That is the question....obviously, I have been going with the latter lately. I suppose there hasn't been too much wild and fabulous going on...but there have been a few highlights:
I went to a traditional 'feast' a number of weeks ago. The only food to feast on was raw, a fabulous spread of raw seal (of which there were three, split down the centre, guts pulled out, no longer swimming in sea water but seal blood), raw clams, and raw narwhal (muktuk). Mmm, mmmm, good! I had some narwhal (chewy, a bit like squid) and actually ate a raw clam, so fresh it was still moving and I had to murder it with my bare hands by squishing out its guts (it looked a bit like a disembodied tongue lying on my very own slab of cardboard). I couldn't bring myself to eat any seal, having tasted it cooked already I can't imagine the raw variety being more enjoyable. The image that is imprinted in my memory is of all of the women in the washroom after the feast, their faces and hands smeared and covered with blood, cleaning up after this delicious meal. Did you know that the word "Eskimo" means 'eaters of raw meat?'
One afternoon all of the students from the school took the pier by storm because narwhals were sighted off-shore. All of the hunters were out in their boats and we were able to see the spray from the blow holes of 3 narwhals. We didn't see the narwhals themselves per se, but still it was very exciting to shout at the boat circling around their prey.
I've bought a few knicknacks from some artists who come selling their art door-to-door. Yesterday, Karen and I bought a polar bear and a pair of earings for $45, we did a bit of bartering. The young man we bought from agreed to our price and we exchanged goods and money. Tonight, the same young man came back, demanding more money for us saying that we had agreed to a 'down payment' (which of course was not true). He became more and more aggressive and one of our neighbours finally called us and we asked her to call the RCMP. As soon as he heard that, he took of running and we haven't seen him since. We do have the whole night ahead of us.
Karen and I have started a 'dance club' on Fridays after school. I don't really know what I'm doing, but the kids seem to be having fun, it's a workout, and we're going to choreograph something for the Christmas concert which is going to spring up faster than we imagine.
Only 7.5 weeks 'til Christmas!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
...a picture's worth a thousand words...
Water, Earth and Sky: Staff Day trip out on the land
Heading Home: Fishing boats we travelled in on our Staff Day
Ain't it pretty?
Inukshooks on top of the mountain we climbed a few weeks ago. Remember that...I call it: The Mountain Climbing Fiasco.Yes, this is Qikiqtarjuaq. And it's started snowing already.
This is the view from the mountain we climbed. The picture I have of this mountain is not very impressive...but trust me, it's a high mountain and currently completely snow-covered. Karen and I hiked this mountain...twice. In one day.
This is the mountain. Trust me, it's more impressive than this in person. I swear.
And in case you're worried I'm not getting my balanced diet of fruits and vegetables...we picked some 'black berries' on our Staff Day as well. Can you say muffins and pancakes?
Who is this devilishly handsome brute? Oh wait, it says. One day, maybe I'll take art classes too, Dad. :)
Monday, September 15, 2008
...really, kids? REALLY?...
I'm a little grumpy (shocking, I know) from a lack of sleep.
As I've mentioned, the children run around like banshees up here. Last night, there was a group of 6 youths lurking around the Co-Op Store and the Hamlet Community Centre (we just happen to live in the middle of one of the busiest intersections in town. It has its own stop sign) and these 6 youths were bludgeoning an empty plastic oil can with a 2X4.
Why?
Who honestly knows.
And do they really have to do it at 1am? FOR 40 MINTUES??
Other things that happen for 40 mintues:
1. Supposedly this is how long I'm supposed to teach each subject in a single period. As if the students actually achieve or accomplish anything in this amount of time. I've already started 'doubling up.'
2. Children incessantly ringing our door bell and knocking on our front door and calling 'Eeeemmiiiilllly" in high pitched, banshee-like voices. Annnooooooying. This is why we bolt the outer porch door. I suspect we appear highly anti-social.
3. Our walk around town last night where we collected rocks to make our own miniature Inukshooks, almost adopted a puppy, and were scared half to death by students careening around town on a 4-wheeler. I don't care if it's the kid's 13th birthday - don't scream at me on a road where I could be attacked by Polar Bears!
If you're reading this blog, you should also check out Karen's (www.karenversluys.blogspot.com) as she has a few more pictures up plus a hilarious story about our mountain climbing adventure last weekend.
Painful.
As I've mentioned, the children run around like banshees up here. Last night, there was a group of 6 youths lurking around the Co-Op Store and the Hamlet Community Centre (we just happen to live in the middle of one of the busiest intersections in town. It has its own stop sign) and these 6 youths were bludgeoning an empty plastic oil can with a 2X4.
Why?
Who honestly knows.
And do they really have to do it at 1am? FOR 40 MINTUES??
Other things that happen for 40 mintues:
1. Supposedly this is how long I'm supposed to teach each subject in a single period. As if the students actually achieve or accomplish anything in this amount of time. I've already started 'doubling up.'
2. Children incessantly ringing our door bell and knocking on our front door and calling 'Eeeemmiiiilllly" in high pitched, banshee-like voices. Annnooooooying. This is why we bolt the outer porch door. I suspect we appear highly anti-social.
3. Our walk around town last night where we collected rocks to make our own miniature Inukshooks, almost adopted a puppy, and were scared half to death by students careening around town on a 4-wheeler. I don't care if it's the kid's 13th birthday - don't scream at me on a road where I could be attacked by Polar Bears!
If you're reading this blog, you should also check out Karen's (www.karenversluys.blogspot.com) as she has a few more pictures up plus a hilarious story about our mountain climbing adventure last weekend.
Painful.
Friday, September 5, 2008
...i can see clearly now...
the fog is lifting...for about 30 seconds.
Just a few quick observations:
1. The hot water temperature here is unregulated. It must be regulated in Ontario and other places because here it is scalding. Always. I could practically brew tea with what comes out of the tap but not quite, because the water does need to be boiled and filtered before it's actually drinkable.
2. Non-potable water, empty water tanks, wild dogs, swarms of children, phone delays, and endemic tardiness are just a few of the things about living in the North that remind me of living in Africa.
3. The kids here are like wild banshees. They roam the streets at night until all hours, unsupervised and uncared for. Sometimes, for fun, we watch them throw rocks at each other from one of our upstairs bedroom windows. It's like Lord of the Flies, but instead of a dead pig it's a seal carcass they're fighting over. And in school, it's a circus and I'm the ineffective ringleader.
4. I'm going to need to order more wine. Every day is 'one of those days.'
5. They don't actually pay me enough. Show me the money! (Love you, Tom).
6. Seal meat tastes like a cross between some sort of fish and animal liver. Narwhal tastes like a cross between lobster, and squid/octopus. Let's just say I don't think I'll be making seal meat stew any time soon.
In other news....
If you want to reach me, my mailing address is:
Emily Harrison
PO Box 167
Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut
X0A 0B0
Our phone number is:
(867) 927 8978.
Our phone plan is horrible so please call me because I can't call you that often!
Photos of our staff bondage...I mean bonding day out 'on the land' will follow soon.
Have a great weekend.
I plan to....drink....
(kidding Mum; I don't have a problem...just a solution).
Just a few quick observations:
1. The hot water temperature here is unregulated. It must be regulated in Ontario and other places because here it is scalding. Always. I could practically brew tea with what comes out of the tap but not quite, because the water does need to be boiled and filtered before it's actually drinkable.
2. Non-potable water, empty water tanks, wild dogs, swarms of children, phone delays, and endemic tardiness are just a few of the things about living in the North that remind me of living in Africa.
3. The kids here are like wild banshees. They roam the streets at night until all hours, unsupervised and uncared for. Sometimes, for fun, we watch them throw rocks at each other from one of our upstairs bedroom windows. It's like Lord of the Flies, but instead of a dead pig it's a seal carcass they're fighting over. And in school, it's a circus and I'm the ineffective ringleader.
4. I'm going to need to order more wine. Every day is 'one of those days.'
5. They don't actually pay me enough. Show me the money! (Love you, Tom).
6. Seal meat tastes like a cross between some sort of fish and animal liver. Narwhal tastes like a cross between lobster, and squid/octopus. Let's just say I don't think I'll be making seal meat stew any time soon.
In other news....
If you want to reach me, my mailing address is:
Emily Harrison
PO Box 167
Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut
X0A 0B0
Our phone number is:
(867) 927 8978.
Our phone plan is horrible so please call me because I can't call you that often!
Photos of our staff bondage...I mean bonding day out 'on the land' will follow soon.
Have a great weekend.
I plan to....drink....
(kidding Mum; I don't have a problem...just a solution).
Monday, September 1, 2008
...out and about...
Well, it's been a bit of a foggy, rainy week here... there was one day that was nice, but it happened to be the day we were in school so I didn't get a chance to snap too many pictures. I took these over the weekend.
This is the view from my bedroom. Note the functioning power lines. The icebergs are starting to move into our bay now as well and eventually all of the water will freeze over.
Don't worry, I brought my skates.
It seems to take FOREVER for the pictures to upload here - I feel as though the signal in Qikitarjuaq is worse than that in Freetown. Who would have thought?
As I wait for the next photo to upload, I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you that our Sea Lift order of frozen foods has yet to arrive, as does any of my cargo shipment. For the last week I have eaten pasta and pizza almost exclusively. For variety I add the occasional serving of canned peaches or applesauce. Delish.
This photo is taken on the way to school (it's a short walk down an unpaved road...as are all the roads here). In the distance you can see a hill with an Inukshook on it. Karen and Tara (one of the other new teachers here) went for a walk up the hill but I didn't join them. Along the way a wild husky dog jumped out at them and Tara's dog, Mavic, and tried to take a bite out of Mavic's hind quarters. Needless to say, I won't be walking alone here.
We had a long weekend this weekend only there were no docks, barbeques, or sunset beers involved... Today, Monday, most of the teachers were at school planning for the rest of the week's classes. On Thursday the staff are supposed to be going to the national park here, weather permitting.
Can I just mention again how SLOW it is to upload pictures? Oiy.
Eventually...when it finally loads, you'll see a picture of the outside of the school - Inuksuit School. The school is fairly well equipped and I'm not worried about supplies or anything like that. We even have a coffee fund. It's wild.
My classroom is pretty typical - a bit bigger than the one in Sierra Leone and I have a view of something more inspiring than just a stone wall growing moss. Super!
And now, to end this update, a warning to you all... make sure that when you enter the computer lab you abide by the sign on the door:
And I mean it.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
...At the top of the world...
Well, after a frantic run around at the Toronto Airport Karen and I managed to catch the flight from TO to Ottawa in one piece. But no joke, we both just barely managed to get on the plane in time. There was running involved. So much for 'meeting up' at the airport beforehand. Otherwise the travel portions of our trip were smooth. There was some chaos with the small size of the Iqaluit airport and the extreme number of excess baggage articles that everyone on the plane had...but it eventually was all sorted out. Karen's bags weighed a ton. Almost literally. Together we had 13 pieces. Good times were had in the transportation of all of our stuff from the Iqaluit airport to our hotel room on Sunday night and then back to the airport at 6am the next morning. In fact, things were so rough when we first arrived in Iqaluit that the military jumped in to help us. No, it wasn't planed. I guess we just looked pathetic standing outside the airport and wondering why the hotel shuttle doesn't run on the weekends. At any rate, it was immensely helpful that these three military men loaded all of our suitcases into the back of their truck, drove us to the hotel and then unloaded everything for us again. They kept exclaiming about the amount of stuff we had and couldn't believe there were only 2 of us. Imagine their continued shock when we told them we were only staying for 2 weeks. "Um...well, we're only up for 2 weeks but we just couldn't decide what to wear!" Yeah...good times. :)
We were met in Qikiqtarjuaq (Kick-ick-tar-jew-ack) by the principal and dropped with our two 'priority suitcases' at our newly renovated house. It's a lot nicer and larger than we expected. It has 2.5 floors, tons of storage space and lots of living space. We'll be happy there. Photos will follow of course just as soon as all of our other suitcases arrive, not to mention our cargo shipment. As it stands, no flights came into Qiki today because of the high winds and fog but we're hopeful that the other 9 pieces of our baggage will arrive at the end of the week.
Luckily, part of our Food Sea Lift order had arrived! It's a good thing, because there was no where to buy dinner in the town. We made pasta with tomato sauce and cheese. I even had grapefruit juice and canned peaches for dessert. It's not so bad. In fact, I think food options will be fairly decent. Of course, I think we're eating pasta again tonight so it might loose its appeal sooner rather than later.
Our school has wireless internet which is nice, although it's been a bit difficult to set up phone and internet service for our house. We basically have to sell our lives away to set up phone service. I let Karen do that. Because I'm just that nice.
I puttered around my classroom this morning/afternoon. The students start school on Thursday so I have to come up with some 'back to school activities' for the rest of this week and then get down to some serious lesson planning over the weekend which is a long one since there is a holiday on Monday. The other teachers from the South that I've met have seemed really nice. Karen and I live next door to a young couple who have been teaching in Korea for the last couple of years and have a wrinkle dog...you know, the kind from 'Pound Puppies.' I used to have a wrinkle dog toy when I was a child. The real thing is even cutter!
Alas, I haven't taken any photos yet as I haven't been in a particularly 'snappy' mood. I will take some soon and upload them and let you into the aesthetics of my new world. Qiki has some mountains so there is visual appeal and at the moment most things are brown, yellowy-brown, or greeny-brown. There is no snow, but today is overcast, foggy and very windy which makes it a lot colder.
I'm heading home now to fix myself some pasta. Sweet.
Gotta love those carbs.
We were met in Qikiqtarjuaq (Kick-ick-tar-jew-ack) by the principal and dropped with our two 'priority suitcases' at our newly renovated house. It's a lot nicer and larger than we expected. It has 2.5 floors, tons of storage space and lots of living space. We'll be happy there. Photos will follow of course just as soon as all of our other suitcases arrive, not to mention our cargo shipment. As it stands, no flights came into Qiki today because of the high winds and fog but we're hopeful that the other 9 pieces of our baggage will arrive at the end of the week.
Luckily, part of our Food Sea Lift order had arrived! It's a good thing, because there was no where to buy dinner in the town. We made pasta with tomato sauce and cheese. I even had grapefruit juice and canned peaches for dessert. It's not so bad. In fact, I think food options will be fairly decent. Of course, I think we're eating pasta again tonight so it might loose its appeal sooner rather than later.
Our school has wireless internet which is nice, although it's been a bit difficult to set up phone and internet service for our house. We basically have to sell our lives away to set up phone service. I let Karen do that. Because I'm just that nice.
I puttered around my classroom this morning/afternoon. The students start school on Thursday so I have to come up with some 'back to school activities' for the rest of this week and then get down to some serious lesson planning over the weekend which is a long one since there is a holiday on Monday. The other teachers from the South that I've met have seemed really nice. Karen and I live next door to a young couple who have been teaching in Korea for the last couple of years and have a wrinkle dog...you know, the kind from 'Pound Puppies.' I used to have a wrinkle dog toy when I was a child. The real thing is even cutter!
Alas, I haven't taken any photos yet as I haven't been in a particularly 'snappy' mood. I will take some soon and upload them and let you into the aesthetics of my new world. Qiki has some mountains so there is visual appeal and at the moment most things are brown, yellowy-brown, or greeny-brown. There is no snow, but today is overcast, foggy and very windy which makes it a lot colder.
I'm heading home now to fix myself some pasta. Sweet.
Gotta love those carbs.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
...and now for something completely different...
I saw the SATC movie. There was a quote in it that I wanted to use, but of course, after seeing it I promptly forgot the quote. I once answered the question "I remember things now just as well as I used to" with the answer 'true.' Clearly, I was mistaken.
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.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
