A Grim Day

Wednesday, Octber 22, 2014 was a difficult day for so many Canadians. If any of you do not know, Ottawa was the home of an, Unfortunatly, deadly shooting. Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was killed by the shooter when he was on honourary guard duty at the National War Memorial. Rest in peace and God bless his family and his young son. The shooting in parliament was a shock to all Canadians but I am very thankful that more people did not die and that the shooter was shot before it was too late. Our Prime Minister is safe, thank goodness, and all our MP's. I thank God for the safety he allowed and that there weren't more deaths than there was. My prayers go our to anyone affected by this tragedy.

Cruisin'

I did something awesome: I got my drivers license! I first took my test in July and failed due to parallel parking (Which apparently some Americans don't have to do. Lucky people.) Livings in Churchill certainly has its downfalls, and waiting two months for the driver tester to come to town again is one of them. I used that time to practice my parallel parking, which I can proudly say I am pretty good at now. Passing the test was an amazing accomplishment: mainly I can drive around in the winter time instead of walking or skidooing in the cold. I am not partial to freezing while I am going to the post office to pick up the mail. But My driving test did teach me a few things: What my drivers test taught me 1. Practice driving and parralel parking before you take the test. 2. Avoid female driver tester people at all costs. 3. Have your vehicle regristration in the vehicle. Or at least know where it is. 4. Remember where your learners permit is so you do not have to drive down to your local Autopac to pay ten dollars for a new one five minutes after your supposed to be at your test. 5. RELAX. Do it. Just relax. You'll be ok.

A Dog or Two

The last two nights I slep out at the dog yard. What is the dog yard, you may ask? Well I'm going to tell you. It is a yard full of dogs. Not just any dogs, of course: Husky crosses. Shepherd, Border Collie, Greyhound -- all these and more are the breeds of dogs that are crossed with Husky's to make ultimate sled dogs. I am a dog-handler at the dog yard and the people who own it do dog sled rides for a living. We sleep out there at night during the winter to keep the wolves away. Polar bears are really not a huge deal because the dog yard is tucked into the Boreal Forest, and they tend to hang out near the coast line. There has been a few bears over the years, but not enough to pose a problem. The real problem are the wolves who can't resist a easy meal: Husky on a chain ala mode. But one thing about Wolves is that they hate humans. They will do anything to avoid them. We keep a humans presence at the dog yard every night in the winter so the wolves don't show up. Other things we do when we can't be out there is tie pots to a tree so they make noise in the wind, put up a scarecrow that looks like our musher, or pour human urine around the perimeter of the property. Gross, mabey, but effective. Wolves, though, are quite smart so we have to constantly change our tactics. When I sleep out there I luke to keep a dog with me in the cabin. The one I usually choose is Sony, a husky that has Arctic Wolf somewhere in his bloodline. He is Snow White and had long legs that make me jealous. So that's been my weekend and I'm looking forwards to spending more time out there this week.

A Canadian Experience

With this blog, I hope to give you something: A Canadian Experience. The majority of people have major misconceptions about Canada. With that being said, a lot of what you hear about is actually is true. For example some Canadians really do say "eh" in every single sentence. Some don't, of course, but some do. Also, Canadians love hockey. Not all Canadians, but a lot of us do. But it's important for you to note that I'm not a typical Canadian. Approximately 86% of Canadians live in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia; I am not one of them. An even bigger percentage live in the southern half of the country within only a few hours of the U.S. Border. I am not on of them either. I live about half way into the country where the Boreal Forest meets the Tundra. We call this the North and it's an amazing experience. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. So many people can't handle living in the north because of all the hardships that you have to overcome and the many trials you have to learn to live with, but that's how I thrive. My community is named Churchill. Churchill is tucked onto a little peninsula on the coast of he Hudson Bay. If you travel a couple hours north you'll arrive at the nunuvut border and 2000 kilometers (1240 miles for you Americans) south of us is Manitoba's capital city, Winnipeg. Winnipeg is a measly hour from the United States border. Churchill is only is existence because of nature. Every years thousands of people flock from all over the globe to come see our wildlife. We are home to Hundreds of polar bears from June to November as they wait for the Hudson Bay to freeze so they can go out and hunt for seals. Also, during July, August, and occasionally September we live among thousands of Beluga Whales. Many other animals and experiences bring in the tourists including fox's, snowy owls, many other birds, and dogsledding. The hottest month of the year for us is typically July, when our average high is 18 degrees. The coldest month is January; our average high is -22 degrees. Celsius of course. The winter temperatures of September, October, November, December, January, and February feel much colder, though. It is not unusual to get 50 or 60 kilometer an hour winds which automatically brings the temperature down about ten degrees. A few times last year the wind reached 90 kilometer an hour. It's not the dull cold that some of you might be used to, either. It's a biting, caustic cold. No one understands the meaning of the term "sharp cold" until they experience it; but the cold in Churchill truly is a sharp cold. I hope this gives you an idea of my life in Northern Canada and wets your appetite for what is to come. Welcome to A Canadian Experience.