Christmas break, Fun, Rush and Challenges

 Merry Christmas and Happy New year!

    It was such a blessing to be able to go home for Christmas! Due to the Covid regulations in the Yukon, I was forced to spend some amazing quality time with my family. 

Travel and Goodbyes

    My Christmas break really started at 12 am December 17, when I broke the spikeball net. Things got better and worse from there. I figured that was about the time I should go finish bed-bug proofing my room before the holidays. I didn't. We played spikeball and Tip-it for several hours, but dispite that I was done packing by two, and went back down to chat with everyone. Throughout the night, people gradually said began to trickle away, saying there good-byes. I, however, and a couple others, decided to stay up the entire night through. The one of the saddest parts of my Christmas break was 5:00 in the morning when, after hugs and tears, two of my close friends climbed into a pick-up truck and drove away. The rest of the morning wasn't much better, even though JoJo and I were in the next group to leave. We dropped off our friends, and headed to a different ferry, where we were driven to his grandma's house to stay the night. 

    The next morning we went to the airport, after some delicious pancakes. Joah's grandma is amazing! After changing gates three times, and sitting on the plane for 30 minutes, Air Canada announced that there was a problem with the plane, that they had called maintenence, and they were very sorry, but we would not be leaving right away... We ended up changing planes and gates again, and were only two hours late leaving Vancouver. In spite of that all, and the Covid restrictions at the airport, it was such a blessing to see Joah's mom and brother in the airport to pick him up. (My mom was waiting out in the cold because she was under quarantine at the moment). 

    There was a little bit of tension in my home when I arrived, because with my arrival we had three seperate bubbles of effective quarantining. My brother Alan, was the only one not quarantining when I arrived. He had his own room and bathroom, so that he could still go to work and youth group. Some family friends, from the NWT, were staying with us on the way down to B.C.. The community they live in has no cases, and they were virtually clean. My family had kind of joined their bubble, and were quarantining with them. Then there was me. Also coming from a "community" of no cases, but staying overnight in the metropolis of Vancouver, and flying home. I was deemed the highest risk in the household, and my dad would hear none of me joining the family and friend bubble until the next morning when the friend part of the bubble had travelled on. So that I wouldn't be a risk to them. Mom on the other hand thought that was heartless. When she picked me up from the airport I was allowed to take off my mask and give her a hug! An actual hug from my mother. Dad then exiled her with me.

    All this to say, the beginning of my break was an adventure, I enjoyed getting to talk to JoJo for a long time about how things were going at camp, because that was a luxery that wasn't often afforded us, the extra hour or two just seemed like a little bump in the road, but when I got home the beginnings of tension were laid. I was forced to walk around my own house calling out "unclean" through my mask. It was mostly a joke, but it was still hard for me not to feel rejected in a way, or unloved (the mask didn't help).This is the Dave Johnson that break all the rules, but for some reason felt his conscience wouldn't allow him to hug his oldest daughter when she arrived home after 3 months of college.  Auntie Lynn, was agast that Dad would not hug me, or have any contact with me, because although they understand Covid is a real disease, they have hope in Christ, and are not scared in the least. She almost hugged me, but out of respect for my dad we stayed six feet apart. 

The REAL Christmas break

    After everyone left the next morning the real Christmas break began. Alan joined our bubble and we were able to be a family as if nothing had happened. The rest of the break was a blur of fun and homework. My dad had more expectations for me and my homework then I did, so there was a little bit of tension between us as we navigated having me as a young adult back in my father's house and under his authority. This was a struggle for me, because I fell back into a habit I'm not proud of and had exchanged some harsh words with my dad. 

    For the most part, my Christmas break was an amazing blessing. Imagine being back in the snow! I had sure missed it! In the midst of all the busyness of Kaleo, it was so beautiful to slow down and spend time with my family. It was different than I expected, having most of my visits with my friends through window panes, but it was a joy nonetheless. We played street hockey, went haekle hilling, (our church family's extreme tobboganning down Haeckle Hill), had a couple sleep overs, (me and various amounts of brothers), watched movies and played video games as a familly. (If the kids beat the parents three games (days) in a row at street hockey we got to play an hour of Minecraft as a family) It was so much fun watching the various skill levels, and explaining the basics of the game to our parents.

I was given a cookbook for Christmas, and made my very own salad dressing! That was really fun! Thank-you Mom Alan, for the gift! My poor family had to put up with my experimenting, because I had felt deprived of kitchen time at school. So although the greek salad turned out great, the mexican dressing I tried to make did not. 

    All I Want for Christmas is You! That somg had been constantly stuck in my head throughout Kaleo, because apparently nobody has old Christmas hymms on their phones. That song title was great theme for my Christmas break. It was so cool to be with my brothers and parents again. Even though I was ready to go by the end of it, (and yet not really ready) I had sure missed them. 

    Even though our annual New Year's Sushi party didn't have our house packed with people, we were able to enjoy the fun of making and eating lots of Sushi and Portzelky. Selfishly I'll admit it was nice not to have to share. 

    Sadly Whitehorse's official New Year's Fireworks were cancelled, due to covid, but a lot of our neighbors set off their own, and so it was a real treat to stand in the snow with my family and watch colours burst in the sky, and guess when the next set would go off and where. To close off my break with my family we all slept out together in the family room, because we didn't get a chance to sleep under the tree pre-Christmas.

Old Endings and New Beginings

    New Year's day we were able to quickly finish up our last family hour of Minecraft just as Joah and Auntie Linda arrived to pick me up and drive the 34 hour trip to Vancouver. If I felt sleep deprived the whole of Christmas break because of that stupid All-nighter, it had nothing on arriving back at school. I may have slept most of the drive, not very helpful as a driver, but sleeping in the car was not restful. Because my class textbooks hadn't arrived before I left for Christmas break, I read off Joah's kindle out loud to keep him awake. I don't know how much he got out of it, but I had marked up the entire book with notes getting it ready for the exam. So while Joah drove 13 hours straight, I read for about 12 (with occasional gas and water breaks). After that I went to sleep again.

    The drive started out as a beautifully blinding sunny day against the fluffy white world, and became a mess of blowing snow, icy roads and eventually rain that reminisced of Noah's flood. The car also acted up a couple times, but we made it safely to Vancouver two days before classes. There we left Auntie Linda and moved on to the ferry and Vancouver Island, where we bought oil, and went to unpack our bed-bugless rooms. It was so much fun to be re-united with my roommates! I loved being able to spend the time to catch up with them as we folded clothes and made our beds. People trickled in at different times, and everyone felt the weight of the impending classweek. So hellos were excited but short. Supper was great because I had forgotten the joy in seeing everyone's smiles. That evening when some of the group was feeling relaxed and prepared, we played a game together called "Throw Throw Burrito" and more people began showing up (in bunches from the airport). A few illegal hugs were stolen (which I wrote on my sheet Jesse, don't worry the CRC team will know). And the evening was a mix of oppressive unpacking, lighthearted greetings and general uncertainty as to what the week would hold. Most of the class went to bed early.

    The next morning, less than 10 hours from when some of the class arrived, we were all in Club Coco for an Introduction to the New Testament with the amazing Wes Olmstead! Phil Wambua, my Kaleo Church's main Youth Pastor Person had warned us about Wes, saying I wouldn't be looking forward to his course so much when it arrived, but I think Wes may be my favourite professor. He combined the kindness and tenderheartedness of Merrill, the depth of professionalism and knowledge of Don, with the desire for transformation of Cal, and engaging nature of Sid Koop. Plus he remembers my Dad, which is a one up on Sid who didn't remember which house the fireplace glass shattered on him ;).  Although I think each of these professors were my favourite while I was in their classes.... I'm pretty fickle when it comes to profs, if you talked to me recently you are my favourite.

    Anyways the course had a feel of a bible study with a knowledgable leader who wanted to make sure we understood the main points and themes. We went through Mark, spent a little bit of time in the Sermon on the Mount, went a little faster through Galatians and skimmed three chapters of Revelation. Me and another of the students, Patrick had fun guessing what view Wes held on the book, but my guess was never confirmed. Although by the end of the class Patrick too was convinced that he held that view even though it was contrary to a comment he made earlier in the class saying something to the effect of "none of these views are fully right."

    Now we are getting ready for two large papers, an exam, a large virtual retreat we are holding, and various little jobs Korey and Jesse have placed into the next week because "it's a free week with nothing to do." To be honest, the first time I've talked to Thomas this week was to ask him what happened to my roommate yesterday, and I still haven't talked to more than three of my classmates.