The clues were there: colourful outdoor tree lights, the smell of roasting turkey and the Chinese New Year holiday in mid-February. These signalled Cheryl Materi was home from China to celebrate a late Christmas with her family, Yvonne and Daryl Llewellyn, at their home on Lac des Roches. Cheryl is in her second year of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to approximately 120 high-school students in Qingyang, Gansu in northwest China. Her strong desire to travel abroad, but lack of funds to do so, made working abroad a viable option and teaching English was a natural choice following her four years of university training to acquire a Bachelor of Arts in English. From rural living in the British Columbia Interior to a foreign country and city of 300,000 would seem like a huge change for anyone, let alone a 25-year-old, but Cheryl has found that foreigners, such as herself, are treated with utmost respect where she lives and works. She has also made many friends in addition to the 11 other ESL trainers she is acquainted with. Her biggest adjustment was learning to go without her two biggest loves — chocolate and cheese. "I do what I can, making western dishes with Chinese utensils and Chinese ingredients. " Cheryl adds she has learned to "alternate dinners between noodles and rice," but she stir-fries everything. She really appreciates the care packages sent by her mom, which have included Kraft Dinner, a staple in any young person’s pantry. When her contract is complete at the end of the school term this spring, Cheryl says she will consider alternative locations to continue ESL teaching. It will be interesting to learn which corner of the globe Cheryl is working in at Christmas next year and won’t it be a surprise to us all — to see when the Llewellyn’s will light up their yard with bright lights to celebrate Christmas 2010?
Property damage
Shifting lake ice at Lac des Roches has already done some structural damage to docks on the big lake. The snaps and bangs emitted from the ice slab during the mild winter months are an indication of developing cracks. What is so amazing is how all those hundreds of narrow cracks can accumulate to such a degree as to allow the ice — and anything in its path — to shift by several feet. While many waterfront property owners pull their docks onto the shore or move them temporarily into quiet bays to protect them from damage, this is not always practical and damage is often the result.
Temporary fuel outage
Residents should note the Husky fuel pumps at the junction of Highways 24 and 5 are scheduled to be shut down for upgrades March 15-22.
Wildlife
There have been several sightings of the few mule deer that stayed on the plateau for the winter, as they seem to be more active now with the longer days and mild weather. A pair of bald eagles has been perched at Rock Island, above some ice fishing holes and may be scouting out potential nesting areas on the west shore. Several migratory birds have reappeared at the feeders and made for some lengthy recording for the Backyard Bird Count, which took place Feb. 12-15. See www.birdcount.org for results. A Canadian lynx was spotted just east of Lac des Roche in late February. It is a rare treat to catch a glimpse of one of these elusive felines.