Yukon Quest

  It's winter in the Yukon. It seems to be snowing all the time, but so lightly you can barely see it. Everything is lined with a thin dusting and the feathery flakes blow through the streets like the dust in an old western movie. It is also cold. I'm not seen outside without my red Canada mittens and a tuque. It feels like Christmas should be around the corner, not Halloween and Rememberance Day. I'm looking forward to the day when there is enough white stuff layered to go for a ski and start exploring the Yukon hinterland.
  Another sign that winter has set in is the anticipation of the Yukon Quest. The Yukon Quest is a 1000 mile international dog sled race from Whitehorse to Fairbanks, AK which takes place in February each year. The even years it begins in Fairbanks and the odd years it begins in Whitehorse. It gets its name from the "highway of the north", the Yukon River, which made up the historical winter land routes travelled by prospectors, adventurers, and mail and supply carriers. The residents of Whitehorse are excited to experience the start of the 30th Yukon Quest on February 2nd. Due to his role as sports reporter, Marcel will be logging the ten day journey and stopping in at each of the check points to update the public on the race. On Friday night we attended a 30th Birthday party for the Yukon Quest. There were some games, including a race to "scoop" the "poop" the fastest, face-painting (your favourite husky), and a long underwear pajama dance! Dawson Dolly, the woman with the biggest nuggets in the Klondike, even made an appearance!
  Marcel wrote an article about the event and his meeting with Hugh Neff that can be found at this link:

 http://www.whitehorsestar.com/archive/story/neff-eyes-repeat-victory-as-quest-celebrations-begin/


Here are some pictures he took:

Hugh Neff and Dawson Dolly

Marcel's brother Trev attended the party! (JK)

One Month

 Well, we have officially been in Whitehorse for one month. It is amazing how things have come together and how we already feel so engaged in life here. We have started regularly attending a Baptist church that is full of welcoming, passionate Believers. There is a large group of young people that seem very outgoing and community-oriented. We were invited over to a potluck Thanksgiving lunch they were having where we were introduced to many great people. It always amazes me how belief in Christ has such a uniting element and allows for a natural affinity with complete strangers. I'm so thankful for this answered prayer as finding a church and like-minded young people was high on my list of priorities to feel a sense of belonging here in the Yukon.

  I have also really enjoyed waking up on a Saturday morning with the whole day ahead of me, without the pressure of curriculum planning and marking. It is glorious. For the past three years I have taught different subjects each year and so much of my weekends were spent at the school prepping for the week ahead and working on improving my program and keeping up with all the tasks of marking and organizing. I've been getting a decent amount of supply teaching during the week here in Whitehorse and it does come with its challenges (my classroom management skills are really being tried and tested), however, the beauty of a work-free weekend is so rewarding.
 
  Last week I worked four days from Kindergarten to highschool. Next week I already have Mon-Wed booked and I heard there is a volleyball tournament on Thursday and Friday in Dawson City so there is a good chance I will get called in those days as well. It is great to have work and it is even better that I get to work in my desired field. I didn't know if that was going to work out. I thought there was a good chance I'd be pouring coffees for a living and I had a pretty positive perspective about it, however, being able to interact with kids and even have a small influence on the one day I am with them gives me a sense of purpose and fulfillment. I'm glad I can use my experience and gifts here in my daily work, and yet, still have the gift of a weekend to enjoy participating in hobbies and events.

  Maybe out of fear of lonliness or to fill the void of my schedule-free first weeks here in the Yukon, I have signed up for a number of clubs and events. It got a little crazy. I'm playing hockey twice a week, I joined a monthly book club, a Bible study, a pick-up vball league, and I might participate in drop-in pottery studio time on the weekend (only $5/day!). I was seriously considering joining the Yukon Ski Patrol (nordic), but realized that I may have overcommitted myself already. Maybe next year. It feels good to be busy and have lots to get involved in here, but it also feels good to enjoy down time. I think in past years of travelling, I've been so busy with teaching committments, that as soon as I had a moment to spare, I'd panic and fall prey to full-borne homesickness. That hasn't happened here yet. Generally, I've felt a sense of peace and contentedness that I'm so grateful for and I know that the source of that calm confidence can only be the Holy Spirit filling me with what I need to handle each day, each week, each moment at a time. So as much as I'm thankful to have the time to enjoy and be engaged in so many activities on my own and with Marcel, I'm also very grateful that our down-time has also been full of joy and contentment.

 One final word. Today also marks the first day of the four dark, cold months. I was enlightened by one of my colleagues at a school one day that October 21- February 21 are the dark, cold months. Today is officially 2 months before the shortest day and February 21st is two months after the shortest day of the year, December 21st. We already experience driving to work in what feels like the middle of the night. The sun rises at 8:58 currently and goes down at 6:29. This will be adjusted in two weeks after the time change, but we will still cherish the daylight hours and start taking our vitamin D supplements :)  It is currently -9 degrees outside with a fine dusting of snow on the ground. Meanwhile, in Toronto is it + 16 degrees and the fall colours are at their finest display (after a facetime with Mama S). I'm eager for the snow to start to pile up so at least we can enjoy some winter sports in this chilly weather. I've heard that the ski season might not actually start until near Christmas though. I've been tempted to start baking gingerbread cookies because with the smell of wood stoves and crunch of snow underfoot, it just seems like Christmas should be around the corner! The countdown begins- two months until our flight home for Christmas break! YAY!

  Off to pucks n' sticks-- some shinny with my husband at the Canada Games Center!

*Amy

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:6-7)

Mar practicing his shots at the Canada Games Center

Trying to get some tips and extra skating practice in

Tired after a good skate.

 

Made the Cut

 During my first official women's hockey game, I surprised myself by having a great assist! I was stoked. It is great to be on a team, but it's an even better feeling to know that you are pulling your weight and contributing to play on the ice.
  Since there is no major junior hockey team, the three adult hockey leagues get coverage from the local sports reporter (aka Marcel). However, much to my dismay, this reporter thought that an assist was NOT worthy of a mention in the local sports section. He must have just been trying to push his wife to her greatest potential because this weekend, in my second game, first shift, I popped one up in the top right corner!


Marcel's take on my night of success

  I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. One of my teammates sprung free on a breakaway and took a great shot. Unfortunately, her shot was blocked, but I was able to pick up the rebound and put our first goal up on the scoreboard! What an exhilarating feeling! My biggest fan missed the shot, but after looking at the scoresheet he knew that I had made the cut for Monday's paper.

I had to post this just because I don't think I'll be no. 2 for long :)

The Beginnings (in a Letter)

* A colleague of mine asked me to write a letter to my former students giving them my first impressions of Whitehorse. It became pretty lengthy and a good way to remember the beginning days of our time in the Yukon.

Dear ICS Students,

 When my husband and I first told people that we had made the decision to move to the Yukon, we were met with some astounded responses. A few remarks included:

“You better buy a truck; that is the only thing people drive up there!”

 “You better start a greenhouse and take up some fruit trees because orange juice up there is $12/Litre! Actually, bring a cow as well because milk will be three times the cost!”

“Snowpants are going to be your new sweatpants”

“Don’t get eaten by a puma or grizzly bear!”

“You better carry bear spray in your back pocket wherever you go!”

“You might as well give me all your summer clothing because you won’t be wearing t-shirts or shorts up there”

“Is that in Alaska?”

“Are you going to live in an igloo?”

“Have fun in Yellowknife!”

  So when Mrs. Mawhinney asked me to write you a letter of my first impression of Whitehorse, I can understand the need for the demystification of the north.

 I’ve never been north of Terrace, BC so I had no idea what comments to believe and what not to. Now that we’ve arrived, I’ve realized that the Yukon is much more civilized than anyone could’ve persuaded me a month ago when the remarks of others were floating through my dreams/nightmares J It is hard to pack for the unexpected and I had a hard time separating with clothes and crockpots and sports equipment that I thought definitely would not be available to us in the north. Well, it is good that I have a wise husband who persuaded me to leave many of our belongings at home because I’ve been proven wrong countless times here (and it would’ve cost us an arm and a leg to ship all my worldly desires here!). I’ve been able to find commodities such as winter gear, orange juice ($3.99/1.25L), ipads, and even dutch delicacies like gouda cheese, dropies, and chocolate hail (difficult to find even in PEI)! Marcel and I can still use our iphones up here although there is no such thing as unlimited internet packages.

 This, of course, is Whitehorse I’m writing about and I have heard rumours of other parts of the Yukon that are a lot more remote and deal with really intense challenges of cold, darkness, and high cost of goods (look up Old Crow, YT for such examples).

 I remember the night before we arrived in Whitehorse. We had been driving already for 6 days (average of 10 hrs a day) from Beamsville, Ontario and had so far just been concentrating on the one day of driving that was in front of us. Now it was Friday night and we had one more sleep before getting the first glimpse of our next hometown. Fortunately, the place we stayed that night was the most relaxing of the trip. I need to take a side-note here and tell you a little about Liard Hot Springs, BC. This excerpt from a BC tourism site sets the scene well:

The hot springs complex is of national ecological significance and is well known for its natural setting in a lush boreal spruce forest. A boardwalk that leads to the hot spring pools passes through a warm water swamp and boreal forest that supports rich and diverse plant communities, as well as mammal and bird species. Watch for moose feeding in the warm water swamps. Due to the lush plant life influenced by the warmth of the springs, the area was originally known as the "Tropical Valley".  

 (http://www.britishcolumbia.com/hotsprings/?id=18)

After a long day of driving up the Alaska Highway, Marcel and I unloaded our bags in a lodge across the street from the provincial park where the hot springs were located. Taking our Coleman lamp and some towels we walked through the park and down a 1.5 km boardwalk through swamp and rich green vegetation. We passed caution signs for moose and bear and were thankful when we started to smell the faint scent of sulphur and see the lighted area surrounding the hot springs. It looked like a thick river and the closer you swam to the source of the spring, the hotter it was. There were even benches in the water to sit on and waterfalls which could pour over your shoulders as a warm massage. The BC website describes it well in saying “Relaxation seeps into your body as you ease into the second largest hot spring in Canada.” It was a reassuring way to begin the last leg of our journey to Whitehorse.

Boardwalk to the Hot Springs 

Liard Hot Springs (stolen from a website because it was dark when we got there)

Lodge we stayed in at Liard Hot Springs

Our first home upon arriving in Whitehorse. It was a backyard greenhouse that the hostel had turned into a private lodging. We stayed here for a couple nights while waiting for our apartment to come available. I was thankful for the mini electric heater and light it came with.

 That night we talked about what to expect the next day. The only picture of a northern town we had was Terrace, BC so we expected it to look similar; a small town in the middle of the mountains with a river running through it. I had researched a bit in advance and knew there were some recognizable stores like Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire, Boston Pizza, and even a Starbucks in town. Somehow these places are comforting when you are away from all that is known to you. I’ve since then found a few local places to spend a cozy, enjoyable morning.

  We approached Whitehorse at about 5 pm PT and commemorated the moment with a picture by both the Yukon and Whitehorse signs respectively. It was warmer than I had anticipated and we didn’t even need jackets that day. The town is in the middle of mountains, but unlike the coastal mountains in Terrace, they resemble more rounded hills (really tall hills) than jagged snow-capped mountains. The Yukon River is narrower in Whitehorse than we expected and there is a beautiful well-lit bridge that separates downtown Whitehorse from our current home in Riverdale. The first scene one sees when entering the capital is framed by the mountains and river and includes the precious S.S. Klondike, a steamer that was used during the gold rush days. The town is rich in gold rush history and shopkeepers use this to their advantage with names like “The Chocolate Claim” (a café), Klondike Kate’s Rib House, and the Chilkoot Inn. There are also several museums in town boasting its historic significance.

 There is one main street with a great bookstore, Fireweed Books, and other tourist shops where you can buy a hiking guide to the Yukon or to Whitehorse and area. We still have yet to purchase those books, but have noticed that there are trails surrounding the town on every side. There were six problem bears shot this year due to a late berry season which caused many of the bears to wander into town looking to fill their bellies. I haven’t seen any bears in the Whitehorse area though. There is a five km trail, the Millennium Trail that loops around the Yukon River that I’ve run a couple times on my own without fear of animal interactions.    

  There is a bus system here that is quite reliable, groceries are reasonably priced (though bananas go bad much quicker), and we haven’t found that we are missing any amenities from back home yet (only people J). We have seen the northern lights twice so far, but I’ve heard that some of you have even seen them in great array in PEI recently! There are deep gorges and emerald green lakes (from the dust particles found in glaciers) as well as mountain-top views and amazing sunsets. The daylight hours are from 8:30 am to 7 pm currently and we will lose five minutes I’m told each day until Christmas.

View on my 5K Millenium Trail Run

View from the SS Klondike

The SS Klondike Steamship

Miles Canyon

  Overall, Whitehorse is a great place to call home. The people are incredibly friendly, outgoing, and many of them have moved here in the last five years which makes it easy to be welcomed into their company since they still remember their own move to the north. It also isn’t a shock to people when we say we moved from PEI because people are from all corners of the world here. It is really neat to hear the stories of their journeys here and what they love about living here. The art scene is also pretty vibrant here. Buildings are covered in murals, the Yukon Arts Center always has events advertised (even a musician from PEI was here recently), and native crafts and handiwork are prominently displayed.

  Well, I’m told we are supposed to get snow today or tomorrow so I’m going to walk around town and take some pictures to accompany this letter so you can see for yourself what the capital of the Yukon is all about!
 

From across the country,

Mrs. Vander Wier

 

 

The main native tribes of Raven and Wolf that are in this area.

Murals everywhere- this is the RBC building

Dance Hall Girls- Picture of the Gold Rush Era

A favourite bookstore

Where I spent much of my time when we were living in the hostel.

 

 

Totem Pole in Robert Service Park

The bridge I walk from Riverdale to downtown Whitehorse (see Klondike in the background)

Sports Editor Extrordinaire

The reason we moved to Whitehorse.

 

 

My Hockey Debut

  I survived. I only fell once! I did run into my own teammate once as well. All in all, I had a really good time on the ice Wednesday night and even put all my equipment on correctly! I did forget tape though, but someone handed me their roll without a passing thought. The women are really nice and easy-going. There is a real mix of talents which I appreciate as a beginner player. We had three lines which gave me some time to catch my breath after each shift. I played left wing and really enjoyed it. I will be playing about twice a week from now until the end of March and am thankful for the workout it will give me and camaraderie. Here are some pics my sports reporter husband took J

Tough Thighs

  I have been reading this book called One Thousand Gifts (Ann Voskamp). A good friend gave me the book this summer and it has been very timely. It is about counting the blessings all around you and recognizing the grace of God in daily life. Mid-way through the book she uses an example of a sermon she heard on Genesis 32:22-31 about Jacob wrestling with God. It really resonated with me. Here is the excerpt:
 

"A long time ago, a preacher named James H McConkey asked a friend of his, a doctor, 'What is the exact significance of God's touching Jacob upon the sinew of his thigh?'"
"And the doctor told him, 'The sinew of the thigh is the strongest in the human body. A horse couldn't even tear it apart.'"
These are word I have never forgotten, what preacher McConkey said: "Ah, I see. The Lord has to break us down at the strongest part of our self-life before He can have his own way of blessing with us." (Voskamp, 138).

 
  Earlier Voskamp expresses her frustration that often she chooses control over joy and I have to admit I do the same. As a teacher, my strengths lie in organization, long vision planning, and leadership; however, often those strengths can get in the way when I put those goals and plans ahead of what God's will for my life might be. I can become bitter, angry, or depressed when I lose that control.

  I really resisted this move to Whitehorse. I had other plans. I have had to surrender a lot of the control I had over my life to head to this unknown place that is not even within driving distance of the known. I had to wonder if I would be employed, if we could afford the ghastly rental prices here, if we would be able to find a community and friends. I know people have taken larger steps of faith, but for me, this was big. Even now that we are living here, some unknowns remain. But I have really felt the blessings of peace and joy, having surrendered my control over to God (a daily practice). I'm so thankful to have the comfort of knowing that an all-powerful, sovereign, loving God is watching over Marcel and I and we are in the palm of His hands. The difficult thing about surrendering to God, about growing in faith- is that the only way to learn how to do it is to practice it. Every step of dependence on God allows the confidence of my faith to grow and to understand in new ways that Jesus was truth-telling when he said: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9).

  That said, my lifestyle of supply teaching will be one of daily surrender. The days are unpredictable and in an environment and with colleagues that I have limited experience. There are advantages to supply teaching, but the idea of not knowing what school, grade, subject, or students I will be encountering each day (or if I have work) does make my control-driven-self nervous and edgy.

  Yesterday was my first day supply teaching in Whitehorse. Ironically, I was in to replace the one other familiar face to me in the education world, a girl who moved here with her husband in August that Marcel and I know from our Redeemer years. Sunday night we met up for the first time in Whitehorse and she even gave me the low-down on her classes which really helped me be more prepared for what my day was going to look like yesterday. Unpredictably, she became ill yesterday, and so I received a call at 8 am wondering if I could make it to the school in half an hour.

  There are 4 schools within 1.5 km of our apartment and this highschool was one of them so Marcel and I kicked it into high gear so I could get there in time. He made me an awesome lunch and I put together a few emergency lesson plan items just in case. I just received my certification to teach in the Yukon on Friday last week and Monday of this week I went to the four schools in my area to introduce myself so I was very surprised to get a call the very next day (Tuesday), but thankful.

  The highschool I taught in yesterday has 600 students and I supply taught four English classes. Candice (the ill teacher) was very organized and lesson plans were handed to me so things went very smoothly. It is located in a low-socio-economic area and the students come from a range of backgrounds and family situations. Some of the students live on campus in dorms because they are from rural areas in the Yukon. For the most part, the students were respectful and cooperative, although there was some foul language I had to monitor. I can understand that teaching the grade 11 class for Candice would be challenging because many of the teenagers in that class are apathetic and argumentative. I’m pretty sure three of them actually skipped out on class when they told me they were headed to the library because they didn’t return when I clearly stated they were required to. Thankfully, other than reporting to the teacher I’m replacing, I don’t have to deal with the consequences of their choices.  

  Today I didn’t get a call to supply anywhere so I’m catching up on some emails, trying to get our internet set up in our home, and other household errands. I’m really thankful for the family member that gave us $40 of Starbucks gift cards because I’m here often, enjoying a java and using their wifi. So far these blogs have been pretty long and reflective, but I think once I have wifi I’ll be able to add smaller snapshots (literally and figuratively), rather than the weekly ponderings I’ve had so much time to dwell upon.

  Again, I’m so thankful for all the support we have felt from back home. It is so encouraging to have 48 likes on facebook when I report that my first day of supply teaching is successful! I know that things are going so smoothly here because of all the prayer support we’ve had. Every day, I’m in awe at how things are coming together so well, despite my lack of preparation and control, and due to the foresight and control of our Heavenly Father.

 
In His hands,

 

Amy