Tales From the Tipi (and the Tundra)

Time flies here in Kuujjuaraapik. I have managed to avoid the "winter blahs" by getting involved in a variety of activities both in and out of school.

Amanda and I finally decided to take advantage of the community swimming pool and began taking swimming lessons with Arianne. She must think I am nuts but I am more excited about the "report cards" than the actual lessons. The only drawback was the water in my ear that had to be taken care of by the doctor at the Health Centre. After days not being able to hear, I finally can be sane again...

I have gone out icefishing with Mary, Leonard, and his sister. I posted some pics on Facebook. It was SO much fun. I miss going out every weekend.

Paul (the Culture teacher from Cape Breton) and I took my class out to his tipi for the day. We got money from the school and we bought food and gas. We prepared the food the day before and got Richard to drive us all out to Second Point where the Ski-doos go out onto the Bay. Paul then started doing trips out to his camp and back. One of my students, Nuna, and I were the last to get picked up...probably about 5 kms out. We spent the day eating Arctic Char and caribou and all of the food we had brought. It was nice to see some of the kids who are not academically inclined shine. We all have our strengths: making high grades or starting fires...what really matters? Anyway, the kids are different now (working more) and are looking forwward to our next trip out in March. I love my job...

Amanda and I borrowed snowshoes from here at school and we went across to the other side of the Great Whale River with Serge and Carole. It was a nice day but the snowshoes were cheap and kept coming off. We had a nice picnic on the other side which was nice as well, although the wood was wet and kept going out.

I finally opened the community library for the first time in 2009 a few weeks ago. It took a long time for the community and the Social Club to recover after Andre's death. It has been slow but it will pick up.

Chantal is coming from Toronto to visit me from March 13-20. Can't wait to have a visitor.

I am heading to the Cree community of Waskaganish in March with a few students for the 2009 Aboriginal Science Fair. It should be nice. It will be great to get out.

I can't wait for my trip to Los Angeles to hang out with Janet. April 11-18. A few days in Montreal beforehand will be great.

I guess the biggest news for me is the big trip I am planning this summer. I am finally going to go visit Sarah and her family in England. I will be leaving from Halifax on June 25th and then will return on July 23. We are doing a trip to see her sister in Majorca. A weekend trip to Paris. I will also do a 24 hour trip to Dublin and another to Amsterdam. Those are by plane. I am aso doing a train trip to Edinburgh and Dumfries (to do family research). I can't wait.

On a sad note, a number of relatives back home in Nova Scotia are sick. My thoughts and good wishes are with them.

Back On The Tundra

It was nice coming back here to Kuujjuaraapik after two weeks. I had a great time at home with family and friends for the holidays but I realized (yet again) how much I enjoy the slower pace here. I missed walking. In Halifax, I drove my car everywhere and I could feel it physically. It will be nice to get back into some sort of routine involving the gym and getting out as much as possible. Let's hope the weather cooperates.

A few New Years Resolutions that I plan on keeping (for now):

1. Get out on the land as much as possible.
2. Read everyday.
3. Be mindful.
4. Plan a big trip for the summer.
5. Finish my MRP by the end of February.
6. Pay down the debt as much as possible.
7. Decide what I want to do "when I grow up".
8. Go to the gym.
9. Be kind.
10. Take time for others, things I enjoy doing, and, mostly, for myself.

These should all be attainable and are pretty realistic.

Happy new year to everyone and all the best in 2009!

The Christmas Miracle(s)

Well, after much speculation, I have made it to Halifax. It wasn't an easy week leading up to the 19th. It was only on the Monday before that I realized that I only had one hour to get to my Air Canada connector flight to Halifax in Montreal. This would have been fine had I not had to deplane, retrieve my baggage, check back in, and go through security. Needless to say, I was a bit anxious in the days leading up to leaving. To make matters worse, when I got to the airport in Kuujjuaraapik, I was told the plane was running forty-five minutes behind. At that point, I knew I was in big trouble as I had checked the Air Canada flight availability and the next flight I would be able to get out of Montreal would have been on Sunday. To make matters even worse, there was a huge storm in Toronto that was causing Christmas flight chaos all across the country.

About an hour into our flight as Amanda and I were watching Arrested Development, Amanda suggested that I tell out flight attendant about my situation and maybe he could call ahead. I flagged him down and explained my situation and he said he would talk to the captain to see what he could do. He came back about ten minutes later and asked me to describe my bag; that he was going to try and get me to the back of the plane when we landed, help me find my bag, and get me to the gate as quick as possible. I had already checked in online for the AC flight before leaving Kuujjuaraapik. A while later, he asked me to write down my contact information in Halifax and to write a description of my bag. He also said the pilot could not find out any information about my flight but that he would keep trying. About thirty minutes before we landed, the flight attendant came back and asked if I could leave my bag behind (I wasn't allowed to go back into the cargo area to retrieve it myself) and just run to the plane. I said sure as I had only packed Christmas gifts in the suitcase. He said they would either send my bag on to Halifax or back to Kuujjuaraapik. Either way, I should contact Air Canada the next day to see if the bag had been sent on.

I was instructed to come to the front of the plane as soon as the plane landed. I did. Everyone watched as I made my way to the front and tried to keep my balance as the plane made the long taxi. It finally stopped in front of a gate with an Air Canada plane at it. The flight attendant got me out and we ran to a staff door. He pointed to the Air Canada plan and said, "Run!" which I did once I got in the door. And...I did...

I ran and ran and ran and...I got to the gate and the plane had yet to even board! It too was late getting in from Winnipeg. I was out of breath. I waited for the plane to board and then I saw all of my colleagues from the Air Inuit flight walk by. I told them I was fine, that I had made the flight, and they too seemed relieved. I finally boarded the plane after having been tempted to try and retrieve my bag. I ended up in the plane for 45 minutes on the tarmac and watched Tropic Thunder. Luckily, I arrived at 2:30am (two and a half hours late) in Halifax to a tired mother and sister.

That was miracle number one: making the connecting flight to Halifax.

Miracle number two happened the next day. I knew I would never get hold of Air Canada baggage. So I looked up flights and knew that there were six coming in from Montreal. Three in the morning and three in the afternoon/evening...so Sarah and I went out around noon. I talked to the baggage guy and he said there was no record of my bag at all in the system but that a flight from Montreal had just come in. I was to take a look and if it wasn't there, I was to come back and file a report. We ran into Alison, Frankie, and the kids who had missed their flight in the morning due to long line-ups at the Trudeau Airport. As we were talking, I managed to catch a glimpse of my bag out of the corner of my eye. It was there! I picked it up and it had a "rush" tag on it with my mom's number on it saying to call when it arrived.

Now, I am not a miracle believer usually but I tell you, some forces were at work. I am thankful to the Air Inuit flight attendant and pilot who went that extra mile. I am going to find out their names and write a letter. Something like this needs to be recognized...

I am here in Halifax with good friends and family. Life, once again, is good. Happy holidays!

Power Outage and the Blizzard

The view from my living room on Snow Day.

The front of my house after the blizzard

Mary making dinner

Leonard and Jonah

Stacey, Julia, Jonah, Surina, Garek, and Kirby

Well, I am working in the library today and can't help but think that this time next week, I will be walking through Halifax Shopping Centre with my Second Cup latte in my hand doing some last minute shopping. I am SO looking forward to the break. I am just hoping that the weather continues to cooperate here as Air Inuit has been (knock on wood!) fairly reliable in terms of flying in questionable weather. Air Creebec not so much...I also read that it was 16 degrees in Halifax yesterday. This could be an interesting adjustment as this week is was -32 with the windchill most days. It was so nice to break out the parka that Jean made for me in Coral Harbour...and the beaver mitts I made. Lots of compliments on both and I have been so warm!

Not much has been going on really. My class got our new laptop, projector, and video cameras for our video project. They have been really enthusiastic and responsible with them. We took them skating and when we helped out for an elders lunch last weekend, they taped it all. The most surprising thing is that they came on the weekend on their own time. We have been making little movies in class. They are a bit boring but they are learning. Eventually, I would like to post some movies on this blog and create one for the class. We will see.

Last Friday was a Ped Day so we had no students. Around 3pm, the Recreation Coordinator called and told me that I had to get two teams (one girls and one boys) together for a COSOM Floor Hockey and Mini Basketball tournament. This was an Under 13 tournament that had been cancelled a number of times and since I had no students and hadn't practiced, I was a bit concerned. So I got people to make calls and we went on the radio. I managed to pull together two teams and was at the gym about 22 hours between Friday and Saturday: the boys placed third in basketball and the girls got first in COSOM and second in basketball. Not bad. We got t-shirts and brought three banners back to the school. Imagine if we had practiced???

This week we had out first blizzard and subsequent power outages. My power was mostly on and it was nice to have a Snow Day. I mostly watched Roswell (Season One) for the 5 millionth time...I can't get enough of that show. Mary and her family came over that night to cook and hang out. They are on the Cree side and they didn't have power most of the day. They were getting cold and hungry and, being a family of six, this would not be a good thing. They came over and hung out for a few hours. We were prepared for them to spend the night but their power came back on. It was actually fun having a full house.

I had a foster kid overnight at my house this week. Only one night and it went fine. This seven year old kid breaks my heart. He has been bounced fro community to community and from foster home to foster home. He has issues but what kid doesn't. He was kicked out of his second foster home and that is how he ended up with me. I decided not to take him more than one night as I am leaving next Friday and it wouldn't be fair. I told DYP (Youth Protection) that if he wasn't placed by January that we might be able to work something out. A lot of work but worthwhile. The problem is if I become too attached. The odds of me being able to get an Inuit kid adopted and move down south is not great. One day at a time...

I am sure this will be the last entry until the new year. If you are in Nova Scotia, see you soon. If not, all the best over the holidays and in 2009!

Friday Night and Phoque Mittens

Language is a funny and strange thing; especially here in Kuujjuaraapik. I am constantly flipping from English to French to my limited Inuttitut vocabulary. What I use when is completely dependent on who I am speaking with and in what context. This leads me into a funny little incident that happened on Friday night where my brain tuned out and I became linguistically challenged.

Friday night, Guerlaine had a wine and apple themed party. She generally has a few of these each month and each has a specific theme. People are welcome to drop by between 5 and 7pm. She is a planner and she picks up what she will need in advance when she visits home in Montreal. She is the coordinator for the Inuit daycares along the Hudson Coast so she travels a lot. Her husband is James, the Youth Worker in town, and they have a beautiful son named Gabriel. Her generosity is great and she invites everyone which is refreshing.

After the party Friday, Amanda, Noel, and Joey (a teacher from the Cree School) went to the restaurant to have dinner. We didn't really need more food after Guerlaine's but we had planned it earlier in the week so we decided to go anyway. The regular French gang from my school was there and we chatted a bit. As they were leaving, Carole (the principal's wife) came over and she had these beautiful long leather mittens that she had bought when they lived in Inukjuak. I told her I wanted them and she replied by saying she would bring me her 'phoque mittens'. Now most of us know that phoque means seal in French and normally, so do I; but for one split second, I only concentrated on the phoque part and then I heard mittens. For some reason, I couldn't put the two of them together. I genuinely asked, "Why the hell are fuck mittens?" It was then that Amanda and Joey (incredulously) pointed out that she meant seal mittens. That phoque was seal. I was slightly confused for a second and then realized my mistake. I laughed and laughed. How could I have not gotten that?

This goes to show you that no matter what you know and how long you have known it, it still can be 'misplaced' in our linguistic data banks. I just thought I would share this one:)

The countdown begins...26 days till Christmas vacation...

The Simple Things

Speaking of simple is best...life here in simple which is great. I am enjoying "reconnecting" with myself and the Inuit people. It is really interesting how things are playing out here. There are two main divides: between the Inuit and the Cree and the other between the French and the English. I speak French well yet the French seem to "keep things separate" from the English. For example, there was a French party on Saturday that I wasn't invited to simply because I wasn't a francophone. This division makes me sad. Keep in mind, as well, that these people are the ones who don't spend time with anyone who is Inuit. Sad really. Not sure why they are here. My goal is to get to know as many people as I can regardless of what their backgrounds are.

We had some snow last week. I was "housebound" for parts of the weekend. The first snow storm wasn’t really that bad. I think my windows had lots snow on them so it looked worse than it actually was. Last week, there was SO much wind though. I checked out Environment Canada when I got home on Friday and it said the winds were 65 kph with gusts over 70 kph. This would explain why Amanda and I were dodging rocks all the way home. It made for a tough (and rough) walk home. Amanda took many pictures. I sent some out to people. One woman at the Post Office said that she had never seen Hudson Bay that high before (in terms of waves). It was pretty incredible.

There were deaths of two elders in the community last week. They had to postpone Hallowe’en activities until this week and the “double funeral” twice. They finally had them on Monday afternoon. They had the Inuit Hallowe’en contests last night at the Triple Gym. They had a costume contest, a cake decorating contest, and a pumpkin carving contest. We had last Thursday off because one of the men who died was the father of Richard Fleming, our bus driver. We were closed out of respect for him.

I am very excited for my Christmas Break already. The others are counting down till we leave but I am not exactly sure how many “more sleeps”…maybe 38? I am I will be arriving in Halifax around midnight on Dec. 19th and will be there until Jan. 3rd. Lots of shopping and visiting. My first Christmas home in years. The simple things…still make me happy…

Lazy Days

Amanda, Sukatu, and Kirby

I haven't written in a while for a number of reasons. Firstly, I have been fairly busy doing a whole lot of nothing. Secondly, I am settling into a routine that isn't really worth writing about.

There have been a few significant events, however since I last wrote:

1. Darren's 40th birthday party. It was fun, somewhat eventful, but I will not go into details here...those who know, know...


2. Amanda and I rescued two puppies. A dog had a litter of puppies and we were told that if they did not all go, they would be shot. There are way too many dogs here running loose with no owners as I have written about before. We took two and kept them in my porch which got a bit messy. Amanda wanted one but we didn't want to leave the other behind. We arranged for the second puppy to go down south but we ended up giving her to Rhoda from work. Amanda's puppy's name is Sukatu meaning 'fast'. She is a nice dog but she sure is a puppy (ie., chewing, biting, digging, crapping, etc.). Kirby doesn't know what to make of her when she visits. She hisses when Sukatu gets too close but no injuries yet. The poor puppy just wants to play and Kirby is a 13 year old cat...you do the math...


3. We had our first 'mini snowfall' this past week. It was about 2 or 3 inches. It ended up melting by the end of the week. I love the beginning of winter in the Arctic. I was more than happy to get out my winter boots. I love them. They are comfortable and warm. They are predicting 10-20 centimetres for Friday which is Hallowe'en. This could make for an interesting day.


4. I got word from Ian Martin (my Masters advisor from York University) that my first two chapters are pretty much ready to go. I will have to add a few things as I do my interviews. This is good news. I am hoping to interview Mary very soon. I want to complete everything by February or March so I can graduate in the Spring.


5. I got a $7000 grant from New Paths to buy video cameras and equipment for a video project I am calling The Oral History of Kuujjuaraapik. This is where my students will go around the community and collect stories from community members and elders about the town. We will have a public viewing at some point. It would be neat if we could get it on television somehow...maybe APTN or CBC North.


6. My friend, Melina, left Kuujjuaraapik this past week. I am really sad about it. She is going to try to find another job here. I miss her a lot. She called last night and she sounded great. Sometimes everyone needs a break.


7. One of my former students from Nunavut (Vicki Gibbons) was featured in an article in the Nunatsiaq News on October 10th. It was about the movie made about her NYAP (Nunavut Youth Abroad Program) group and their trip to Africa. I was her mentor for the Canadian and International phases and also helped her apply for Nunavut Saviniksavut in Ottawa. I am SO proud of her.

Today was a great day. After Amanda left from our regular Saturday brunch at my place, I made a latte and began writing a few letters to Mom and Janet. I didn't turn on the television. Instead, I listened to a few CDs on the little CD player that Melina left me. It was so nice. Itwas then that I realized that life is good. I haven't made the time for something like that (ME time) since I arrived and I certainly never had the time for a Lazy Day activity such as that in Toronto. It is time to just 'Be'. I can see the type of people who would hate the North: those that need to be entertained all of the time and those who are afraid to be alone by themselves.

Me? I am happy....yes...happy...