So the Moniques are home, back from a fun and interesting trip to Ouje-Bougoumou! It was a bit of a whirlwind, considering we went there and back in about 36 hours (we flew there on a 16-seater beachcraft), but we managed to get everything done. We worked with Kyla Nadeau's Grade Six students at Waapihtiiwewan School. Kyla, thanks for doing such a great job of getting things organized! And because the weather was so darned cold, we were all inspired to focus our work on a new topic: we're calling it "Minus 40 Degrees Celsius -- and Dropping!" The students are going to write about how their lives are affected by the cold, and Monique D helped them shoot photographs that tell the story of the cold in pictures. And though we two Moniques were not planning to do any other work, we found ourselves inspired, and so we are doing a story for The Gazette about what it's like on a really cold day in Ouje-Bougoumou. Yesterday, it was minus 35 degrees Celsius when we got up, but it was minus 50 with the wind chill factor. Now that's COLD!!
The students were fun, the people we met were welcoming and kind, and we ate delicious bannock, rabbit stew and caribou soup! And though it's awfully cold today in Montreal, well, it's balmy compared to where we were. Keep warm, have fun (if like me, you're still off from school for a few more days)... look for my story with Monique D's pictures -- it should be in the Gazette over the weekend. I'll try to post the link. (I just uploaded a pic of me in Ouje-Bougoumou, of course it's taken by my favourite photographer, Monique Dykstra!)