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!