Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Nov 01/02) - The Deh Cho has been injected with some international flavour.

Frontiers Foundation volunteers have been assisting at schools in Fort Providence and Fort Simpson in what is known as "Operation Beaver."

Hong Soon Kim is a veteran of the program, having spent last year in Rae-Edzo. In Fort Providence, she has been helping Deh Gah elementary students with their school work. Classes in her homeland of South Korea, where she studied Chinese and Chinese literature in university, run through Saturday, she noted. Many students in South Korea spend after-school hours learning English.

"It's different cultures, different weather. Everything is different," said Kim, who added that she loves the North's big, beautiful sky.

Although her experience has mostly been positive, she did get frostbitten on her ears and nose last winter, she noted.

Daniela Stahel, who teaches handicrafts and painting in Switzerland, said she too is intrigued by the North.

"I like to see something else," she said. "I'm really interested in Canadian nature, interested in how people live here."

In Fort Simpson, Wendy English, who hails from the Midlands of England, has done as much learning as she has teaching. She made several trips with students to the fall Slavey camp across the Mackenzie River.

"We caught some massive fish," she said, smiling. "And I learned about berries, which ones are edible."

She also made her first dream-catcher and cooked bannock over the fire.

English, who is an adult educator in her home country, tutors Bompas elementary students in literacy.

She's also been holding math games, sorting out the library, putting up displays in the hallways, assisting with computer research and helping out at Thomas Simpson school's study hall in the evening.

She said in the afternoons, she loves to indulge in nature walks.

"I'm having a great time," she said.

She's been staying in the student residence, where supervisor Brenda Nirlungayuk has been taking good care of her.

"(Brenda's) really been wonderful. She cooks great food, too."