Day 31: An early goodbye

We just received news that due to the severity of the forest fires in northern Ontario, all remaining camps for the summer will be cancelled. This means I will be coming home as early as this Sunday.

Our team was originally scheduled to fly from Kingfisher to Webequie on Saturday for another month of camp. Even though conditions in Webequie are not as bad, precautions need to be taken for all communities.

As nobody expected the conditions to be like this, I fully respect the decision that was made.

But it honestly breaks my heart to say goodbye to this experience so early.

I can’t help having thoughts of “what could’ve been”, but I also feel so blessed at the same time to have had this opportunity to live in and learn about the First Nations community I am in now for this past few weeks.

Whether they’re aware of it or not, the people here have taught me lessons I know will stay with me for the rest of my life. And the kids – I came here expecting to learn mostly from the elders and the adults of the community; but I can honestly say that I’ve learned the most from these kids. Every one of them is so warm and open and intelligent. From time to time they can express their thoughts and emotions in different ways, and it’s been challenging at times to deal with these situations. But in the end, they have beautiful souls that you know are carrying the biggest potential.

I don’t feel like the end of camp is an end to my journey by any means. Just because I won’t be physically in the Aboriginal communities, it doesn’t mean this experience has to stop. I wrote in my first entry that I’m not the biggest expert in Aboriginal issues, and I did not become one in the past month. The best lesson that has stuck with me is this: our job is to listen; anything we learn is a privilege.

So my challenge to everyone, including myself, is to listen. To go forward in life with an open ear and an open heart. And when you learn something, take it in and know that it is something to be cherished.

Thank you to everyone who’s been following my blog so far. It really means a lot to have your constant support and feedback. It’s a goodbye for now, but I hope to blog some of my other experiences in the future.

Best regards,

Alysha Li

Day 29: Lightning

As I’m writing this, there is thunder and lightning outside unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. We’re all hoping this will bring rain and not more forest fires.

Today we’ve pretty much packed up everything and are ready to go. Because there are other communities who are in closer proximity to the fires than we are, they take priority in the evacuation process. Meanwhile, we’ve been waiting patiently at home, not really knowing what’s going to happen next. Updates are given over the radio but we can’t understand the Oji-cree. Firefighters have been dropping by the house to give us the latest news. Our supervisors in Thunder Bay have also been giving us email updates.

Currently it seems like there is really nothing to do but wait. We’re getting really antsy being stuck in the house all day, but better safe than sorry.

Day 28: Evacuation

We’ve been given directions to get ready for an evacuation at any time. Packing up everything and getting ready to go.

Via MNR:

Smoke on the ground continues to create issues for many First Nation communities. First Nations Chiefs and Emergency Management Ontario, along with multiple federal and provincial agencies, continue to discuss the fire situation and potential evacuations. Approximately 200 people were evacuated from Kee-way-win First Nation to Greenstone today. Evacuations are underway for Fort Hope and North Spirit Lake First Nation, going to Greenstone, and Sandy Lake First Nation, going to the Municipality of Sioux Lookout, due to heavy smoke in their communities.

Hoping this will go smoothly.

Day 27: State of emergency

Camp was cancelled today because the Chief had suggested that we hold off in case the smoke conditions get worse.

It was pretty clear for most of the day, so we took it easy and went swimming with the kids.

Tonight while we were doing some planning for the rest of the week, the Chief came on the radio and announced that MNR has called for an evacuation of Kingfisher. The Chief has officially declared a state of emergency and the Band Council is deciding the final details tomorrow morning.

We’re all a bit shaken up but hoping for the safety of everyone in the community.

Day 26: Scavenger hunt

Good news is no evacuation yet, but we’re still on standby in case conditions get worse.

The smoke cleared up for the most part yesterday so we decided to go ahead with our scavenger hunt. The kids had to look for yarn tied to posts, fences, and other things around the community and the person with the most strings by the end of the afternoon won. It actually went pretty well and everyone had fun.

We were also going to have a barbecue afterwards, but just couldn’t find a barbecue that we could borrow after a day of searching and asking. Finally we just called it a day, but ended up having some special guests come over for dinner.

Officially one more week in KFL — today will be preparing camp for guest speakers, a bon fire, another movie night, and farewell party for the week.

Day 24: Smoke and fire

For the past few weeks or so, communities in northern Ontario have been on standby for the possibility of evacuations due to forest fires. Some communities have already been evacuated, and Kingfisher might be next.

Smoke at the dock

The firefighters who are staying in town told us that there are currently 90 forest fires in northern Ontario. One of them is 40km away from here and for the past couple of days the community has been filled with smoke from the fire, with visibility of about 1km.

The elders were evacuated today. Kids are also warned to stay inside and away from the smoke. The band council is currently deciding whether an evacuation is necessary for the rest of the community and will reach a decision by tomorrow morning.

One of the community members told us that they’ve never had to evacuate in the past, but he predicted that if we do, we might be heading east towards Quebec.

We sent the kids home early from the movie night we organized tonight. We also cancelled the community scavenger hunt we were planning for tomorrow.

Right now, one of my teammates and I are heading to bed early to get some sleep. The other one is watching Battlestar Galactica.

I think we’ll be all right.

Day 22: Bible camp

Today was a day of many firsts, and it all started with bible camp.

We’ve been hearing about the bible camp since the first day we got to Kingfisher. It’s an all ages overnight camp run by the people in the community. Because it’s the same time as our literacy camp, a lot of kids often go back and forth between the two. Today we were invited to go there for dinner after we finished work.

I’d thought that it would only be a short walk over (like most places in the community), but we actually got picked up, drove for 20 minutes to a dock, then took a small motor boat for another 10 minutes to the campsite.

On the boat coming in to bible camp

There were about 10 small cabins in a line with the classroom and cafeteria in the middle. When we got there, we caught the last bit of bible study, where around 20 adults from the community were learning bible songs in Oji-cree. Outside, we saw many familiar faces but also saw families who were from other Aboriginal communities nearby.

The delicious buffet dinner was prepared by some of the elderly women from the community. There was soup, barbecue chicken, ham, sausages, corn, potatoes, fish, salad, and more. I also had the famous bannock for the first time.

On our way back, our friend took us around the lake on the motor boat. We saw a gigantic abandoned beaver dam and he also took us to the old settlement where an old Hudson’s Bay store was. Later, we hitched a ride back to town with a nice family on the back of their pick-up truck.

We were just about to turn in for the day when some of the nurses asked us to go for a walk around town. We’d just met them earlier today when we invited them in to talk to the kids as guest speakers. One of the women was telling us about the health programs and initiatives they are trying to implement in northern communities. I learned a lot about some of the health and nutritional issues they’re trying to target with their programs and also the challenges they’re facing with getting involvement from the communities.

Our time in Kingfisher is quickly running out. It’s crazy that we’ll be leaving for our second community next Saturday. I’m hoping to make the best of the next week and a half.

Wish me luck!