New Year's Eve in Kash

First of all, Happy New Year to everyone!! I thought I would just write a quick message to tell you what happens in Kashechewan on New Year's Eve at midnight!

My Eve up here was pretty good. Of course, it's already my favourite day of the year because it's my birthday! Last night, Wes and I went over to Diane's apartment (one of the other Nurses) to ring in the new year with everyone. We watched "Yes Man"...very good, funny movie! It finished just in time for midnight and the big countdown. We watched the Time's Square ball-drop, like I do mostly every year. It was actually really fun to do the countdown and ring in the New Year with such a great group of people! Anyways, that was all lots of fun, but here comes the really fun part...

Just after the countdown, we started hearing what sounded like someone throwing snowballs at the side of the apartment...just a dull "thud" or "crack" kind of noise. We peeked outside, but no one was throwing anything. We realized that we were hearing the Kashechewan New Year's Eve tradition of GUNSHOTS! People go outside of their homes with their shotguns and shoot into the air to celebrate the New Year! There were LOTS of gunshots. I actually went outside to take part in it (listening only, no gun shooting for me), because this was the first, and possible only time I will hear so many gunshots at one time. There were also lots of people shooting off fireworks throughout the community. It was really pretty! I stood outside in the -25 C weather for awhile watching the fireworks and listening to the gunshots, and then things quieted down.

You may be wondering if anyone got hurt through this whole thing...thankfully not! It was a more or less quiet night at the Nursing Station I think (I wasn't on call). I was worried about that when the gunshots first started going off. I asked Henry, one of the Security Guards, if anyone had ever been hurt, and he said never as far as he knows. It still made me just a little bit nervous...I'm worried about guns at the best of times, but at midnight, in the middle of the community, with people that have potentially been drinking...I could see something going wrong.

Well, that is all I have to update right now. The travel plans are still underway for Thursday...meaning, if everything goes as planned, we will be at home in Owen Sound at this time 1 week from now!

Wishing you peace and happiness in 2010...the start of the best Decade yet!!