Chinooked-Jourdan McPhetridge

Jourdan McPhetridge, AVC 2019, traveled to Nain and Sheshatshiu in 2018 as one of the student participants on the Chinook Project. As part of the experience, the students craft various pieces of reflective writing.

October 15, 2018

This photo was taken on our last clinic day in Nain. The surgical and medical appointments were finished in the early afternoon and this was our first opportunity to explore the town and surrounding hiking trails. We finished packing up the clinic supplies and quickly piled into the back of the truck in hopes of seeing Nain and its beautiful mountains before the sun went down. As we drove through town, I realized there was much more to the culture in Nain than what we had glimpsed within the clinic that week. We were taken to a trailhead in the mountains overlooking the small community of Nain where we hiked, learned about local wildlife and picked Labrador tea. We stayed until the sun went down, even though we were soaked with rain. Our day was fulfilling and we were content and ready to head back to our cozy apartment in the research station for one last night.

When I look back through the photos of our trip, this moment captures a feeling unique to the Chinook Project experience. Despite the intense exhaustion, we were always grateful and excited to be exactly where we were; experiencing a new culture, practicing veterinary medicine and spending time together- a feeling we describe as being Chinooked.