Safe in the south for Christmas

Friday teh 17th dawned clear and calm, which was an auspicious beginning to my travel day. But, typical of Kivalliq Air, at 10:10 am they were still hunting for a working plane. They did find one and left Winnipeg 3-1/2 hours late at 12:30 pm. I got to the airport at 1:30 to wait and by 2:00 the weather had closed in with blowing snow and winds.

The plane finally made it at 3:30 but had to make three passes over the airport before it could land, but at least it DID land! Air Inuit then came in, and left, and we were still waiting...but by the time we boarded it was clear and calm again. It was an uneventful flight, but take note, fellow travellers: Kivalliq does NOT have a bathroom on their plane! And it is a 2-1/2 hour flight...Yikes!

I was safely in my hotel and in a tub by 8:00 pm local time, and had a good rest before heading to the airoport to catch the flight to Regina. A bit of a delay, but landed without incident just after 10:30 am. Happy happy HAPPY to be home with family!

Mom and Dad arrived on Sunday evening, none the worse for wear, and we are busy making final preparations for a family Christmas. For those who are interested, here's the daylight hours info for Sanikiluaq on the shortest day of the year:

Sunrise: 8:50

Sunset: 15:39

I'll sign off for the holidays and wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Peace on Earth, and Joy to the World and to all my friends and family!

TTFN!

 

What was that???

I woke up this morning and felt disoriented...something was DEFINITELY wrong and I could not put my finger on it. Then it clicked...there was NO WIND! Peaceful, blessed silence! Ahhhhh....that's so much better!

As I walked to school, a fresh Christmas snow was falling, frosting the surrounding buildings and hills and creating a winter wonderland. Lovely!

One week today, and the Christmas parties in the class will be on, then packing up and out to the airport to await my chariot back to home and hearth for the Christmas Holidays. :-D

TTFN!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...tra la la!

Winds are howling, snow is streaming, waves are crashing...it's a full-scale blizzard and we are at HOME! WOOT! The locals are commenting on how the waves are crashing right onto the road. When they say they haven't seen it like this, you know you've got a real gale on your hands!

Hooray for snow days!

I hadn't planned on jogging yet...

Nope. Had not planned to start running again, especially while my knee is still sore from the last tumble I took on the ice. Figured I might rest it up a bit first...but Mother Nature had other plans.

There I was, picking my way home carefully through the slush and ice while the gentle breezes rocked my body gently from side to side at about 90 km per hour. I was at a 15% tilt off level, leaning into the wind and trying to walk a semi-straight line. Turned the corner to head down the road to our house, and the wind came full at my back. My feet blew up and out, and I wound up doing a triple-time Nazi goose step jog all the way to our door, LOL! My arms were flung out trying to keep my balance, and all I could picture was the little fat angel my sister gave to me one year, all roly-poly with toes pointed and arms akimbo. Ha ha, wish I'd had a video camera! With my orange ski jacket I must have resembled a giant flying pumpkin...

A good day with my grade 7's today. They sat down, they got into groups for their levelled readers, I got a chance to work with the non-readers, they all did their work...I looked at them and said, "Did someone steal my grade 7's and sneak some new kids in here?" Giggle, giggle, "No!" I looked at them, "Reaaaally? I think someone switched kids on me!" "No!" giggle, giggle! I even walked out the door, and looked at the classroom, "Yep, this LOOKS like grade 7...but someone snuck in new kids on me!" By this time they're in hysterics, laughing. So win some, lose some, today I won one. Ahhhhhh...felt good.

If this weather holds, we may have a green Christmas here...rain has washed away most of the slush. The wind has frozen the top layer into ice again, thank heavens I finally found the ice trackers! All I can hope is that the fog stays away and the winds are settled intwo weeks from tomorrow when I fly home for the holidays!

TTFN!

Time flies...

I cannot believe that it is the first of December already,and that there are only 12 more days of school this year! And that it has been a full month since I last sat down to post...

It has been very mild, although still very windy most days. That simply means that the surfaces all freeze into sheets of ice. I have finally found my ice trackers, but not before having fallen at least six times. I have a very sore right knee now, but I am persevering. Heat and ice and some Advil are working well.

We had a lot of fun yesterday with my grade 11 Math class. The students have had to learn about income, time cards, budgets and expenses, and they have earned a "salary" as information processing technicians since the start of school. Yesterday we wrapped it all up, and held a huge auction to allow them to spend their "savings". I made brownies, all sorts of cookies, banana bread and cake. I had iPod Friday coupons, 15-minute free time coupons, Steve Spangler science goodies, and one each of a full day free time (including exclusion from homework that day) and one iPod Friday until the end of term. The scene was set...

Upon arrival, which had been VERY eagerly awaited, the students received a bidding paddle and a sheet to track their "withdrawals" as they won items. A fun demo of the science goodies, and we were underway. What a riot! The bidding was fast and furious, students laughing hysterically, and the oddest thing going for huge bids...the first brownie went for not too high a price until Timothy bit into it and made a mock swoon of ecstacy. The next ones went for many times the first bid, LOL! When the free time all day coupon came up, Daisy jumped up and yelled, "500 DOLLARS!" for the opening bid. Everyone laughed so hard no one else could bid and she got it. Some of the science goodies went for many "hundreds" of dollars. Tim popped in to see what all the laughter was and said later that he had never seen them have so much fun.

The grade 7's have been off lately. One of them wrote a rather miserable thing on the wall about another student, and everyone proclaimed their innocence. So today I had them copy a sentence out 5 times that had each of the words in a different sentence. Then I told them I was like CSI and was going to do a handwriting analysis to match it to the culprit's handwriting. Suddenly three kids felt an urgent need to go out and scrub the wall...Bwa ha ha, Stealth Mom strikes again! Don't mess with a mom, kids! Hee hee! There are days I tell them that I have eyes in the back of my head, and put my glasses on the back of my head , which gives them no end of giggles.

For Dad...

Sunrise: 8:27

Sunset: 15:45

Yep, damned dark when I go to school and when I go home...

Anyhow, 16 days and with good luck Kivalliq Air will fly, safely, and I will land in Winnipeg before heading to Regina for Christmas with my family. Ho, ho, ho-ping for good weather, LOL! TTFN!

It's beginning to look a lot like winter...la la la...

We have our first real snow on the ground today. We have had some flurries prior to this, but nothing significant enough to stay on the ground. The locals are all telling us that the snow is late this year, usually arriving early- to mid-October. There are about three inches on the ground, on top of wet rocks and gravel...so needless to say it is slippery as heck out there! I have my ice tracks somewhere in the house. I know I unpacked them. I just don't remember where the heck I put them, LOL! Sigh...another Senior's Moment.

I took my grade 7's out for a walk with Louisa today for our exercise period. We walked up to the cemetary and used the opportunity to talk about remembering those who have died and thus Remembrance Day. The school will be closed for the day, so a nice breather mid-week. It will be welcome, as the kids have been squirrely for the past couple of weeks. And now I'm squirrely, as the report cards are due on Tuesday. I will be spending the bulk of the day at the school on Saturday and Sunday, marking, writing reports, and planning for the week. Well, I would have been there anyhow, I'll just be there a bit longer than usual.

It sure is getting dark earlier and earlier. When I help out at Bingo, it is dark when I leave just after 6:00 pm. When I walk to school in the morning just after 7:00 am, it is still black. But we all get an extra hour of snooze time now that the clocks will roll back, so hurray!

Not much else is new, so I'll sign off for now. Love and hugs to all!

Excitement abounds as the sealift arrives!

Today, at long last, the sealift is in! Our dry goods (courtesy of Jenn), school supplies, and a PHOTOCOPIER have arrived!!! Huzzah! The waterfront is rocking as the tugs go back and forth to the barge, hauling in loads of sea cans (as the containers are called). The large ship does not come in, staying just outside of the harbour in Hudson Bay proper, so the barge is actually the smaller ship.

You can see one of the tugs at the side getting loaded. They ferry the rafts back and forth to the beach in front of the Northern Store, where the forklift unloads the containers.

Meanwhile, we had our big Halloween extravaganza at the school yesterday. A few of the teachers got a bit silly at lunch. From left to right, my roommate Kelly, Annette, Julia (long-term resident and teacher), and moi. We had the door-decorating contest, which my class won, again.  They worked really hard and deserved it.

We all went to the gym, where they had a costume parade, movie, and races organized by Kelly and Jenn.

To my left is Allie, and to my right is Quentin.

The monsters are Annie, Karuula, Jimmy Sam, Moses, Quentin and Eric. The glam doll in the hot pink wig? Some crazy qallunaat (white person)! Just can't help fussing with the hair, LOL! The kids thought it looked so good that I should dye it that colour forever. Maybe when I'm 70 and retired to Arizona! No wait...that's when you go with the blue wash...Hee hee!

So tata for now, and I'll keep you posted from the far, still-not-white-yet north! Mwah! Kisses!

Not every day is upbeat...

I'm inside, listening to the wind howl outside AND inside, thanks to leaky windows that are scheduled for replacement but are still with us to date. The wind has been howling for the better part of the past week, knocking out a lot of communications such as internet. It has been frustrating. Add to that perpetual grey cloud and frequent horizontal drenching rains, and it has been a grim week and a half. Oh, and did I mention that our coffee maker broke? Yep. Been a great time here. Note to self...staple smile onto face before leaving house...

The kids were absolutely crazy by the time I returned from my travels. Happy to see me, but still climbing the walls. Sigh... One step forward and two steps back. Even now it is a daily, hourly and even minute-to-minute challenge to get their attention and keep it focussed. On Friday, I had kids running in the hall, who just neglected to actually show up in class. Chased them out of the hall and into the office, and another student grabbed a knife blade and tried to self-injure. Lovely. Yet every time the principal pokes his head in, he tells me that what he sees in my classes makes him very, very happy. So maybe it's not all grim. Just feels that way. Who knows, maybe the endless days of sun and warmth are tiresome? LOL!

We are currently awaiting our Food Mail order. The planes could not land today, so they will try tomorrow. On the plane should be all of the fixings for a big Thanksgiving dinner, hosted at our house. Should be fun, but still I wish I could be home with family. We have ordered a huge turkey, although it may be a challenge to find a pan! I had Katie (bless her heart!) go shopping for me, but the mail service is rather slow. With luck, it will arrive for Christmas, ha ha!

Anyhow, this is a bit of a vent. There again, maybe a non-wind-related word would be better. This is a rant, so I will sign off for now and hope for brighter days to come. TTFN!

Travelling is fun, but so very tiring!

I have to preface today's update by saying that I have always wanted to (a) live near the water, and (b) travel a lot. It certainly seems that my wishes are coming true. I had just figured that I would be a bit more southernly-located in the process, LOL!

Here is the view of Eskimo Habour that I see every single day from my porch, and on the way to and from school. It is worth the trip.

Now, on to the details of my trip. I began in Sanikiluaq, and flew out via Air Inuit to Montreal. They certainly are not cheap, but they treat their passengers well. We had dinner service, and my meal choice was smoked salmon, served on a bed of mixed spring greens, and a couscous pilaf. A nice crusty ciabbata bun, a salad, and a two-tone (tiger?) brownie filled out the menu. Oh, yummmmmm!!!!! I landed in Montreal just after 7:30 pm, got to the bank, and then waited while the flight to Ottawa was delayed for a bit. I got into Ottawa late, as seems to be the case with hotels and I, arriving about 12:30 am.

The next morning, I arrived at the airport and was breezed through security in about 5 minutes! I was not expecting that, and had to cool my heels for over an hour while I waited on First Air to Iqaluit. Again, a short delay, and then off on a direct flight. Breakfast was cereal, fruit, yogurt, muffin, coffee and juice, again all included. They sure know how to pamper people! We flew over the strait and into Iqaluit, and my first glimpse of Baffin Island was complete with a small iceberg.

It is beautiful, and very strange to see nothing but rocks and lichen. Apparently the lichen is blood-red at this time of year, but it was hard to tell due to the cloud.

The airport in Iqaluit is rather strange as well. It looks like a series of cargo containers welded together. It is also very cold, as they usually have the cargo loading doors open, and as it is the capital city of Nunavut, the airport is always crowded. I grabbed a sandwich and waited for the flight to Cape Dorset.

We were airborne just after 2:00 pm and again, a surreal landscape from the plane. As we crossed over yet another strait, we could see more icebergs, but the windows of the plane were a bit dirty, and all I caught in the snapshots were pictures of dirt smears! Oh well! Here's a pic of the aerial view leaving Iqaluit anyhow. See if you can spot the dirt on the window...

The Cape Dorset Suites, where we stayed, was beautiful. It was a housekeeping set-up, although that would have been handy to know before leaving Sanikiluaq as I could have packed a small container of things like milk powder, jam and peanut butter. The Co-op had all we needed, though. I got individual juice containers, eggs, bread, yogurt, and frozen dinners. We ate just fine. Coffee was provided. Here's a few pics of the airport, the hotel, and my room.

The town is built in amongst several valleys and rolling hills. We overlooked the harbour, and it was only a short walk down the hill to the school. The weather was nice but windy and cool. No surprise for Nunavut, LOL! And me the one who always said that I was moving to Arizona because it was warm...

The yellow building is one of the Art Studio Co-ops that is run by the local artists. I browsed and shopped carefully, buying a small statue of an owl and a polar bear, both soapstone carvings. I would take a picture, but they are safely bubble-wrapped for transport and I don't want to chance opening them. In Cape Dorset, a full 25% of the population makes a living in carving, print-making, or other forms of artistic expression. It is the largest per capita concentration anywhere in Canada.

I left on Friday morning, flying out to Iqaluit, and toured the town while I waited for my flight at 4:40 pm. We went to Kuujjuaq first, and then from there to Montreal. Dinner was filet mignon, a crusty roll, salad, all the red or white wine you wanted, and a gooey brownie. It was delicious, but by the time I landed in Montreal I was feeling ill. I don't think it was the dinner, as today I am sore and achey and slightly feverish. I suspect I have picked up whatever bug Kelly, my roommate, was battling. It didn't stop me from shopping at Pennington's, Staples, and the Dollar Store! But now I am going to relax in the tub, stretch out, and enjoy a nap. I will talk to everyone once I get back home on Monday.

TTFN!

Never a dull moment!

Ah, life in the north, where nothing is so certain as the fact that everything is never certain!

I was busy preparing for my trip tomorrow. Like a good little traveller, I bathed myself and then tossed a load of laundry into the wash in order to have nice, clean, people-friendly unsmelly clothing and body. Poor Kelly, who has been sick all day, used the bathroom after me and came out to announce that the toilet would not flush. We've had three instances of the water being out due to high sewage levels, so out into our back room I go, look into our tank, and OOPS! no water! Egad! A sick roomie, all my clothes in the wash, and not a drop to wash or flush with!

A call went out to our principal, who raced over to assist. He and I grabbed our two 18L jugs and our 10L jug. We filled the 10L with drinking water at his house and took the other two to the river, where we climbed into the stream and held them under to fill up. Where was the camera when we needed one? It would have been a shot worthy of the yearbook! We did not fall in, and we managed to get the water home for emergency flushes. But it was rather comical. We were apparently a spectacle, for a few children came over to see what the heck the silly teachers were doing, and why they were doing it.

Life is anything but dull up here!

Is it still September?

Somehow it seems like there has been far more time passed here than the calendar says. I'm feeling like it is into late October and yet here we are, barely into our third week of school, and already with 2-1/2 days of extra closure that should have me feeling refreshed. I cannot figure out if it is the disorganization or the effort that has me worn out. I need more storage space than there is in the classrooms. I miss filing cabinets to store work and papers. I miss my filing slots on my desk. I miss the extra room for tables, upon which I could store pencils and erasers and glue sticks and other paraphernalia. I miss functional calculators! And mostly, I miss my electric pencil sharpener. I am going to buy one next weekend when I am staying over in Montreal.

I am enjoying the small successes, though. My grade 7 class has gone bonkers for the whole concept of the "Good Student" tokens. I walk into the class, hold up the tokens, and announce that I am always watching for students who are seated and ready to work. The mad scramble to the desks ensues, and a sea of smiling faces with zippered lips beams at me. Ah, tokens, how I love you! For Mr. Murray, whose idea it was originally, many thanks.

My grade 10 students are another kettle of fish...too cool for school, stuck with a mandatory credit course, they are steadfastly resisting any effort to get them to work. Even the use of a "job" and "payday" system did not go over too well until today. Today was the first chance they had to spend some "cash" on free-time coupons, or iPod time coupons. I'm trying to lure them into paying a lot ahead so that they won't have enough to pay the "rent" on their desks...talk about real-life applications when I "evict" my "tenants" for not paying rent! Bwa ha ha!

Anyhow, the payday was actually being well-received. And then I threw a wrench into the works. I dragged out a jumbo tub of homemade cookies. Well! Pandemonium! They could not part with their cash fast enough. Most of them have nothing left in the bank now, so my scheme is going according to plan. And the few who never bothered to show up more than once a week realized that they had not earned enough cash to participate. Life is hard, and I think they got the point.

The grade 11 class, who is also learning to budget, is a study in contrasts. Every one of them banked all of their money whereas the 10's banked only what they needed to pay their first "bill". Every one of the grade 11's attends daily and works hard. Some earn extra money as tutors and my banking helpers. The cookies also went over well there, and a few who had desperately craved the free time chose the food instead, but most went for the iPod day. Interesting....and they all have cash left for their next round of bills. Very interesting!

I'm going to be working like a beggar for the next two days. I have loads of marking to accomplish, lessons and materials for the week I'm away to prepare, and work ahead for the week back. I also have several tests to prepare for the 10's (who will likely fail en mass) and the 11's (who will almost all pass with flying colours). Interesting...

Hope everyone is well, and I am looking forward to my trip to Cape Dorset on the south-west part of Baffin Island. There is a store that specializes in Inuit art and soapstone carving, so I will allow myself to browse. Here's hoping that I get a direct deposit cheque today! TTFN!

Some random things about life in the north...

There are many interesting things about life in a remote northern area.

Random thing #1...there is rarely such a thing as free delivery when it involves Nunavut. I tried to order something from Staples last week, where they offered free delivery. Surprise A, they charge for deliveries in remote areas. Surprise B, they consider Nunavut too remote to even be able to pack something in a box and mail it. Maybe Canada Post should inform them that mail can actually arrive here.

Random thing #2...as in Fort Albany, school closures are a common occurrence. We lost the whole day on Wednesday to allow the teachers the time to visit the family of the community member who passed away from cancer in Winnipeg. We will be closed on Monday afternoon to permit the community to attend the funeral. And suddenly we have a workshop on Tuesday, so no school again. By the time my day book is reorganized, I have already done my planning for the week. I'm not complaining too much!

Random thing #3...I have to take a trip to Cape Dorset, a community much further north. In order to do this, I leave Sanikiluaq on Monday afternoon and fly with Air Inuit to Montreal, arriveing at 7:30 pm. I then fly to Ottawa at 9:50 pm. I stay overnight in a hotel. I then fly with First Air to Iqaluit on Tuesday. From Iqaluit I change to Canada North Air and fly to Cape Dorset, arriving at about 3:30 pm. The conference is on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, I fly Canada North Air to Iqaluit, then Air Inuit to Montreal, arriving at 9:00 pm. I get to stay, expenses paid, in Montreal until Monday when I can catch the Air Inuit flighr home to Sanikiluaq. There is no such thing as a straight trip from here to there anywhere in Nunavut.

Random thing #4...what you think might be expensive is very cheap, relatively speaking. Milk is only $3.87 per litre. It was almost twice that in Fort Albany. Eggs are only $3.85 per dozen. I would have thought that, being fragile, they would be very pricey. Nope. But a single onion or pepper will cost about $6.00, and a single can of pop almost $3.00. Not a case, not a bottle, but one little can. I drink a lot of water, needless to say! My roommate and I are making lavish use of the food mail program.

Random thing #5...while my students are all wonderful, I am saddened by how low their language levels are. I know that they are immersed in Inuktitut until the 4th grade, but they do not seem to have solid skills in basic language patterns. One interesting note may be that Inuktitut is much like German, with a root word that has many affixes and prefixes to denote change in gender, tense, place, and character. Thus a sentence like, "I had to walk to the store to get medicine for my son" would in Inuktitut become only one word, with about 18-20 syllables. Perhaps it is the phrasing into many small words that is defeating the attempts to read and write English. I'm going to study up and see what I can find online. However, it is fun to compare the Cree syllabics with those of Inuktitut, and my students and I carefully try to sound out and spell in both languages. Many laughs, especially the day I was trying to pronounce "Niliq", which I think means "goose" if I have it correct. The way I said it was the word for "fart", and cause a great deal of hilarity on all parts in the classroom.

Anyhow, my thoughts for the day. I plan to use my Montreal weekend to stock up on Halloween candy. Better that when I can bring 70 lbs free on Air Inuit, than to pay $25.00 for a small bag of assorted candies at the Northern! TTFN!

Incredible...

Kelly and I stepped out last night for a moment and this is what greeted us...

The sky was full of light...

There was a huge ring all around the town and over the harbour.

I got the pictures by resting the camera on the porch railing and using the "fireworks" setting.

I only wish that I had a panorama setting so I could have taken a wide-angle shot.

The camera did not capture the streaks of orange and pink on the bottom of this incredible streamer...

I'm thinking that a really good camera will be a worthwhile investment when I come south for Christmas!

Absolutely incredible!

The first week is done, and on with the work!

The first week went by, and I can not believe that I have only been here 11 days now. It has been such a busy time that it feels like a month or more. Kelly and I are settling into our house very nicely. We have been tidying and organizing, and amusing ourselves watching the power struggle between the two cats. Nermal, all 3.8 pounds of her, loves to sneak up and attack Tigger from the rear. Tigger has now taken to stalking her like a bulldog, slowly marching right up to her and making her run for cover under the nearest bed. Nermal naturally waits until Tigger walks away, jumps on him, and the fight is on again.

I worked with a few community members on Friday night, selling cards for the local bingo that raises money for the Day Care. It will be a very good way to meet the community and get to know people. One lovely elder saw me and came straight over, her face wreathed in smiles. She held out her hand and greeted me in Inuktitut, welcoming me as a newcomer to the community. The teachers are very valued here.

We had a great get-together on Saturday with several of the teachers and the two RCMP officers, Mike and Sheryl. Lots of laughs, which were sorely needed after two very hectic days with the students and many days of very windy, very wet, very cold and very gray days. Yecch! But the sun is out today, and we have been ahrd at work at the school to get things organized, so things feel much more normal.

The first two days of school were wild. With my Math classes, I had a register of 16 students for grade 10 and 19 students for grade 11. I now have about 25 students in grade 10, and 33 in grade 11! It is almost impossible to keep my attendance in order! The students are much lower in language and basic skills than I had hoped, but I am well prepared. My grade 7 class in the afternoon is going to be a piece of cake, although again I have some very low students with many language exceptionalities. My years in Fort Albany have prepared me for working in that type of setting, and I am grateful for the time there that helped me to be ready for this position.

However, the glitches are still getting worked out. My first paycheque arrived...literally. Somehow they did not get the direct deposit information set up, and I have a lovely paycheque with no bank anywhere near me! Plan A, call the bank to find out how I can get the cheque to them. Plan B, cash it and send money orders to cover bills. Plan C, save it and deposit it when I go out for my Math conference on the 24th. Decisions, decisions! And we are working with virtually no supplies in the classrooms until the sea-lift delivers supplies on the 9th of October. Almost no paper, no photocopier, no pencils, no markers, almost no books, missing texts...just another hurdle to overcome. And my last job has not sent my statement of experience despite repeated requests...I have to make a phone call very, VERY soon to inquire as to why that is the case. Grrrr!

I'm actually very excitied about my Math conference. Thanks to Kelly taking the grade 9 class, I get to fly to Montreal on September 24th. I then get a paid weekend stay, and fly out to Cape Dorset on Monday. From there I fly back to Montreal to stay, and then back up to Sanikiluaq. There are no direct flights, and the airlines do not fly daily, so it is a round-about way to get there, but a great chance for some shopping for necessary essentials! I think I will get some pencils, markers, lined paper, folders, and also look for a wire rack for kitchen storage. Woohoo! MWAH! Kisses to Kelly for letting me have the fun!

That's all for today, I am still up to my ears in paper work and planning.

Out on the land, or "When in Rome..."

We had a brief staff meeting this morning, and then set to work trying to create some semblance of order out of the chaos created by unloading our resources in the classrooms. But before we got to work, there was the requisite photo op with the resident polar bear in the Cultural Museum that is located in the school annex. And yes, the bear is really that tall! (And yes, I am still losing weight...minus 63 lbs to date! WOOT!)

At 1:00, we met back at the school to be driven out onto the land for some berry-picking and tea. We had a caravan of ATV's loaded with people along with a four-wheel drive truck. The roads are just loosely packed rocks, and without the four-wheel drive, the vehicles would sink into the loose rock and become stuck.

Once out in the tundra, we set out to scrounge for our snack: late-season low-bush blueberries, and some pownuk, or crow berries. There were also cranberries, but they are not yet ripe.

The berries lay in thick carpets on the ground, and the approved method to gather is to sit or lie on the ground and grab as many as you can from where you can reach. Then, stepping carefully so as not to squish the good berries, you move to the next piece of ground and get comfy, and keep filling your pail.

These ones are the pownuk, or crow berries. They are tart, and quite crunchy, but tasty. They grow on stubby plants whose needles look a lot like those of a yew or a balsam fir.

Our next treat was tea and a bit of a feast. The people here share whatever they have equally, and you only have to ask to have as much food as you can eat pressed upon you by many hands. The women cut up fresh and smoked arctic char with the curved ulu knife. Here you see them using the ulu to prepare beluga muktuk, or the blubber from the back. It looks like bacon.

So I got to try fresh, uncooked arctic char: rather a strange texture to eat raw, but very much like trout. Then I tried the smoked char, which was very similar to smoked salmon, and a bit fatty like salmon or trout. Quite tasty! Finally, I willingly tried the beluga muktuk. Yes, raw again. It was far crunchier and firmer in texture than I would have thought, and very fishy-tasting, but hey, when in Rome you do like the Romans!

It was a great day all in all, and every day has brought something new. I am thoroughly enjoying myself in this wonderful and welcoming community.

Kelly and I are snuggled in for the night, planning furiously for the opening of the school tomorrow as we listen to the wind howling outside. We are down one roommate, who sadly was terribly allergic to our two cats. Otherwise, life is cheerful at 825 Cat Scratch Alley, Sanikiluaq, Nunavut!

Our first formal introduction to the school, and my boxes have arrived!

I would love to post photos, but the internet here is very expensive if we go over our allotted band width, which we have already done twice! So I will wait until the wireless is set up at the school, then I can add some photos.

The walk to the school is a bit less than 10 minutes, and has a slight uphill slant on the homeward leg, so I can get my basic exercise in daily. The community is built on some gently rolling slopes, so there are lots of small hills to build up those glutes! Anyhow, we had a brief staff meeting and went to our classes.

Kelly and I asked Tim, our principal, if he was amenable to a switch in subjects. She has a Social Studies teachable and I am Science/Math. She was given high school Math and then Science and Gym, while I had Social Studies! So I am now the grade 10/11 high school Math teacher, with grade 7 Language, Math and Science in the afternoon. We are both VERY happy with the switch. Best yet, I get to go to a week-long conference in Cape Dorset in late September!

Many of the teachers in the school are Inuit from Sanikiluaq, and the reason for our subject/grade changes is that the focus is to teach in Inuktituk, in order to ensure that the language and culture survives. They have been so incredibly warm and welcoming to all of us, and are helpful in pointing out cultural items and naming them for us. Kelly and I are hard at work trying to learn new words, and forgetting them faster than we can practice! I did learn that Tunga Sugit means Welcome (tunga sugitsi to more than one person). Nahkutip is Thank you and Ulolli is You're welcome. I will try to verify with Margaret Lawrence to get the correct spelling.

My remaining boxes came today, HURRAY!!! and my last missing suitcase yesterday, so I have absolutely everything I need. Our phone is hooked up, our satellite is ordered, and we have internet. Life is good! And we are about to place a food mail order, so our fridge will be well stocked. I have to admit, prices on bread, milk and eggs are very reasonable. A quart of milk was only $3.87. so we are far from starving.

I'm off to eat dinner, and then relax before the final flurry of planning begins. Wish me luck getting my many boxes of resources to the school! TTFN!

Settling in...

It has been a great welcome in Sanikiluaq so far. I met one of my roommates, Kelly, who was at the airport to meet me. Tim, my Principal, and his wife Mina were also there to greet us. Everyone helped to get luggage stashed into multiple vehicles and away we went.

Tigger got his first introduction to Nermal. It's a good thing Tigger is rather mellow. Nermal is more of an individualistic gal, and she has been dancing around Tigger having somewhat of a hissy fit. Tigger just gives me the "What have you done to me now?" look. Slowly they are sniffing each other out and Nermal has even let me pat her (although when she looked back and saw that it was me, and not Kelly, she jumped and took off, LOL!) The dance continues while Kelly and I watch, amused at their antics.

The house is actually lovely, and despite the outward appearance is very roomy and spacious. There is a huge garbage room that can be used for storage, a huge laundry area with room for two litter boxes, a huge mud room with more storage, and we have plans for putting a freezer in. The living room is huge, and Kelly has worked really hard to get it clean and well-stocked with furniture. The kitchen and dining area is not huge, but quite adequate. The bedrooms are not huge, but again will do well. The bathroom is really the only tiny room, but how much time in a day do I plan to spend there? :-D

We walked to the Co-op and to the Northern to shop yesterday. The prices are much in line with Fort Albany, so there was no serious sticker shock. Everyone that we met smiled, waved, said "Hello" (and I have promptly forgotten how to say it in Inuktitut but promise to write it down so I can practise). The community is very open and welcoming to the teachers.

Margaret, the lady I met on the plane, came over with a donation of some clothes. Kelly has also generously opened her closet so that I have plenty to wear. How lovely to have lost enough weight that I can fit normal clothing and actually be able to borrow from others! Late afternoon, we had a knock at our door and one of my missing bags showed up, the one with all of my school clothes. How nice, and how surprising! There are no local flights on the weekend...so did it come by beluga or polar bear express? We may never know!

So here I am, settling in, and no longer running naked in the streets. The community is most grateful!

Naked in Nunavut!!!

Moving day has come, and it has been an adventure! It began with a final swim in my Mom's pool. Sad to see the end of my official summer holiday.

 My bags were all loaded in the driveway, to await the taxi. Poor Tigger...already stressed in his carrier. I had planned for an early arrival to Pearson and made it with 1-1/2 hours of spare time...only to discover that my enormous cat, who is too big for a soft-sided carrier, was not allowed onto the plane until he was in a soft-sided carrier. There were none to be had in Pearson anywhere. Back and forth, back and forth, speaking to umpteen people and clerks and sales people. I finally got a sports bag with mesh sides to double as a carrier, rushed back to the counter, and found that they had pulled me from the 7:00 flight and rebooked me for 8:00 pm.

No biggie, right? WRONG!!! My bags had to be pulled, which meant a mandatory rescreening and X-ray. Down to arrival I went. No bags. I waited. And waited. And waited. At 7:40, I went back to reschedule as it was obvious that there would be no catching the 8:00 flight. We rebooked for 9:10 and back I went to wait for my bags. And wait. And wait. At 8:35, Security finally said to catch the flight and that the bags would be sent as soon as they cleared. Back up I go, get in line and wait. Flight delay meant we didn't leave Pearson until 10:10.

Once in Montreal I headed for the help desk and we completed the missing baggage form. Yes, they said, the bags had been marked for arrival on the 12:30 am flight. Go to you hotel, they said, we'll send them right over, they said. Off to the Wyndham on the shuttle, and what a beautiful hotel. Comfy bed, but no sleep. I was far too wound up. It took me two hours to drift off and I woke to check the clock at least a dozen times. It was an espresso morning if there ever was one!

I check at the desk at 6:20 am and yes, my bags were there. The valet goes and fetches....two bags. Hmmmm, could have sworn I had four in Toronto. So a call goes through to Baggage Claim, who assures me that the missing items are indeed recorded and should be awaiting me at PET Airport in Montreal. Off I go, and up to the desk. No bags. Here I am, off to Nunavut for a year, with my flight leaving in an hour, and two bags missing that I am supposed to pay for before they are sent. My Spidey Sense detects a potential problem...but Air Canada to the rescue. They would get the bags to the Air Inuit desk as soon as they arrive. But how will I pay, I ask. Oh, well, we have to pay because we have goofed, sez good old Air Canada. Yes, to every cloud there is a sliver lining!

Up to the departure lounge, where the day has dawned sunny and clear. But, another flight delay: mechanical work needs to be done to the Dash-8. We do get underway eventually, and I met a lovely woman named Margaret from Sanikiluaq. We chat the whole way and she is so full of helpful hints that I feel at home already. We land in Kuujjuarapik (pronounced koo-jwar-AY-pick) and don't leave...mechanical problems again. This time it's serious as the plane is losing power to one engine. Yikes! Yes, I think I will gladly wait for the repair. Take your time, fellows!

We get back onboard, taxi to the runway and head right back to the terminal. No luck. The problem persists. I am so glad they didn't chance the take-off! Better to call an abort on the runway than over Hudson Bay! At least we were treated to lunch at the local restaurant. A twin-engine Otter was sent and we finally made it to Sanikiluaq just after 4:30.

That was when it hit...my two bags that made it with me contained my bedding, my pillows, my blankets, the cat toys, the cat food, the coffee, the cereal, the odds and ends...but not a stitch of clothing!!! I am thousands of miles from anywhere, with nothing to wear...so it will be me that you will see running naked in Nunavut! Pray that the bags with my clothes arrive soon, even if only to spare the eyes of the poor local residents! ;-D

My soon-to-be home

Things could not be better with a roomie on the job! Here is a shot of my soon-to-be home town, taken by Kelly (who is already there and manning the home fires). She has been out exploring and took this photo of Sanikiluaq. I'm not sure which direction north lies, but Hudson Bay is all around us!

Kelly has been hard at work, making our house a home. Here's the place that she has affectionately dubbed "825 Cat Scratch Alley". Tigger will have a roommate as well, because Kelly brought her orange tabby, Nermal. Ergo the name.

This is Unit 825, the future home of the gleesome threesome of Kathy, Kelly, and Terri.

It was not in the best of condition, but Kelly has been hard at work cleaning, scouring, and cajoling John (the Housing manager) into letting her pick out the best of the furniture. Also making sure that I had a double bed, and not the single that was delivered...many MANY thanks! MWAH!!!

Looks okay so far.....

 ...but upon Kelly's closer inspection....

....yecch!!!!

She promises that a lot of elbow grease and cleaning products have rendered the house habitable. Again, she's an angel and I will have to make sticky buns for her when my boxes arrive.

This time next week, I will be loading multitudes of baggage and one very large cat and carrier into a taxi and heading for Pearson Airport to fly leg one of the trip into Montreal. My carry-on will include cat tranquilizers, cat food, cat dinner dishes, cat litter, baggies for cat litter leftovers disposal...

I see a trend here, LOL!

 TTFN!

All set to go...

It is now one week and counting until I fly to Montreal and then on to Sanikiluaq. I am following the posting of my soon-to-be roomie, Kelly, who is already there. It has been left on her shoulders to try and make the little house liveable, and if anyone is interested they can follow Kelly and see the advance pics on http://kellysnorthernadventure.blogspot.com/
It is a real eye-opener, and that is a fact!

I should have taken a picture of the mountain of boxes before the movers came! Ah, well, such is life. Had a Senior's Moment! Anyhow, I will keep everyone posted and updated as the move and year progress. TTFN!