Teresa's 1st Ghost River Rediscovery course ... out near the Rockies

Hello my dear friends & family,

How great is this picture & the inscription? ... it's the latest welcome page picture on the GRR website http://www.ghostriverrediscovery.org

This picture is apparently also on everyone's time sheets!!
(if you click on the picture you can make it bigger to help read/see it)

I just finished my first (short) course with Ghost River Rediscovery ... we were able to get the 5 "youth at risk" participants out snowshoeing & cross-country skiing, plus over the 3 days, we built a quinzhee (snow hut) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinzhee ... that would kick butt in stormy weather on any stormy Canadian Winter weather you might encounter with walls ~30cm thick!!

This course went well given some of the attitude & behavioural challenges that the 5, grade 10 guys posed at various times. Much was reinforced for me from my Outward Bound training that I will be even more fully embracing as I get in a more active roleout with future course. My main role with GRR will be with GRR in their Community Development & Specialized Training group, more on that as I undertake my first days with them in the coming week! At this point, I will be focused on developing, coordinating, & facilitating new workshops, courses, & training we can offer through GRR to help build traditional, community principles & skills fostered by Ghost River Rediscovery.

It was pretty darn great winding down my 1st day with Ghost River as we did our evening "talking stick" check in around the warmth of our Council Fire. Especially when I looked up into the night sky & saw the Big Dipper overhead!! It's been over a year since I've been able to see this wonderful celestial sentinel & friend :) ... (there was a little twinge of emptiness though as well, since the sky was not nearly as star filled as the jam packed southern hemisphere night sky & I was reminded that I am away from many dear friends who are sleeping under the Souther Cross & the more extensive stretch of the Milky Way!)

All in all, the wonder & gratitude I was feeling on this 1st night & throughout my 1st GRR course were quite splendid. How great it is to be on board for my own inner Rediscovery experiences as well as that with the staff & participants of Ghost River Rediscovery! A most excellent complement to my Outward Bound experiences with OBA last year ;)

It was great to jump into the fold for this short course with GRR out in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies so soon after my fairly intense moving week-end last week. Now I get a chance to settle into my home space a little more & unpack what I have brought down so far from Edmonton.

We're supposed to get another deep freeze starting today through the week-end. Into the low minus 20's for the temperature & mid minus 30's with the wind chill! YIKES! Very grateful I have such a cozy place to hide out in when I am not "out & about."

No phone number yet but I have hooked myself up with Skype, so if you are inclined to download it, we could talk through our 'puters for FREE :)

My NEW address is:

Teresa Chilkowich
424 - 6th Street N.E. (basement)
Calgary, Alberta
T2E 3Y4
CANADA

Skype ... tchilkowich
e-mail ... sherpadoginoz@care2com
iChats (webcam) ... sherpadoginoz@mac.com

Hope all is well for you & your work, play, etc. Looking forward to hearing how you are doing!

Take good care & stay warm or cool, depending on which hemisphere you are in :)

Love,

Teresa

p.s. more pic's from my this course & my big rail trip this week-end as I get a chance to post more here on my blog :)