Now, as per usual, I have received the nice and nagging requests to update my blog. I had plans to do it weeks ago, but all of a sudden things because really, really busy. Mostly because I was offered and accept a job to teach in Nunavut in the space of a week. Ok, if you actually consider the time it took for me to be interviewed for the job and then offered the job...it's only one day. And then if you also include the time between when I was offered the job and when I had to submit an online order for all of the food I want for next year, it's also one day. So basically, I was interviewed for the Nunavut job, offered the job, and then told to order my food for the rest of my life in the space of three days.
On top of that, I have been back and forth to Toronto ad nauseum and am now ready for a break, but it doesn't look like those trips will be letting up immediately. But I can't complain, I love Toronto in the summer. Actually, I like Toronto at most times of year.
So, now that I've accepted this job in Nunavut, I have to set about 'gearing up' for the arctic. That means I have to invest in a heavy-duty parka (Canada Goose, only, they tell me), a pair of 'Baffin Boots' not to mention long underwear, mitts, snowpants, toques, and other winter paraphernalia. I know, you're dying for pictures of me in a down parka. Don't worry, we'll get there. Anticipation will make it that much sweeter. Also, you will want to see the pictures of me making out with polar bears. I may have to photoshop those, but I'm not above that.
Now, I'm sure you're thinking "Nunavut? The Arctic? Is she crazy?" The answer may actually be 'yes,' however, it seemed like the best and most convenient option at the time. Usually amazing opportunities seem to fall into my lap (is it wrong to say that? Should I knock on a log now or something?) but they do. The way the Nunavut opportunity worked out, it seemed to be fate. Not only am I going to have a great opportunity teaching in a unique setting (which I always love), saving a good chunk of chage, but I will also be living and teaching with a good friend of mine, Karen who I met while at Dalhousie.
Let me introduce you to Karen:
Karen Versluys is funny. Not just funny looking. Karen grew up in Port Perry, but I don't hold that against her. It wasn't her choice. Karen used to work on the GM line, where she encouraged other workers to join in her rousing performances of Disney musical numbers. Karen paid her way through her Master's by slinging brewskies, most conveniently at the infamous Grad House Club. I totally got Karen that job, so she owes me. Our boss told me that Karen was great, but 'not at all what he expected.' I'm not sure what that means. I have to live with her now. I'm a little afraid, but I know that if the going gets tough, we can always break out into a chorus of "Part of Your World," complete with choreographed actions. Karen completed her BA at Queen's, which I also don't hold against her. Much. After her MA at Dalhousie, Karen headed back to Kingston to take her B.Ed. I know exactly what she went through. I also needed to move many provinces away after my B.Ed at Queen's. Karen did her alternative practical in Tanzania and has the tan to prove it. I helped Karen acquire the same lucrative travel grant I did when I was in teacher's college. Like I said, she owes me. Karen got me this job in Nunavut. I think we're even. But, if anything goes wrong, you now know who to blame.
As for me....well, you should know all about me, but just in case you've forgotten:
Emily Harrison never stays in one place for very long. Some people have said she likes extremes, and she doesn't think this is a bad thing. Emily spent 4 years learning how to hug trees and thinking so abstractly she stopped making sense to people outside of the Cultural Studies program at Trent University. Emily completed her B.Ed at Queen's. She lived on Emily Street while she was there. It was the one redeeming quality of her time in Kingston. Well, that and she could see the lake from her house. After her B.Ed, Emily thought it was wise to try her hand at an MA in Halifax. She is now thinking she should have thought that through more thoroughly. After a year of classes and coursework, Emily was on the move again, teaching for a year in Sierra Leone. After her return, she pretended to write her thesis while living in an attic in Peterborough. In order to avoid turning into a cat lady, Emily decided to apply for a teaching position in Nunavut and is now going to replace cats with polar bears. Or seal pups. She's still undecided.
