It isn't always fun and sun...

Life up here has many challenges. Usually they are taken in stride, but some days you just want to scream and take the first plane home...

It has been a week of overnight blizzards. Lots of wind and snow, but gone by morning leaving you walking into a 70-80 km west wind. BRRRRRR! Then the Honda didn't want to start. I finally got it going and it ran out of gas. Got it stuck repeatedly in the couple of feet of new snow from last night. The water machine at the Northern has been broken and we are on our last couple of cups before the dreaded tap water must be used. And today, our sewer pipe broke. They only knew it was going for the last two weeks, but hey, why be proactive?

The place smells like an outhouse. We have no water. No toilet. No way to wash dishes. Nothing to drink. No toilet. No way to get clean. No toilet. And the earliest they can hope to fix it is Monday. And did I mention we have no toilet? Oh HUZZAH!!!!

Colour me a washed-out winter blue today.

TTFN.

Busy busy busy...

It has been a busy few weeks. I got back from the gallbladder surgery only to run like crazy, prepping the work for my sub for the 10 days when I went to Iqaluit for training! It was a series of full weekends and 11 hour days copying, writing notes, getting supplies ready and organizing all of the material.

The trip to Iqaluit did not start off well. We were supposed to leave on Monday with a rest day in Montreal. Unfortunately, we were fogged in and could not leave until Tuesday, which we did by hopping onto a cargo plane to Kuujjuarapik and then joining a connecting flight to Montreal. A brief sleep and back north to Iqaluit.

The Professional Development/Union training was very informative and we worked right through the weekend when everyone else enjoyed a rest. We also took suicide prevention training which was a very emotional and difficult course, but worth it. Our days began at 6:00 am and didn't end until about 7:00 pm by the time we had dinner. So we did little else except watch a bit of TV before heading straight to bed. I did buy two little carvings, one in a pale jade green soapstone and the other in a blue-grey colour. Lovely!

When we got home, it was right into report card writing. The weather here has been wild with a lot of snow and wind, so the drifts are huge. I tried taking the Honda to keep the battery charged, and got stuck four times. Luckily, the community always has someone out and about and they were all willing to help push out the crazy qallunat teacher, LOL!

Today I am baking up a storm. It is right before month end and "rent day" for my grade 10 and 11 classes, and I always try to suck their money out like a good business person would before they pay their bills. If they buy too much, they can't pay their rent and get "evicted" from their desks. A good lesson in budgeting! I may even offer a "credit card" to them, and charge them crazy interest...what a great way for them to learn how to handle credit!

I am now a confirmed presenter at the Nunavut-wide Professional Development Conference in February. This will be my first "official" training session and I am very nervous! I just hope someone can pick up some useful tips. Tim, my principal, is naturally delighted that I am doing this as it makes our little community look very good. I just figure that I would appreciate the tips from others, so why not share a few of my ideas that seem to work well?

Anyhow, off to the oven to rescue my banana cupcakes. Oh, my poor students and their about-to-be-emptied bank accounts, LOL! I'm so devious!

TTFN!

Terri of the North

Well THAT was fun...

There is one big difference with living in the North as compared to living in the South...you have a whole new appreciation for keeping yourself healthy.

I knew I had gall bladder problems. I saw the doctors and had the tests while in Toronto, and even had surgery scheduled for the datys just prior to Christmas Break. Well, Karma is a bitch and has a way of biting you in the rumpus, shall we say? I have been crabbing about my roommate's terrible eating habits and finally just gave up for a weekend of "sin". Didn't go so well. I got very little eaten before my gall bladder protested. Actually, it launched an all-out nuclear offensive against me. Guess who won the war?

I wound up being carried by Tim (my principal) and Stephen (my roommate) into the Health Unit on Sunday night. It took a double dose of Gravol and pain killers to even take the edge off. The next day, still vomiting and in major pain, I went back. This time, the sneaky gall bladder instituted germ warfare contrary to the Geneva Convention, and I wound up with an infection evidenced by climbing fever. At that point the Air Ambulance was called and I was whisked off to Winnipeg. Had surgery on Wednesday and came home Monday, feeling bloated from the abdominal gas that they use during surgery but EVER so much better otherwise.

So, a VERY good reason to be especially careful of your health when you are in remote parts, let alone in a major city.

Hope you're all well, and I will write again soon!

TTFN!

A few crazy northern tidbits...

I just had to share a few lingering thoughts...

Only in the north is there an official "Road to Nowhere". Don't believe me? Check out this map to Iqaluit. It's there on the left side, partway down from the top of the map. Somehow I knew I'd end up on the road to nowhere one day, LOL! I'll look it up when I am in Iqaluit Nov. 9th to 14th.
http://www.city.iqaluit.nu.ca/i18n/english/pdf/iqaluitmap.pdf

Only in the north does the arrival of the water truck create a flurry of activity. As soon as I hear the back-up lights and see them about to hook up, I run to start a bath and a load of laundry. Negative water usage, as far as my logic dictates! I still pay for water, but rather than risk running out I try to use it as the tank fills, resulting in a clean me and a still-full tank.

Only in the north do you eat food that ordinarily would get tossed out. It costs too much to be picky, so freezer-burned or patch of mold, just scrape it down and eat what is left.

Ony in the north do you get to enjoy all the pleasures of a sleazy motel without actually having to go to one. As the wind gently slams the house around, the mattress vibrates like the "add a quarter" shake-a-bed in a questionable dive. All the fun of an amusement park without the hassle of packing or crowds!

Only in the north do you get so excited about "banana day" at the stores. The anticipated arrival of the new, fresh, non-brown and mushy bananas can lead to a stampede.

Well, that's the north as I see it, for today anyhow.

TTFN!

The beautiful bay that I see every day...

And yes, I know that the heading rhymes, LOL! I am always enchanted by the many faces of the bay, officially (and politically incorrectly) named Eskimo Harbour. It changes colours with th wind, the ewetaher, the cloud patterns and the sky. It ranges from deepest blue to azure to turquoise to seafoam green to gray and silver, and every shade in between.

This view looks to the south-west, along River Road toward the Northern, the schools and the airport. In the far distance you can just about see the airport building at the top of the hill. The water here is brown from teh kelp at the shore, then slate blue-gray to green to seafoam colour.

This is one of the fishing boats pulled up to harbour. Check out the name: Aqsanik, or Northern Lights. And look at how blue the water is behind it. Darker near the shore and almost turquoise farther out. This view is to the west-southwest across the harbour.

Again, check out the different shades in the water. This view is west-northwest, directly across from me where I stood.





This view looks to the northwest and the water is even darker. Check out the different colours of rocks, too! The rocks here are black, gray, cream, pink, salmon, dark rose, and almost blue.

This view is as close to north as I could get without going for a swim...not a good plan with water so cold, LOL! The opening to the harbour is behind the hills to the east (right).

By the way, these pictures were all taken within about two minutes from start to finish so there is no change in weather or light. It's just the beautiful bay and all of its many colours.

And of note, the other day it was so windy that the waves were no longer washing onshore. The wind was pulling the waves off the shore and blowing them directly across the harbour. It looked like the way the sea rolls offshore and out, just before a tsunami washes in...kind of eerie! Wish I had thought to take a video!

Anyhow, off to warm up yummy turkey leftovers! I made some homemade cranberry sauce from the berries I picked a week or so back. It was delish!

TTFN!



My collection is growing...

One of the things that is so neat about the north is the variety of carvings that arrive with hopeful carvers upon our doorstep from time to time. Last year I bought just about anything at the start of the year. I have learned a lot and am a bit more, shall we say, discriminating now?

I took a few pics of some old and a couple of new acquisitions and I hope you enjoy them.

This is about half of my collection. The other half has been sent down south or

given as gifts to family.

My uppik (owl) is new but the oogrook (bearded seal) is last year's model.

The family of oogrookit is new. The weight is quite substantial with the base.

The nanuq (polar bear) is from Cape Dorset, last year. And in a strange coincidence, my bank password picture phrase (picked while I was in Waterloo) says "Nanook of the North in the frozen tundra"! Oh how prophetic that was, hmmm?

Both are last year's models, but I love them anyhow, including the inuksuks.

The eagle and drum dancer are both last year's. I have two inuksuks and a beluga on display in my showcase outside my classroom. The inuksuks were made by one of my students, and the beluga is a bit on the rough side so it hasn't yet earned a place of honour. I'm going to borrow Stephen's Dremel and try to fix it to placate my sense of proportion. If it works, I may try my hand at a carving or two myself! If it works, I'll also post the photo.

I use these as a lesson in Math on earning money through piecework, as well as cost vs hours of work. I also use some images in the text on a set of beluga whales that sold for $4,250. I'm in negotiation at the Co-op to buy a very similar set for...$100. I keep encouraging the kids to look into a business plan to develop a craft cooperative. We'll see. Maybe not while I'm here, but some day the lesson may sink in and encourage somebody to get things rolling.

Anyhow. first posting of the new month! Happy October, all!

TTFN!

A few interesting northern notes...

The Northern Lights, called ᐊᖅᓴᕐᕆᖅ (aqsarniq), are out just about every night. I never get tired of them, although long-term residents sometimes say, "Oh yeah...I didn't notice..." I guess I may get used to them. (But I hope not!)

Rainbows are far more elliptical in the north. And much wider, too. There was a gorgeous one today as I was walking home, in a little puddle of sunshine nestled between two stormy gray clouds. With a hand held out arms' length, it took most of my palm to cover the band. Amazing!

You learn to roll with life's hiccups that would send others into a tizzy. Monday we ran out of water. Tuesday the town had a major power outage and no water got delivered. Can we possibly say how important toilets become in your thoughts when you cannot flush one? Well, the Northern has a water machine that was fortunately in service so we bought a few jugs for emergency flushes. Failing that, it would have been a jog to the creek or the bay to fill jugs. Yep, a regular day. Today, yippee! water is here. I am squeaky clean and rejoicing in flushability.

Light also doubles as an alarm clock (and I am thankful this was not December!) The power was off again during the night. I woke up to a lightening shade of gray, looked at the clock which read 3:42, and didn't believe it. I jumped out of bed to find it was really 6:30 am and I had only overslept by 30 minutes. I will have to buy a wind-up clock for reserve when I have my trip out in November. No students were marked late because, well, how can you blame them?

I leave work and go to the Co-op and meet many of my students who hold down part-time jobs. One reason I do not assign a lot of homework. Many teens do extra duty at home or earn extra to help their families. I'll actually be doing a bit of double duty myself this year. I am doing some part-time guarding at the jail. Should be interesting (as long as I can stay awake!) I will take the Honda to school tomorrow as I am working tomorrow night.

And finally, food mail days are better than Christmas! You never know what you'll get from the store, as sometimes they substitute or run out, so every box is a surprise. Today I was delighted buy the arrival of the Highliner Pan Sear lime and chili tilapia. Oh yummmmm! I will be in heaven for the next while. And I got my Renee's dressing for my broccoli slaw salad...but alas, no broccoli slaw. Guess I'll order coleslaw and broccoli, and then make my own.

Off to chill, and take an aspirin for a headache associated with my first caught-from-the-kids cold of the year. Sigh....(sniffle...sniff....hack....)

TTFN!

A fond farewell to summer and a return for three more years to Sanikiluaq,

It was a marvelous summer, full of all that makes summer wonderful: lots of sunshine, hot days, friends and family, and a trip to Disney World in Florida. The only regret is that summer only lasts for two months and winter seems to last forever!

My return was ALMOST uneventful. The plane ride to Montreal was smooth, the hotel was nice, and while Tigger was upset and whined all night I knew I could catch up on my sleep later. The check-in at the Air Inuit desk went smoothly, and they did not even charge for the 9 kg overweight in my luggage. However, when I got to Sanikiluaq and picked up my luggage there was no cat carrier! In a panic, I called to the crew who searched the cargo hold...no Tigger! When I finally got through to the desk at the Dorval airport they told me thta Tigger had been held back as their security scanners were not working. ARGH!!! Did they discover he had clandestine meetings with Bin Laden or something? I could have held him while they scanned his crate through the oversize luggage machine had they said anything. But no...so he went on a multi-plane hop across the north on a later flight to catch Air Inuit on return to Sani while I paced in a tizzy.

Tim (my principal) picked me up when we heard the plane go over at 5:00 pm and thankfully, Tigger and carrier emerged unscathed. He was rather upset and has not left my side, and he was rather hungry and thirsty, but otherwise he was okay. He has been getting settled into the place again, peeking into every nook and cranny. Sadly, the windows are still boarded up until housing can get over this afternoon, so his favorite perch no longer provides the outdoor view that he craves, but he'll live.

I did get to the Northern to pick up my Honda. Yay! It is a riot to drive, and I am learning how to shift smoothly. I had a whole contingent of my kids from last year join me for a test drive and we had a good laugh together as I hiccupped the Honda down the road. I'm much smoother today but still struggling to get it into reverse from time to time. Have to work on that one. Here's a shot of my new toy...

And so begins another year and another adventure. I wonder what this one will bring? I guess as long as it brings my boxes of supplies that I mailed from Toronto I'll be happy, LOL!

TTFN!

Wrapping it up for this school year...

It's hard to believe that the school year is almost at an end. We have our awards assembly this afternoon, clean-up tomorrow morning, and then two half-days for teachers to finish their last-minute work. Friday we are done at 11:45 am and off on our planes at 3:45 pm!

It has been a wild and crazy year. There were times I was certain that I would not return, there were times I was certain that I could stay here forever. As of now, I have signed another contract for three years and we shall deal with events as they come. My main worry is my family, and my parents. Do I come home to help physically, without a job or a penny? Or do I stay far from home and help financially? Tough choice. And I miss my kids terribly. But again, from here I can help financially moreso than if I was back home.

I also like the fact that I will be teaching high school, and in a brand-new room to myself in a brand-new building. That is a big plus right there. I know the students, I know the administration, and I really like the community. The people are so friendly and generous. Plus I will be picking up my brand-new Honda ATV upon my return, so I will have fun tootling all over the countryside, LOL!

We had our farewell staff picnic on Monday. We all hopped onto four-wheelers and went out to a cove on the east shore. It had been such a lovely day but the warm air created an onshore wind that pulled in a heavy ice fog from Hudson Bay...with mitts, hoodie, snow pants and a winter coat, I was still frozen! And the kids were climbing the few snow piles left...Ah, summer in Sanikiluaq when you can still have a snowball fight...

Tuesday was a half-day as we had report cards. Few surprises with the marks, but it was nice to see so many parents and have them happy to know that I am returning. They all appreciate the stability that consisten staff brings to teh community. So different from my last teaching position where the thought seemed to be that if we left, they could have ten people to replace us by the next day. No wait, that really wasn't a thought...it was actually said, LOL! Way to feel appreciated, hmmm?

So here I am, packing for teh summer and loving the fact that I have a very well-paid government job, FINALLY, with all the attendant benefits. It's just a shame that it is so far away. So for now, I shall sign off for the summer as I head home to my parents' place and then off to Florida with the family as Grandma's treat to visit Disney World. Yep, there are DEFINITE benefits to a good job!

TTFN! TTYL!

Science + Fair = FUN!

It's official, there's a new Math formula in Sanikiluaq, and it is Science + Fair = FUN! The Science Fair was held on Friday and was a huge success. It took literally hundreds of hours to plan and set up, but worth every minute! The kids had a fantastic time touching, discovering, playing, and learning about science.

The students in grade 7 and high school made huge banners that wrapped around the walls of the gym. My grade 7's, a grade 6 and a couple of high school students helped to hang them up.

We loaded tables and boxes of supplies into the gym during the day Thursday, which was an in-service day for the teachers. Most of them went on the land fishing, which gave Kathy, the student volunteers and me time to set up.

During the week, I had made up some display signs for the tables. I think they were lost on the students, but I cracked myself up! :-D The round bubbles and one little square guy, muttering "What the heck?" Hee hee! We DID make square bubbles, of course!

And of course, I tried to explain some basic science principles with the aid of visual presentations. The two similar magnets have angry scowls while the opposite poles are running happily toward each other to demonstrate that opposite poles attract, similar poles repel.

Yep, gotta love those signs, LOL! Poor little density blob...

I had a "Bed of Nails" that we used to demonstrate spreading pressure over a larger area results in lower pressure, and would not pop the balloon. So I had to draw a balloon sucking in his belly to avoid the nail, and of course, cracked myself up again! My sister will understand...hee hee!

While I got the science stuff ready, Kathy looked after the kitchen to feed our small army of volunteers. It was fun to sit and relax with them in the hall while we ate. And surprisingly enough, I was able to get off the floor on the first try, LOL!

Despite accidentally sleeping through my alarm on Friday morning, and getting to school with less time than I had wanted to get ready, we were set to go at 8:30 am.

I donned my lab coat, again decorated with help from my students, and we were off!

Discovering magnets, and making a colour-changing solution in our magnetic stirrer.

Demonstrating the Air Zooka, and knocking over a stack of cups with a blast of air.

Despite poor Meena hiding her ears, the balloon never popped on the bed of nails.

The surprise over a cup of instant "snow".

We had a huge bubble pool and "wrapped" kids in bubbles. Along with making square bubbles, of course!

The table where the kids made "slime" was very popular.

I was careful to warn the kids NOT to try the sound experiments at 5:00 am! LOL!

Everything on the sound table made noise. Lots of noise. And it was a wild and hairy time with all of the kids swinging the sound hoses all at the same time! But that was the whole point of the fair! Is it the fun of science or the science of fun? The jury is still out...

...but either way, it was still worth the work!

At the friction table, we had a Jello race. One set of cubes were just as they came out of the pan. The other set was slathered in oil. Which ones were easier to grab and put into the bowl? Paper towel handy for oily fingers, of course!

The wind bags were fun...the kids were shown how to hold them about 10" from their face and blow. Bernoulli's Principle in action, the lower air pressure around the opening pulled in room air. The adults all put the bags to their mouth to blow, but the kids could inflate the 8' wind bag in one breath, winning the race each time. They loved it.

And of course, we had some projects on display.

At 4:00, all was shut down and the clean up began. It was an incredible amount of work, and again without my army of student volunteers, I would have spent the entire night in the school. As it was, we ate dinner at 5:30 and sent the tired helpers home with smiles and full stomachs. I mopped the floor at 6:00 and was done by 7:00 pm. Home to a hot bath that felt like the epitome of luxury!

It was a wonderful day. We got many compliments, and I am soooooo proud of my students who helped out! They are fantastic! Yay for them!

That's all for now, I am spending Sunday trying to organize the chaos in the Science room, where all the boxes of supplies went as we cleaned. Oi vey! Only three more years of Science Fairs to go, LOL!

TTFN!

Is it really May?

I look outside and realize that while the calendar says May, the temperature still reads March. It is -7 and we still have at least half of our snow left. Sigh...can someone remind me why exactly a summer-lover is working in Nunavut? LOL!

Plans are well underway for our Science Fair. It promises to be a great one. I brought a few of the "toys" into the staff meeting to talk about what we will be doing. The teaching staff could not put them down! So if the grown-ups had that much fun, think of the great times the kids will have!

We have the Air Zooka to blast cups off of kids' heads. We have the Zero-blaster gun the blow smoke rings. We have the Zeebees popping tops to show potential energy. We have the ever-popular potato gun. We'll make glue, snot, and hovercrafts. I'll demonstrate vanishing water and the instant clear-to-black iodine clock reaction. we'll have sound hoses that whistle when you swing them and palm pipes that make music when you bounce them on your hand. We'll have floating magnets, electro-magnets, and iron in your cereal. We'll have optical illusions and demonstrations of how to fool your brain. And that isn't half yet...

The older kids are volunteering to help demonstrate things for teh younger ones. They will also help to set up and take down the displays, and we'll feed them dinner for their efforts. They have made posters and wall banners, so it will be a memorable event. Holly, if you read this, I have borrowed a tip from Fort Albany and a few reluctant students were volun-told that they would help, LOL!

I will try to get someone to take pictures of the day's proceedings and will post on my blog and on a Facebook album. It will be worth the look-see!

And BTW, heading close to -90 pounds! I took three weeks off my diet to try a maintenance period, as I was struggling to defeat my cravings. Still lost 1-1/2 pounds, so I am certain that the weight is gone for good. Now, if the weather will improve outside, I can begin serious walking/jogging. Alas, it means that the 50-60 km winds will have to go away...please? LOL!

TTFN from the land of ice, snow, and VERY long days!

Interesting....

The grade 10 class was in the kitchen this morning. We were baking a cake as their final test in Imperial to Metric capacity conversion. They all came out okay although the proof will be in the tasting, LOL! I'll have to try all three to give them their final mark...oh darn, eh?

While we waited for teh cakes, the students sat in on cleaning some seals from the recent hunt. They love to eat fresh from the catch, and offered me some as well. I got to try fresh (as in raw) seal liver and meat. A new experience for me. Not bad, but I still prefer steak, LOL!

Anyhow, it led up to a discussion about Michaelle Jeanne and her eating the seal heart in her Arctic travels, and how outraged all of the southerners were. It surprised a lot of the kids, who were baffled as to why anyone would object. It has been their norm for thousands of years, after all. So just an interesting note from the other side into that whole discussion. Yay for my kids for standing up for their beliefs!

TTFN!

Just updating...not too much is new.

I realized that I had not posted for a little bit, so here I am again.

For my Dad, the sunrise/sunset is as follows:

Today (May 1st)

Sunrise: 5:32

Sunset: 20:56

 

It means waking up VERY early in the morning, before 5:00 am as the sky gets light. It means going to bed in the daylight, and not getting to see the gorgeous Northern Lights displays because the sky is still too bright! The light show has been fantastic this spring, with the sky filled almost nightly. They were out again last night, but hard to see with twilight still on the horizon at 10:00 pm.

Stephen and I went to cribbage on Friday night. I came in second and won $40.00, he came in 3rd and won $20.00. WOOHOO! It is a lot of fun, but a tough choice between Bingo and cards for an evening of entertainment each Friday.

We're still waiting for the high school to be finished so we likely won't be in this spring. That's okay. I wasn't looking forward to slogging all of the boxes over anyhow, and my one year term is almost done. Ha ha, escaped the heavy work! :-D

Not much else is new, except that teh tax man will be nice to me this year. He will be VERY nice to me. It will help pay for our family Disney World vacation. Yay!!!!

That's all for today, TTFN!

Another week has come and gone...

It felt like a very long week, but it was a good week.

Report cards were finished on the weekend, and we had our parent-teacher conferences on Thursday. I have many more students passing this term, which makes me feel better. I have been working hard to find alternative ways of presenting the material to the students and it has really been helping. For example: the text showed them a word problem on building a bookshelf with 3/4" plywood, so high and so wide, and how far apart would the shelves be? Well, we first dissected the problem for important information, then drew a sketch on the board, and I gave the students 3/4" masking tape to mimic the "plywood" and had them "build" the bookcase right on the desktops. It worked very well. Another example: we were working on the radius, diameter, and circumference of circles. So first we just drew circles. Then we drew circles to a set radius on teh compass, and drew the radius on the circles. We labelled them and measured them. Then we did the same thing for diameter. Listed the measurements on teh board and found a pattern, namely that diameter was 2x the radius. Next, we took string and placed it around the outside of all of our circles, and measured it. We found another pattern, in that the string was always aroung 3.13-3.15 x larger than the diameter, so we "discovered" pi. The students had it down without a single struggle to memorize anything. Well done, sez meself!

Friday afternoon, the grade 7's and I went sliding. With the snow melting fast, it may have been our last time. I had a ball, and so did they. I went down a number of times until I wiped out and pulled a muscle in my back. Luckily, I was on a snow-covered hill, so I could "ice" it right away, LOL! Then we went back to teh class for hot chocolate, apples, and homemade oatmeal-banana-chocolate chip cake. Yummmmm!

Friday night I sold tickets for Bingo, then raced over to the Crib Club for my weekly card game. I lost only one game, but I was skunked, so I was not in teh money. Sigh....

Well, it has been beautiful weather, and gorgeous Northern Lights nightly, and I think that it would not be a hardship to stay another year or two. Let's see what contract I get offered in June...

TTFN!

What do YOU do with a potato?

It has been a good week back so far. On Monday, I had not a sinlge student in my early Math class. Got lots of marking done in preparation for reports, LOL! Monday afternoon, the floor in Grade 7 room was being replaced so the student s and I walked to the arena and spent the time skating. Or rather, THEY skated and I supervised carefully from the sidelines. A fool I am not, hmmm? Don't care to break a bone so far from a hospital!

Today, the students in my Grade 10 Math class were finally figuring out common denominators and equivalent fractions with some laminated fraction sticks I had made for them. I love to see the light bulb click on as they finally get it, and then they smile and say, "Well THAT was easy!" Ahhhh....a feel-good moment...

And we capped off the afternoon by getting out the potato gun with my Grade 7 boys while the girls were in the sewing room. We all sat in the hall (fewer lights to risk breaking) and they waited quietly, took turns, and cleaned up after. We got to use the idea that gases can compress, and by plugging both ends of the narrow tube with a potato core and then pushing in one end with a rod, the air pressure finally forces the other plug out with a deliciously satisfying "POP!" They all got quite a number of tries. It was a hoot! Man, I love Science! Wish my teachers had cool toys when I was in school...

So Thursday we are going sliding and then I am treating the students to hot dogs and hot chocolate afterwards. Oh, what a hard teaching life I lead! :-D

TTFN!

An Igloo in the Harbour.

Here is a list of the top five ways you can tell that you're in Sanikiluaq:

5) Snow dunes created by the ever-present wind. Just like sand dunes, only colder.

4) Icicles hanging from the side of the house tell you whether or not you got water delivery that day.

3) You get one student in your first period of Math class.

2) Your students address their younger cousins as "Grandmother". Naming after a cherished relative is a way to honour their memory, and if the relative was a granparent, you call them "Grandmother" or "Grandfather".

And the number one way to tell that you're alive and living in Sanikiluaq?

1) You go across the harbour ice to spend time in the igloo!

It was really cool, and I wish I had brought my camera. I'm glad that I have lost so much weight, as I was able to wiggle in through the tiny front opening to sit inside with my students. We then all signed our names into the outside wall, slid down the hill a few times, and then got hot dogs and hot chocolate at teh Northern to enjoy when we went back to class.

A lovely end to the week! Except that my voice has gone again, thanks to a cold passed on from my lovely granddaughter, Typhoid Mary! (Love you, Kayley, LOL!)

TTFN!

Me? With an ulu? Woohoo!

The polar bear hunt has been on and so far the hunters have 23 out of the 25 quota. The skinning room has been full as the hides are dressed. Today, they gave me an ulu and some garbage bags for cover and let me loose. It was darned hard work! My arm muscles are not strong enough to be an Inuit, LOL! I'll try to get photos tomorrow.

TTFN!

Newsworthy news, and some that ain't so much so...

I realized it has been a while since my last post. So....

We have a new contract. The NTA (Nunavut Teacher's Association) voted 95% in favout to accept a contract with a retroactive 6.5% pay raise due immediately and over the remaining 2 -1/2 years a further 5%. Nice!

We had our first polar bears in town. Locals drove off the mom and young juvenile. I was sorely tempted to look, but value my life a bit too much for that! They were at the new teacher's housing site...not a recommendation for returning next year, LOL! Right into a waiting polar bear's hungry jaws?

My weight loss journey struggles daily but continues. I have now lost 82-1/2 pounds and have reached all but my last four goals. Yay for me!!!!

I have switched housing units and am in a double now, which is working out very well for the cat and I. Tigger is very content and that makes me content.

We got a look at the new high school, due to open as soon as all of the phones and intercom systems are in place. That could be who knows when, but the building and classrooms are gorgeous!!! Very exciting!

Classes are into the second term and are going very well. Tim is still very happy with my work, although I am somewhat less confident as I still struggle to meet the needs of the kidsover such a wide range.

Plans are made for leaving during our Porfessional Development week, and I will be spending the time at Timiskaming District Secondary School under the direction of my old Math teacher, Matthew Allen. It will be a great chance to see what others are doing with the same material and how they address behaviour and learning issues on restricted budgets. I'll stay with Katie and all, so it will be a great chance to visit family too.

Northern lights continue to dellight me when it is not blizzarding, which is happening frequently, although sadly mostly on weekends. Oh well. I got a day off school with my cold, as I lost my voice completely. Hard to teach when none of us know sign language (at least not the kind allowed in school, LOL!).

Anyhow, off to tidy up and get the morning coffee ready.

Love to all!

Skinny Minnie aka Terri

The true story of the return home!

Just have to pass on the full story of the panic to return home to Sani from Winnipeg...

I arrived Sunday evening from Regina with no problems and grabbed a cab to the Comfort Inn, the closest motel to the far south-east end of Winnipeg Airport where the Kivalliq Air Office is located. The night passed uneventfully, and I had a quick cup of coffee before leaving. Only one cup...there is no bathroom on the Kivalliq planes and the trip is close to three hours long. I seriously contemplated buying a package of Depends just in case, LOL!

At 8:00 am I asked the front desk to call for a cab, and stepped outside to wait. I noticed that the intersection was barricaded, and saw a couple of crumpled cars. An accident overnight, and several policemen were measuring, writing, and so forth as they investigated. No problem, thought I. The driveway to the motel was accessible before getting to the barricade.

At 8:20, I went back inside as my cab had not arrived. The front desk called again, and stressed the urgency as I had to catch a 9:00 flight. No prob, sez the cab company, we'll be there in two minutes. Back out I went.

At 8:30, we called again. This time I went out into the streets and looked. Only then did I see that not only was the intersection in FRONT of the hotel closed, but the four intersections in the next BLOCK north, south, east and west, were also closed. There was no way to get a cab in or out. I was stuck!

Back in I went. The girl asked the cab company to send the cab through the parking lots of the buildings around us and I called Kivalliq to tell them not to send the plane without me. And I waited...

At 8:40 I gave up, and began to haul my cases down the road. I couldn't use the sidewalks...they don't get shovelled in Winnipeg. A lady saw me struggling down the road and offered a lift to the airport. Now, here's where it gets interesting...Kivalliq is a little independent airline, and while it is technically located on airport property, it is tucked away in a little corner with a few other offices. We started circling the outskirts of the airport trying to find it. I had seen it all of once, when I arrived 2-1/2 weeks prior in the dark. I had no clue where it was except that the road was called "Dyne Rd".

Back onto the phone with Kivalliq, after 10 minutes on hold. I was shouting, "Don't leave yet! I'm coming! We're at this point, near the Purolator...how do we get to you?" The poor gal was trying to give us directions, my Good Samaritan is driving in and out of alleys and parking lots, and we're so lost it wasn't funny! We finally pulled a U-turn and without knowing it we landed right in the parking lot for Kivalliq! Phew! Made it! Closer than I care to admit...but that's the advantage of a small airline. They will wait for you.

I am surprised that we did land, as Sanikiluaq was again buffeted by winds over 50 km/h and snow was blowing everywhere. I think that Kivalliq just didn't want me back on the phone begging for directions, LOL! So the New Year began as it should with school on the 4th as scheduled, with me in my classroom.

What an adventure!