supported and taught by so many amazing teachers. Their patience is greatly appreciated (and needed) as it is both of our first times sewing. S/O to Cindy, Janie and Louisa. Our weekend was also filled with more friends and lots more food. From banana pancakes (@ Jack Johnson) for breakfast with our friends Thomas and David to a delicious potluck dinner with numerous teachers from both Pigurivik and Ikusik. We loved sharing food, laughs, stories and a celebration of the end of another school year with so many amazing individuals.
This week we discussed a diverse array of topics with our students. At Pigurivik, we mainly focused on healthy sleeping habits with our younger students. Together we brainstormed ideas on how to create a nighttime routine that is conducive to a good night sleep - these kiddos need sleep to grow, play and learn! Fun fact: dolphins sleep with half their brain at a time and cows sleep standing up! We also love helping out with breakfast in the mornings at Pigurivik. These kids are learning the importance of fuelling their brains and even cleaning their own dishes!
At Ikusik we taught a variety of lessons on smoking, substances, goal setting and healthy relationships/consent. We were so impressed by the questions/discussions that came about from our smoking lessons. We love seeing our students reflect on relevant aspects of their health and wellbeing. When discussing healthy relationships it was so encouraging to see students highlighting the importance of a healthy relationship and that they all deserve one that is safe and happy.
At the Boys Rehab, we had a fun week talking about smoking and goal setting. We had a hoot joining in on the boys' morning workout at the gym and showing them how simple and nutritious a post-workout smoothie can be. We even got some of the boys hooked on checking the percentage of vitamins in their everyday food.
On Tuesday, we served our Ikusik crew a healthy and yummy after school snack (more smoothies!!). Snack was followed by several rounds of a new fan favourite - scattergories! Wednesday evening was ftb (FOR THE BOYS)... literally. We hosted a boys only (minus us lol) make-your-own pizza night. The boys were so excited to personalize their pizzas and eagerly watch them cook. It was such a success ("This was SO fun... what's next week?") and we ended the night with a competitive tournament of Tic Tac Toe (who knew this game could get competitive). Thursday was also eventful as we unexpectedly attended a wedding with Paul and his students. We love taking part in community events.
In our free time we've been working hard on our pualuks and listening to our new fav artist - Salluit's own, Elisapie. Our fav song is "Arnaq" - check it out on Youtube (it is filmed in Salluit and has so many cool shots of the community!!).
Tomorrow is graduation!! We are ecstatic to take part is this special community event. The teachers have been working so hard to make this a truly special day for the class of ALL GIRL GRADUATES (#girlpower). The graduating class has been working even harder to achieve this - the Salluit community and beyond are so so proud of you. We were voluntold to join the kitchen team in preparing a FEAST for 130 people. We will be eating good tomorrow... lasagna, ham, turkey, salad, fruit, cupcakes, you name it. We're looking forward to seeing the whole community come together to celebrate the graduates.
We're now approaching our last week of initiative and lately we have been reflecting on our time in Salluit. We are so grateful to have been welcomed into such a unique and special community. We have seriously made lifetime friends and memories. As we reflect, we have recognized how much we have learned from students, teachers, community members and more during our time in Salluit thus far.
Your Sal Pals (Kate & Kathryn)