Saddle Lake, Alberta.  

I have officially finished my first week of work at the Saddle Lake Health Center and it has been such a great week :)

The first thing I have to say is that the people in the community and at work have been so friendly and welcoming. I have had the chance to meet a few new born babies this past week and really enjoyed getting to meet the mom’s and extended family members.

Saddle Lake is a beautiful place with a rich culture and history. I am so happy and grateful to have this unique opportunity to work in Saddle Lake and hopefully to make a positive difference in the community.

I’ve noticed quite a few similarities between the traditions and people of Saddle Lake and Sveta Jana, Croatia (where I was born).

The first similarity is that most families live together. Grandparents, children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren live in the same home. If they aren’t living in the same home then they live on the same plot of land or live nearby in the community. This is how people lived back home in Croatia too. I think that this type of lifestyle builds a sense of community, belonging and encourages families to take care of one another.
For example, grandparents care for their grand babies and then in a few years… grandchildren take care of their grandparents. It’s really beautiful to see this tradition in Saddle Lake as it speaks to the positive value that relationships and social connections have throughout the lifespan.

The second similarity I noticed, is that mom’s use Moss Bags for their newborn babies.

Here are two pictures of Moss Bags that some soon to be mom’s sewed at the health center over the past week. My mom says that they used these back home as well, they are also known as Cradle Boards. The purpose of the Moss Bags is to keep the baby warm but also more importantly to keep the baby’s spine straight until they are able to sit up on their own. It’s also used to easily transport babies.

The third similarity I noticed is that there are a lot of animals in Saddle Lake, especially dogs and this was true when I lived in Croatia as well. I met such a wonderful dog today and was really tempted to take him home with me, but he already had a home, so I resisted the temptation. When we were leaving a home from a house visit, this doggy followed me to the car and as I was getting in the car, he wanted to get in as well. I gave him a few pets and then he wrapped his paw around my arm (kind of like a paw hug). Instantly, it was love at first sight and I hope to see him again soon :)

Side note: It’s a little embarrassing but my e-mail address in Gr.7 was iluvdogz@hotmail.com

As a final thought, I have to say that Cree is such a beautiful language and I have even learned a few words in my first week!!

Grandma - kôkom (ko-kom)

Grandpa - mÃsom (mus-um)

Woman - iskwew (iz-kveo)

Man - napew (na-peo)

Girl - iskwesis (iz-kvej-sis)

In my next few posts, I’ll elaborate more on the interesting traditions and things I have learned.

Maria