Resolute Tragedy

Even though I signed off on this blog when I left Nunavut, a recent event in Resolute has brought me back there in heart and mind. On August 20 a First Air flight carrying passengers and freight crashed in the community. On board were people returning to work in Resolute, First Air Crew, a university student coming to work on a project and 2 little girls from my former school. The two were sisters. Gabrielle miraculously survived the crash but her sister Cheyanne, who was 6 years old and going into grade two this year did not. This is so hard to write about. I am certain that anyone who has flown in the Arctic could place themselves on that plane. I was devastated to hear about the girls. They were so tight, such a unit, it's impossible to imagine one without the other. Every morning when I arrived at school, the first thing I did was open the back door for the students. The first two through the door were Cheyanne and Gabrielle. They would come running in, breathless, laughing, red-cheeked. Impatient to get the day going. They adored school.They would wiggle out of snowsuits on the floor, stuff their clothes in their cubbies and run to get the games and toys for our breakfast time. Cheyanne was a fashionista and as soon as the snow suit came off she would stand silently, hands on hips, head cocked to one side, eyes sparkling and challenging. I should say wordless, but hardly silent. My job then was to exclaim over the outfit, hairstyle, and shoes of the day. Then she would bestow the dazzling smile and twirl away.

During the day I would make any excuse to drop into Eileen's classroom to visit. There were just 6 kids in that classroom and they could charm the cold and darkness out of any high arctic day. I loved their reading time when they would sit on the miniature red couch and chairs and read to one another, their rhythm band practice for the Christmas concert, and snack time when they laughed and joked and ate apples and oranges. Cheyanne was always the center of everything. She was such an itsy bitsy girl, her hugs landed somewhere around my knees. My heart is broken for that little town, Cheyanne's family and for the school. My thoughts are with them and with my friend Eileen who was Cheyanne's teacher for the past 2 years. Cheyanne and her sister were like her Nunavut grandchildren.

I have many pictures of Cheyanne, so here are a few. She was a strong, smart, beautiful little girl who lived a great big life in a tiny amount of time and will always have a place in my heart. I'm sure there's a bright new star in the arctic sky.

I took portraits of all the kids in the school for a Mother's Day project. This is Cheyanne's.

Cheyanne and Gabrielle making muffins (mostly making a huge mess) with Julien, a university student from Ontario. Some batter did manage to make it into the muffin tins.

Cheynanne's kindergarten graduation picture with her mom, Brenda.

Gabrielle and Cheyanne posing in our after-school program.

A couple of Cheyanne's fashion statements.

Cheyanne reading to her best buddy, Kyle.

 Cheyanne was a big fan of red lipstick. Halloween was a great excuse to slather it on.

The sisters at Halloween. Happy days.

Final Dispatch

I am writing this post from Paris where I have rented a tiny apartment for a month. I should probably begin by explaining why I have been away from this blog for so long. Sorry for the cliche, but where does the time go? It has been a very crazy year and although a good one, I wasn't sorry to see the end of June. This is the second year in a row that I have moved communities and jobs mid-year and that makes for a very busy life.

I made the decision a few weeks before the end of the school year not to return to Nunavut next year. Like many people, I originally went for 1 school year and stayed for 3. It was an experience that I will always cherish. It brought out the best in me and changed me in ways that I don't think I will fully understand for some time. Nunavut is a land of contrasts and the most interesting lesson that it taught me is that many realities and truths can exist in the same place at the same time. The people of Nunavut have a difficult path ahead of them and I will follow their stories with interest in the years to come. Canada needs to do a much better job of looking after the children of Nunavut. They are amazing kids - strong, resilient, generous and fun in spite of the hardships they face daily. I will think of them often. I had a really happy dream last night that I went back to Clyde River - maybe someday. The trip down from Iqaluit to Ottawa was fun - I traveled with friends from school and at the airport I was lucky to catch  planes coming from both Clyde and Resolute, so was able to see friends from both communities. A few days before leaving, I ran into a young family who had been my next door neighbours in Resolute and were relocating to Iqaluit because they felt there would be more opportunities there for the kids. I was able to pass on my household goods to them, which gave them a good start and made my life easier as they came to pick everything up.

What's next? I plan to spend the next year between my island home in the Bay of Fundy and an apartment I am looking after for a friend in Halifax. It will be a year of transition, selling the island properties and looking for employment somewhere overseas for the 2012/2013 school year. I'm not sure where - it's a great big world. What I am sure of though, is that I will be packing all the wonderful gifts from Nunavut - self reliance, confidence and the enhanced ability to enjoy what is around me. Thanks, Nunavut!

Here is a my writing club at Aqsarniit Middle School in Iqaluit.

Finally, I created this Wordle from Arctic Dispatches. Wordle takes all the words in the blog and displays them according the frequency with with they are used. It is a really visual reminder of what was on my mind over the past 3 years. Isn't this an amazing thing? Best wishes to all my readers - it has been wonderful sharing this amazing journey with you.

Deborah

Big City Life

I have been in Iqaluit for just over a month now and am finally starting to feel settled in my new home and school. Iqaluit is the capital of the territory. The population is around 8,000 people and it is the fastest growing capital city in Canada. There were so many things I loved about living in the remote communities but I must say that there are other things I am really enjoying here. For instance, it's nice to have such a variety of food available at 2 good stores. Being able to buy a national newspaper on the same day it's published. Arriving at Iqaluit knowing that there wasn't another 5 or 6 hours of travel left to go. Daylight!! The school was a shock to me at first. So many kids! There are over 300 students in our school (there were less than 60 in Resolute). There are a number of schools in the community and ours is Aqsarniit, the middle school (grades 6, 7, 8). So far, my job promises to be interesting and engaging, the staff at the school have been friendly and welcoming and the administration is supportive. Last week I attended a 5 day course to become certified as a facilitator to deliver a program called "Aboriginal Shield" which is meant to help prevent risky behavours in youth. Plugging away at my Master's degree and just generally busy. It has been unusually cold here in Iqaluit. We closed school one day when the temperature reached minus 54. Later that night it went down to minus 60. That is the coldest I have experenced in 2.5 years in the arctic. Just before I got here there had been rain and there was no ice on Frobisher Bay for the first time in living memory. Everybody here is talking about how odd the weather is becoming.
My new home is a one bedroom apartment right downtown. I have big corner windows through which I can see all the activity downtown and the planes coming and going from the aiport. They fly shockingly close to my window. The cats love the windows. There is a small roof that juts out from the window and the ravens land there and tease the cats and the dog. Lots of noise and excitement. The ravens in the arctic are enormous and I'm certain they're looking for a way to get in and steal a cat for dinner.
It's been too cold for getting out to take pictures - I worry about my camera when it's this cold. Here is one of the amazing views from the huge windows at the school. The school is very high up on a hill and has views all around.
The week after next is Professional Improvement week. Teachers can create their own projects and are provided with a week of time and some funding. This year I am going to begin learning about editing digital audio through some wonderful mentoring at the CBC radio station and by working on my own with Adobe Soundbooth. This will help with a course I've been taking through the Poynter Institute called Telling Stories with Sound.
Right now I'm going to pop out to the store and buy some Valentines to give to kids tomorrow. Imagine! "Up North" I would have had to ask someone down south to mail them up to me.

Where the Wild Things Are

I have finished my term position in Resolute and am moving further south. OK, further south, much further south than Resolute. After Christmas vacation I am starting a term Student Support position at the middle school in Iqaluit. A school where everybody is in grade 6, 7 & 8. Hmmm. It will seem strange to be in the "big city" after my time in the remote communities. My time is Resolute can only be described as intense. The job was incredibly busy given the size of the school. The implementation of the new Nunavut Eductaion Act is keeping educators in the territory busy. I learned loads and loved going to work every day. It is a tough land and it's hard not to admire the people who were relocated here and managed to forge a community out of such physical and emotional adversity. The threat of polar bears around town is real and certainly kept me alert as I went about my business in the dark and cold. The school was a lovely warm, friendly oasis. I will miss the kids and staff and had a tearful goodbye. Here are some random photos I've been meaning to post for a while now.

The high school girls made and decorated 3 cakes for my goodbye party. Whenever we have a celebration we make enough cake for the whole school

The chair of our District Education Authority made this "Mother Hubbard" parka for my farewell gift. A perfect fit - and she totally guessed the size.
After months looking over my shoulder for the bears that I was sure were stalking me to school every morning, it was fun to pose by the stuffed polar bear at the airport in Resolute as I waited for my flight out at 6:30 am.

A Halloween portrait of one of our high school students - front page of the territorial newspaper!

The very last of the sun before the beginning of the polar night.

A few weeks before the arrival of 24 hour darkness. At noon one day this was in front of me and...

this was behind me.

I will miss those crazy High-Arctic skies.

Teaching Positions Available

I see from my live traffic feed that many people come to my blog because they are interested in teaching in Nunavut - or, at least, finding out more about the possibilities and the experience. Our school has 3 positions available which will be staffed over the next few weeks. The jobs will start in January. The advertisement can be found at the Education Canada website. Look under Qikiqtani School Operations and then Qarmartalik School Resolute Bay. This is a tiny, multi-age school, so the teachers teach a wide variety of subjects to a wide range of grades. If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them, but your applications can't come to the principal, they have to be sent to the regional office as described in the job ad. If you want me to answer questions, just leave a comment with your contact info. I won't publish the comments. This is a great opportunity for someone to get a start teaching in Nunavut as it is unlikely there will be priority northern applicants because of the timing of the vacancies. The school and community face the same challenges as all northern communities, but the kids are friendly and sweet and the school is beautiful and incredibly well-equipped. Qarmartalik School is the second most-northerly school in Canada, located on the Northwest Passage on Cornwallis Island.

The Kindness of Strangers

Although I have shared my life with numerous pets for many years, I had never travelled any distance with them before I started spending school years in the arctic. Prior to that, coaching or capturing an unwilling pet into a carrier and taking it to the vet was the sum total of my travelling with pets experience. I find the whole process of putting my 2 cats and my dog on airplanes to be unbearably stressful. I am hyper alert to news stories (and urban legends) about dogs escaping from their carriers and disappearing forever, last seen running in panic around a runway. Or cat carriers that came out the luggage chute with no cat inside and the broken-hearted owner who flew back to her original destination and spent 2 weeks trying to find him. My worst fear is that my pets will get left behind in an airport, or worse, on a runway while I am flying off to my next destination. Maybe I see the carriers sitting on the runway as I take off, or maybe they get loaded on to the wrong plane. I am relentless in double and triple checking the whereabouts of those beloved critters. I watch out the window of the airport and am often able to see the two maroon carriers being loaded on with the luggage. When I get on the plane, I ask the flight attendant to to check again. So far, four trips from Nova Scotia to the high arctic have been accomplished without incident.You can probably guess what's coming. On this trip up, everything went fine from Halifax to Ottawa, with an overnite stay there. When I got to Iqaluit, the pets came off the plane and stayed with me for the 2 hour wait. All good. I was talking to some of the teachers at the airport, feeling very relaxed (probably too relaxed) and was a bit later than usual checking them through security. Everybody assured me they were through in plenty of time. When I was getting on the plane, I asked the people on the runway to have a look inside and confirm for me, which they did. I even stood up and asked the other passengers (very tiny plane) if they had pets on board. Nobody did, so, by process of elimination, they had to be mine. In spite of all that, I had a very strong feeling on the flight to Resolute that they weren't on the plane. When I stepped off the plane in Resolute, the local First Air rep was there to meet me. "Has anyone spoken to you yet?" he asked. By this time I had already been making plans in my head to find someone in Iqaluit to go to the airport to find the pets. My worst nightmare come true. However, a happy ending to the story. Two women (pet owners) who work at the First Air ticket counter took my pets home as soon as it was realized that the plane had left without them. They talked to me on the phone later that night and were incredibly kind to the animals who apparently enjoyed the sleepover and were shipped up to me on a charter flight the next day. I wonder if this will make me more relaxed on future flights because the worst thing happened and it turned out ok? First Air was very quick to be in touch, offer their apologies and provde financial compensation.

Northern Migration

Once again I'm at the airport in Halifax waiting to board the first flight of my journey back to Resolute. An amazing summer that honestly could not have been better. I'm certain that most people (especially teachers) look forward to summer break. Northern teachers are crazy to get home in June. We plan like mad, trying to fit in an impossible amount of southern living in 7 or 8 weeks. From the minute we get off the plane at the end of the school year, we live in a whirlwind of seeing people, experiencing everything we felt deprived of during the long polar winter and fitting in the dentist and other medical appointments. Our two new teachers Joe and Lindsay even managed to fit in a wedding! From the time we get home we're already packing for the trip back. We've got the long list of things we want to bring back up north, which for most of us, includes treats for the kids we work with. The enormous expectations we carry off the plane in June can weigh down the summer. Going into my third year in the Arctic I am learning to let go of much of that and just enjoy everything that comes along. My unexpected trip to New York was wildly enjoyable, as was time spent hanging out with an old buddy on his whale watch vessel. I know I've written this before, and I'm sure I will again, but one of the great side effects of the arctic living experience is the magnified enjoyment of what I once considered ordinary - trees and grass rank highly these days. So, after a perfect vacation, I'm very excited about getting back to Resolute. I can't wait for that first breath of arctic air. I love schools, have since I entered my first one at the age of five. The start of the school year feels like New Year's and I can't wait to see the kids and get the year started. Here are a few shots from my whale watching trips of the Bay of Fundy this summer.

Unexpected Change in Latitude

Right now, I should be in Rankin Inlet in western Nunavut. I should be finishing off the last couple of days of the Nunavut Educational Leadership Program (ELP). Instead, I am sitting in a cafe on 7th Ave in New York City watching the crowds out the window and blogging. All school administrators in Nunavut must take the ELP as a condition of employment. With travel time it is an investment of about 2 weeks of summer vacation time. So, as you can imagine, enthusiasm for the course varies greatly from person to person. As well, teachers who are interested in becoming administrators can also apply to attend the course. I was looking forward not only to the course, but was also excited about the chance to see and photograph some tundra plants. I have been an amateur botanist since childhood and have been tantalized by the end of summer remnants of arctic poppies and cotton grass when I arrive in the arctic in mid-August. On July 4 around 26 of us flew to Winnipeg from various places and were scheduled to fly up to Rankin the next morning. There were two other groups meeting in Iqaluit and somewhere in NWT. For two days flights were cancelled because of bad weather in Rankin. Four times we were checked in for flights that never left. Four times we repeated the tedious process of recollecting our luggage off the carosel and waiting for instructions from the person in Rankin who was organizing us. We were all packed with winter clothes and camping gear, so there were tons of luggage. At the end of the 2nd day, with no weather change in sight, the program leaders made the decision to cancel the program. On a positive note, our group spent 3 nights together in 3 different airport hotels and had fun dinners together every night. When time allowed, we explored a bit of Winnipeg (between cancelled flights). It was a great way to get to know a bunch of people who share so much in common. So, I found myself with nearly 2 weeks of unexpected free time. Everything at home was taken care of and I had excellent pet/house sitters. It seemed a shame to waste all that, so at the airport in Winnipeg on my way back to Halifax I booked a last minute week in New York. I flew to Halifax, repacked in my car, leaving behind winter clothes and camping gear and picking up some summer clothes I had left in the back seat. As I had 10 days between arriving home and setting out again for ELP, the unexpected vacation felt like such a gift. I am just finishing off an amazing week and feel rested, energized and inspired and ready for the next month of enjoying Nova Scotia and getting ready to head back up north on August 14.

Here we are in the airport in Winnipeg at the end of day 2 waiting for a decision about cancellation of the program. I am hoping that the leaders of the course find a creative way to deliver the course by distance over the up-coming school year.

Journey South

It seems that lately, the only opportunity I have for blogging is while travelling. I am sitting in the airport in Ottawa, waiting for the flight that will complete an arduous journey that began at 6:30 yesterday morning when I left Resolute. I flew from Resolute to Nanasivik (Arcitc Bay), then to Iglooik, Iqaluit, Ottawa. Overnight in Ottawa and on to Halifax tonight and then a 4 hour drive to my other island home. I must say that as trying as arctic travel is, its one redeeming quality is other arctic travellers. There is a strong sense of camaraderie and sympathy. We are all in the same boat (or plane, in this case). At the mercy of First Air and its antiquated aircraft, unpredictable weather and the opportunity for ANYTHING to go wrong, I find that arctic travellers have a sense of humour and jump quickly to help those in need. For instance, the story of how a planeload of us teachers spent 8 hours alone in an unheated airport in Igloolik in February has spread around. One total stranger told me that he had "heard about that". That story deserves its own posting. Maybe this summer when I have time (I have pictures). The other thing that arctic travellers have in common is the unbelievable amount of "stuff" that we lug around with us and for many of us, the pets we take up and down. A very common piece of arctic luggage is a beat-up plastic tote badly wrapped in duct tape. I now own a number of them.
I am usually a little confused and overcome when I first get back down south. Everything in Ottawa seems too hot and busy. I miss the arctic air and can't wait to get back down to the Bay of Fundy.
The school year ended on the 15th for our students, the teachers finished on the 16th, and I had two more days to wrap things up. It has been another amazing year for me. Changing communities and jobs mid-year was a huge challenge, but I feel so satisfied with everything. I enjoy the school in Resolute and the Principal's position feels absolutely right for me. I started a 2nd Masters degree this winter (Educational Leadership) and am looking forward to continuing with that in the fall. I also look forward to seeing Resolute when I return in August (without ice and snow). There is a river very near town and there will be lots of belugas, narwhals and polar bears around at that time. School is also looking like fun for next year. Some good new teachers and a huge kindergarten class (8 kids). The locals call it "Resolute's baby boom." When I left it was around 1 degree C and the kids were riding their bikes around town in shorts and t-shirts. I was still wearing the parka. They were all asking "when will school start again, Deborah?" "Before you know it" I told them.
Some pictures from around town and school.

Not My Liquor, Not My Foot.

I am in Iqaluit for a medical appointment, so finally have a moment for blogging. Also, I just had to tell this strange story. To tell the story, I have to go back to Christmas, 2008 and then come back to today. I stayed in Clyde River for Christmas that year. The day after Christmas break I got a call at school from the local RCMP detachment. I knew the guy somewhat socially, so I was really taken aback when he spoke to me in a very official voice, asking me if I had placed an order for alcohol over Christmas break. I thought he was joking and made some joke back. However, he was serious. Clyde River is an alcohol restricted community. That means that in order to purchase liquor and have it flown into the community you need to get a permit from the local liquor committee. Any other way of bringing alcohol into the community is illegal. The RCMP officer went on to inform me, in his official voice, that a liquor order in my name had arrived at the airport over Christmas. Apparently a bottle of rum had broken open and I was reported to the alcohol committee and the RCMP for illegal importation of alcohol. He also said that the alcohol committee wanted me arrested - as a message to other southerners who bring in alcohol. I was absolutely stymied - and very upset. The only thing that was absolutely clear to me was that I had not placed the order. This is a criminal code offence. Bye, bye teaching career. I went immediately to the principal and vice-principal, who knew right away that I was telling the truth. The only explanation we could think of was that somebody was using my credit card number. But how did they even make the order without a permit? I called the store in Montreal that had shipped the order (also the store who ships up my food mail) and after speaking to 3 different people, the mystery was solved. The order had been placed by a woman in Iqaluit who has the same first and last name as me. Somehow, my account number and shipping address got put with her order and I got shipped her entire Christmas liquor order. She did have a permit. I got a letter of apology from the store and an explanation was sent to the RCMP.
Fast forward to today. I am in Iqaluit for an appointment with a specialist about a problem I am having with my right foot. While I was sitting in the doctor's office I could see that the file on the desk said Debbie L. instead of Deborah A. I also thought it odd that when the doctor came to get me in the waiting room he call out "Debbie." I said to him "are you sure that's me" and pointed to the file. He looked at me like I was nuts. People will often assume Debbie so I let it go. I didn't make any connection with the liquor incident. Then he asked if I had an x-ray of my foot and I said no. Then he looked in a large envelope on his desk and sure enough, there was an x-ray - of a right foot. I am thinking that I should be seeing someone for Alzheimer's at this point. He went on to say that the x-rayed foot looked different than my foot, but that changes could have taken place since the x-ray was taken in 2005. "Where was the x-ray taken?" I asked. "Here at this hospital." I told him that I had never been in Nunavut until 2008. By now I'm sure that he thinks I am seriously nuts. I kept saying "that's not my foot." He kept saying things like "what do you mean that's not your foot?" Finally I took the file and found the birth date. Not mine. I wonder if there will be a Chapter Three in The Crossed Lives of Two Arctic Deborahs. I wonder if she knows as much about me as I do about her? I've seen the inside of her foot! I know what she drinks. I wonder how she's doing with that foot?