Monday, August 24, 2015

Way, way North/Lola and Mommy's Chisasibi Adventure

Oof, its been forever. The last month has been a complete whirlwind and there just hasn't been much time at all for blogging... I almost don't even know where to begin. Since Lola turned 10 months old on July 24th, I feel obligated to write a summary of her time as a 9 month old baby but theres just so much more to say before that...For one, we weren't even remotely close to home on Lola's 10 month birthday but rather up North.

Way, way up North.



For one incredible weekend, Lola and I visited Uncle Adrien, Aunty Vanessa, and her two favourite cousins Zac and Noah in Chisiasibi, QC.

Adrien and Vanessa have been living in Chisiasibi for FOUR YEARS now, I can't believe it took me this long to go visit! Truth be told it is a bit of a journey but at the same time, not really at all. I mean, no more a journey than some other trips we've ventured on in terms of air time and flight connections. But what did make it truly a journey was, well, pretty much everything else. And thats what I absolutely loved about our trip.



Its one thing to see pictures, to know that A & V have a teepee in their backyard, to hear about how the Cree people are so welcoming. Its a whole 'nother thing to experience it first hand.



Their house and the street they live on is kind of what I imagined living on a reservation to be like. I loved the sameness of each home along the curved street, there was just something about it.




And I loved hearing about the history of how the town came to be - how Hydro Quebec and the Cree negotiated to both benefit from the land, how it changed the way Cree were living, and how thats impacted everything today. A little interesting anecdote - when I asked how insanely high their heating bill is in the Winter, Adrien replied that "people don't really pay their hydro bills around here." Turns out the white man once again failed to keep all their promises...so not paying what I can only imagine are exorbitantly high hydro bills only seems fair.



It was a greatly timed trip too. We arrived on Adrien'd 34th birthday and went out to grab groceries to celebrate with a dinner of burgers. Well, after stopping at 3 different stores we found zero packages of ground beef and hot dog buns but no hamburger buns. No bother though. Adrien went on over to his neighbours house. dove into his freezer, and came back with some ground moose from 2012 (as one does). Meanwhile, Vanessa had already whipped up some home made burger buns. A couple of hours later, with the babies fast asleep, Z and the adults tucked into the tastiest moose burgers I have ever had. Okay I don't think I've actually ever had moose burgers before (I have had a caribou burger though, in case anyone is keeping track), but it was so delicious I'm certain it would have been the best even if I had had a million before. Better than any hamburger I've had in a long, long time. Those two know what they are doing! And don't even get me started on the homemade Mississippi Mudpie!





The next day, Lola and I toured the hospital where Adrien and Vanessa work (Zac was SO excited to show us the ambulance!) and then headed off into the rainy afternoon to join the festival going on a short ferry ride away on the island.




It was rainy and buggy and a long rugged walk from the where the ferry dropped us off to the main tent but it was beautiful.




And just as it was starting to pour and get just a bit too cold, we ducked into a teepee and life became infinitely better.

In the teepee were some Cree tending to a large fire in the middle, with geese roasting and bear being prepped for cooking. The ground was lined with branches of pine which was actually so nice and soft to sit on. It was warm and inviting and all we did was sit and relax and take it all in and it was perfect.











The sky eventually cleared and by evening their was a beautiful pink glow over the entire neighbourhood. I couldn't stop taking pictures. There is such a rugged beauty to Chisasibi.




That night after checking the solar weather report, Adrien let me know that I might be able to catch a glimpse at the Northern lights around 1am. So, I set my alarm and hoped for the best as I drifted off to sleep. When I got up a few hours later I crept to the back door and peaked outside. It was still very foggy out but under a thick layer of cloud I could see a green glow. Standing there in the stillness of the night with the cool air surrounding me and the oddly coloured sky above I thought to myself I'd come back just to see this again. That's how I felt after hardly even seeing anything, imagine how I'd feel seeing the Lights for real??


Beyond all of those amazing experiences, it was also such a great trip because we got to spend time with the family. Seeing Lola and her cousins together is simply the best. And getting to spend time with my favourite nephews is also one of life's great pleasures.




  So far, this is the best picture of the trio we've gotten. They are all awake, all in the same frame, and all (somewhat) sitting on their own - in other words, this is what we consider a success. 







The next afternoon it was already time for Lola and I to make the journey back home. We got to the airport to find out that the plane that comes from a town even MORE North than Chisiasibi was going to be seriously delayed. So, Lola and I joined Adrien as he went about his errands in the "big" town located near the airport. On his agenda: grocery shopping, a stop at the liquor store, and filling up the gas tank. Turns out, that all happens at the same store. So much for the big town with big stores I had imagined when they talked about this!

Anyway, the flight representative then called my cell phone to inform us that the plane was on its way and so Adrien dropped Lola and I back off at the one-room airport. We were the only two people getting on the plane in Chisasibi! Having a whole airport to ourselves was just what we needed before becoming confined to a shared plane seat for the next few hours.

Nine hours after we left Adrien & Vanessa's house in Chisasibi, Lola and I were finally home. She was such a champ, smiling and giggling the entire time...with the exception of the last 10mins when she totally lost her shit and screamed until I finally laid her down on my lap (against landing procedures) and she immediately fell asleep. Hard. I was immensely proud of her for all of this.

The next day, I took off from work and Lola and I readjusted back to life as we know it. Though at the end of the day, there's just nothing like home, there is also something so magical about traveling and I absolutely loved sharing that with Lola. It was so wonderful to go on such an adventure just me and my girl. I know I'll be telling her about it for years and years to come, hopefully sparking that love of travel in her too, and paving the way for her own incredible journeys.

2 comments:

  1. Great post and pictures! I so love the 3 of them by the tepee - they certainly didn't look like happy campers at all! Mom

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  2. I can't believe I'm only seeing this post now! I don't know how I missed it. Oh and it really makes me miss the north. You will definitely have to come back!! xo

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