Time Really Does Fly When Having Fun

The month of July has felt like it was the busiest month since the start of this amazing internship. To start off the month, Karmy and I were invited to go to a three day event called the Saint Bernadette Annual Pilgrimage. The first thing that Karmy and I experienced was a Catholic Mass. To be completely honest, even though I am an Anglican (kind of like a Catholic, just a little bit different and also a part of the Christian faith) I had a hard time following along. There were also a ton of other services throughout the entire weekend as well. I felt honored that I was able to attend this event as it is something that not a lot of people can say that they experienced. To end off the amazing experience, there was a community dinner and a tea dance.

The days following the pilgrimage was when my days began to get busy. The summer youth workers started their work and I went along with the person in charge of the summer youth, Dominique, to help out in any way I could. The first week with the youth workers was orientation week. So, a lot of paperwork was done as well as a lot of activities to get the youth comfortable with their new job. It was also during this week that I got to experience saskatoon berry picking!

This was an amazing experience and it taught me that while my work days were getting longer, it is always nice to take some time to stop and learn a little bit of culture and enjoy the nature that surrounds me. I learnt a lot about the culture behind berry picking and found it to be relaxing (something that is needed from time to time). The berry’s that were picked were later washed and were left for anyone to eat or use to make desserts.

The following week, I got to experience my first Indigenous youth camp. Myself along with Dominique, the male chaperone and four youth traveled down to Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation (near Grand Prairie). We left on a Sunday, just a little bit after 5 PM and did not arrive at the destination until 1 AM. The drive was supposed to take only 5 and a half hours but after taking many stops, we finally got to our destination 8 hours later.

Upon getting to the camp, we spent the next hour setting up our tents in the dark. The original travel day was supposed to be on Monday but we left a day early due to a misunderstanding. We thought that we had to be early because Dominique was supposed to meet the other facilitators at 7 AM on the Monday. It turned out that it was 7 PM instead of 7 AM. This turned out to be a great thing because we got to choose the best spot. We set up right next to the forest which gave us a block from the wind. It turned out to be a very windy week. Everyone else's tents had a hard time standing due to the wind, but we did not have that same problem.

I was a chaperone which basically meant that I was to make sure that the youth behaved and that they went to where they were supposed to be during the day. Other than that, I spent the rest of my time hanging out with the male chaperone and relaxing as best as I could. It has been a very long time since I have camped, so I guess you can say that there was a lot of trial and error (I was cold some nights and too hot others).

I experienced a lot of cool things and saw some awesome things. I got to see a hypnotist for the first time and experienced my first light vigil (a ceremony that helps the youth to remember those who they have lost and to find peace). This was truly beautiful. To end off an amazing week, there were fireworks and an amazing campfire where we told scary stories (did not help me sleep at all!)

After getting back from the week-long camping trip, I spent the weekend catching up on sleep, telling Karmy everything that I had experienced and doing some laundry. While some may say that the weekend sounded boring, it was exactly what I needed as I am not used to camping for a week at a time. Knowing that the week ahead was also going to be rather busy, it was imperative that I spent some time during the weekend doing some self care, which included doing a puzzle. I find that doing puzzles help me to relax and to help me get out of my head for a little while. To end off the month, I did a lot of activities that included taking some youth to Machesis lake to swim and have a campfire as well as going to Caribou Mountain (a fast food place connected with a gas station) to get some amazing food. They even have a bison bannock burger which I want to get next time.

*Machesis Lake * The Puzzle Completed *A Burger From CM

As I sit here writing this blog, August is fast approaching with only 4 weeks to go until it is time to head home. It is really a bittersweet feeling knowing that my time with Beaver First Nation is almost done. While I am excited to see my family and friends again, I am really looking forward to the month of August as it is filled to the brim with a lot of youth activities and many more experiences. You can never have enough activities! This month has been an amazing experience and I feel as though the time remaining can only get better.

* Some amazing food that I have also have had the privilege to eat and the wonderful contrast between the growing canola fields and the dark clouds of a incoming storm. The food includes a tasty pancake breakfast and my first time having an Indian Taco (also known as bannock tacos!)