Today is the official start day for Karmy and me. It is safe to say that both Karmy and I were a little nervous but mostly excited to start. Since May 18 and over the long weekend, Karmy and I have had the opportunity to relax and get comfortable with our surroundings. During that time, we went on many walks around the community, watched the Oilers Vs. Flames hockey game, and ate a lot of food. This time was also spent getting ready mentally for what was to come this summer.
This morning, we went over to the administrative office to meet with the members of the council including chief Gary Kipling. During this meet and greet, we talked about what we are studying in university and how we can use our knowledge for the community this summer. After this, Karmy and I went back to the fire hall to start planning some programs for both the youth and the community, including a program called Jay's Care. This is a program that was first introduced to the community last summer and is an opportunity for Indigenous youth to learn how to play baseball. While I do not know a lot about the sport, I will be researching a lot about it so that I won't "strike out" when leading the program for the youth. Hopefully, I'll learn enough to "cover all the bases." Otherwise, if I don't even try, I'll just be "batting a thousand" and will be begging for a "designated hitter" to take my place. But, with the right amount of study and my usual enthusiasm, I should be able to "hit it out of the park."
After some time spent on planning, Karmy and I went over to the health center to help a community member with sorting garden seeds but ended up eating lunch first. This lunch was provided by someone in the community. I had baked ham, scalloped potatoes, pasta salad, and a kale salad (it was very filling!) While eating lunch, we got to listen to whatvwas happening as well as talk with some members of the community about what they do and how long they have been living here. After eating lunch, we helped sort seeds such as beets, cucumbers, carrots, peas, etc. These seeds will eventually be passed out to those in both Child Lake and Boyer. Once everything that needed to be done was accomplished, Karmy and I returned back to the fire hall, talking about what we had learned today and continued planning events for the summer.
Pictures of one of our walks and of some of the things that are provided for the Jays Care program.
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