May 26, 2018 - La Ronge, Saskatchewan Today was our first free day! So of course we decided to sleep in late. Our driver Richard offered to take us on a tour around the town and show us all the beautiful spots nearby.
The weather was beautiful. At 15° C , it was just perfect. Everyone was happy and glowing. On the bus, we enjoyed each other's company, having fun singing together and playing multiplayer games on our phones. Shira and Lauren shared cultural songs in Hebrew, Yiddish and Chinese. Finally, we arrived at Lac La Ronge Provincial Park. We enjoyed the nature and took lots of pictures. Our amazing bus driver Richard then took us to the Churchill River where we came across a bridge that had swastika graffiti on it. So we decided to cover them up with the Chinese yin and yang symbols and write messages of peace and anti-suicide beside them to help and inspire people. There was another graffiti that said "Jump off!" written on the ledge of the bridge. To spread love instead, we wrote inspirational messages for people beside it such as: "Life can suck sometimes. But it can get better too. Remember, the most beautiful lotus grows from a place of darkness. Find your light. <3" -Thuriga B.
After that, we hiked down a trail which took us to beautiful lakes. We enjoyed the nature and created special long-lasting bonds with each other. We then drove to a place where we took our first float plane ride! The plane was called "Osprey", after the bird. We flew for about 20-30 mins and saw Native reserves, lakes, and also the oldest church in Saskatchewan. The pilot told us that he thought it might even be the oldest church in Canada. After our landing, we talked to the owner of Osprey Wings Ltd. He was the funniest and the nicest person. He gave us lots of prints of paintings that he painted himself and signed them for us. Then we got back in our bus and saw the most beautiful parts of Canada. We drove back to La Ronge and went out to eat. We had a great time. There was a singer in the restaurant and we danced for hours and had a lot of fun. This was the best day off one can ask for.
Thank you to the incredible students in La Ronge who packed into that gymnasium to see our show yesterday and to our generous host Flora! It was such a gift to explore your town on such a beautiful day off.
Thank you Shira for giving us a chance to be with you and thank you CANFAR: The Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research for funding us. <3