I Know Who They Are

This weekend, I realized that I have been working for 3 weeks and after only 4 days I actually could say their names, and know who they were.  That is a big feat.  Coming from all places of this world, the names alone are enough to cause one to stumble.  I had the most problem with one from Eritrea.  His name escaped me. I recognized him, but he was Shawneshca, Shawnesha, Shawshaw, Neshsha until, I finally mastered Shanesh. He grinned a broad grin when I finally said his name properly on the fourth day.

The weather has been all over the place. Arriving on a rainy day, moving into a blizzard, and then facing -30s for a few days kept me wondering how to get through this, or leaving after earning enough to cover what it cost to arrive.  Somehow, during the three weeks I just settled in and did not think much about going home. That is because there was no time.

Now, with 13 weeks left in the contract I think I can do it.  But that is because I have been experiencing weather like home.  Once this honeymoon is over and real local weather takes over I will likely be counting the days once again.  I have said my good byes to a new friend I met at the Inn. Now that she is gone, I seem to be the resident longtimer here.  What seems to be the norm here is people arrive, stay a couple of days, and then are gone.  Cindy was the resident with the longest history until I arrived. She is a doctor from South Africa who is getting her credentials here in Canada. She and her partner from Ireland have been here for three months. She left for a hotel closer to her new clinic where she will be working. Now I am the regular seen in the halls and the parlour, replacing the other two.  The other group of regulars appear to be those who work in Fort Mac, who work a week and get a week off. The Inn appears to be their home in civilization.  I also realized yesterday that I have not gone out to dine since the day I arrived.  I would not call that a dining experience. It was a diner near the Inn, and seemed to be the only place open on New Year's Day in this neighbourhood.  Other than that experience, I have bought a few lunches at the school cafeteria. There are a number of eating places in the 'hood, but after a day of work and more fine tuning of lesson plans for the next day, I hardly feel like dining.  I guess I should make an effort.  I also need to find a salon that I will trust to cut my hair.  I am beginning to look like a ponytail would be the style now.  But again, no time to even consider an appointment.

Now Sunday morning, I will make some coffee, read the Saturday newspaper, and vacate my room so the cleaning staff can do their magic.  I am also considering some 'ice cleats' I spied at MEC yesterday. You can somehow attach them to your footwear and (I guess) master walking across icy surface.  The came in small, medium, and large, but I could not figure out how to decide which size to buy, or how the heck to attach them. Would I need a chair to sit on in order to stretch them on over my boots? If so, does that mean I also have to carry a portable chair to do this? Or do I just dance on the street, trying to balance while I attach them?  I think the item is actually out of my league, and that the people who use them are climbing an ice face in the mountains, and just have them on before they begin the climb.  Google will surely tell me what to do. This is what I saw at MEC. Kicking them onto my boots does not really feel like an option that would work.