A Resilient & Selfless Community

August 29, 2022

Yoo Jin Christine Kim, AVC 2023, travelled to Port Hope Simpson as one of the student participants on the Chinook Project. As part of the experience, the students craft various pieces of reflective writing.

Christine and patient

Coming from a major city (Vancouver, BC), I had never experienced a community such as Port Hope Simpson (PHS) before. What they lacked in population size (approximate population of ~ 400 people), they made up for with their beautiful personalities, hearts, and resilient spirits. Our first introduction to the PHS community members was when we first arrived at the “museum” to set up our clinic for the week. After a long five-hour drive to PHS from Goose Bay with a truck full of clinic-related luggage to unpack & set up, we were surprised and grateful to find that the community members had already started to gather various supplies and set up as much as they could in the clinic. They also provided us with everything we needed for the clinic during our stay, including anything from additional lighting to O-rings, which helped make everything a huge success.

Our gratitude for the community didn't stop there, as they quickly showered us with generosity and hospitality throughout our stay in Port Hope Simpson. Each day at around noon and 6 pm, community members would knock on our clinic door while we were busy with appointments and surgeries to drop off delicious food such as baked goods, sandwiches, chili, salads, and burgers. Thanks to their generosity, our fridge quickly became full, and we were never left hungry or wondering about our next meal. We were also incredibly grateful to receive deliveries of fresh fruit (bananas, grapes, raspberries, clementines) throughout the week, which were no doubt extremely expensive and hard to come by due to the remote location of the community.

Phoebe, Rochan and Christine

In addition to taking care of our physical needs, the community also arranged fun activities for Thursday (our last day in PHS) that allowed us to explore the beautiful town and province. Thursday started with an early morning high-intensity hike of “Blow Me Down”, which provided incredible 360-degree views of PHS. While the hike was physically challenging (I was extremely impressed by how fit our hiking tour guide was), it was a refreshing and energizing start to the morning. We then spent a fulfilling half-day at the clinic before being taken on a boat ride by one of the families to see the icebergs in the Atlantic Ocean - one of the items on my bucket list. During the boat ride, we stopped at the family's fishing cottage to enjoy some beverages chilled with iceberg ice that they had harvested previously, which was an unexpected treat. After an eventful boat ride, we returned to PHS to enjoy a community barbecue that was organized for us at the beautiful lake nearby. It was truly a picturesque scene - the sun was beginning to set behind the lake, and the parking lot was full of happy individuals enjoying each other's company. We also had the opportunity to talk with some of our clients in an informal setting during this time. Listening to their stories and understanding the bond they have with their animals was a special treat, and I enjoyed getting to learn a little bit more about PHS and the individuals through this opportunity. Our long day of fun activities wrapped up with an equally fun sea-doo ride offered by one of the community members. It was truly the best, most fulfilling ending to our day and our week in PHS, as we were surrounded by happy, beautiful individuals and had the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent nature around us.

Port Hope Simpson is a special community with amazing people, and I hope that we were able to repay at least a little bit of their kindness and generosity through our work at the clinic.