Return of the Sun

Sunrise 10:17, Sunset 13:17
The happy old sun has finally returned to Clyde River. It is the most amazing sight to see this fiery, red ball pop above the horizon. There is nothing subtle about the suns's reappearance at the dawn of the long polar night. Suddenly, a hallway in the elementary school was bathed in red light. I saw local teachers hurrying toward the grade 4 class. I heard someone saying "the sun is in grade four." In the grade 4 classroom, the source of the light, it was stunning: the whole room was infrared. I knew that it would disappear as quickly as it came so I ran outside to wink at the sun for luck and take some pictures. At -53, it was quck shooting and get the mittens back on immediately. My hands hurt within seconds and I was worried about my camera. But the sight of that crazy, crazy sun more than made up for the discomfort. It is a positively visceral feeling and one that I am sure I will count among the most memorable of my life. One of my many gifts from the arctic. This year, I will get to enjoy the experience twice, as it will be a few more weeks until the sunrise in Resolute.

And just like that, it seemed to set even more quickly than it rose.

Then, of course, we celebrated Sun Day at school. With cool shades.....

And face painting........

and our brightest summer clothes. We had beach volleyball with balloons and lots of other games and crafts. With minus 50 temps, all activities had to be held indoors.

OK, Now It's Cold!

For the past few days, the wind chill temperature has been hovering between minus 47 and minus 50. This is the first time since I moved to Nunavut that my coat and snow pants have not felt warm enough. We actually had indoor recess today and yesterday (a rare event). The good news is that the sun will be rising for the first time on January 19. Apparently the time between sunrise and sunset on that day is 48 minutes. We will celebrate Sun Day in school next Friday.
We are getting back into the swing of things here after Christmas break. I have been acting as Vice-Principal since we got back, so very busy and trying to take care of everything regarding my move. My flight to Resolute is booked for Saturday, January 30. I have to fly to Iqaluit first, wait there for three hours and then fly north. I'm pleased that the journey can be done in one day (if the weather cooperates). This would be in contrast to our trip back from Christmas break. That was a true tour of the arctic. On day one we flew from Ottawa to Montreal to Kuujuaq to Iqaluit. Then it was claim luggage and stay overnight at hotels in Iqaluit. The next morning we went from Iqaluit to Pangnirtung to Qikiqtarjuaq to Clyde River. The flight in and out of Pang was pretty scary. Coming in those wing tips looked very close to the mountains and coming out there is apparently a cross wind between the mountain peaks and given the amount of screaming on the plane I was sure we were done for. Needless to say, I was happy to be back home in Clyde. The scenery, though, was amazing. Difficult to photograph, but here are a few of my attempts.
I have just two more weekends to get packed for the move. The government of Nunavut is organizing my move, but I need to pack myself as there is no moving company here. Instead, they ship up boxes and other supplies by air from Iqaluit and when I'm ready to go a local person will get everything to the airport to be shipped to Resolute. I am very excited about going, but dread moving.

Resolute Bound

My big news of the moment is that I will be starting a new job on February 1. I am moving up to Resolute Bay to take over the principals position until Christmas break next year. Resolute is the second most northerly community in Canada and, among it's various claims to fame, is reported to be one of the coldest inhabited places on Earth. It is located on the Northwest Passage, on Cornwallis island in the Arctic Archipelago. My fifth island home. Resolute is a tiny Inuit Hamlet with a population of around 250 permanent residents. It is also frequented by scientists and those seeking adventure. The school is called Qarmartalik and has around 60 students (K-12). The school website is www.qarmartalik.com. When this position finishes, I will return to Clyde River, where my position will be held for me. I am very excited at the prospect, and looking at some very busy weeks after Christmas vacation; getting ready to move.
We have just finished a crazy/busy week at school. Christmas concert was on Wednesday and again this year, I was in charge of getting the gym decorated. Lots of fun working with many of the school's kids on that. Below is a photograph of our stage background design. The decorations will stay up over the Christmas break as the large community church services will take place in the gym. On Friday, our last day of school, we cooked and served turkey dinner to the kids and their families during the day and then had our staff dinner with the District Education Committee members in the evening. I slept most of Saturday and am just putting the finishing touches on packing for Christmas vacation. I just hope the weather cooperates. Some of the teachers who left on Saturday were delayed and missed connections. We've been having a lot of snow lately, so fingers crossed!
Although we are in the darkest part of the dark season there is some light around 11-1 PM every day. This is what it looked like the other day at around 11. Today is the winter solstice, so from here on the light will start returning fairly rapidly. The sun will rise around the 20th of January here in Clyde and then later in Resolute. Maybe I'll get to see the sun come up twice this year. I will always remember seeing that fiery-red sun peek over the horizon last January. A feeling that I can't describe. You have to experience it.

Cat enjoying the beautiful view. So, happy holidays to everyone reading. If all goes well, I shall soon be looking at blue skies!

The Long Polar Night Is Upon Us

I picked up a flyer at the Northern Store today. I wanted to photograph it to post here, but it was a faint photocopy and it just didn't work. So, next best thing, I am going to reproduce the text - line for line.

Moonlight Madness

Northwest Company

Friday

November 27, 2007 (apparently forgot to update - for 2 years)

7-10 PM

Door Prizes

Flash Sales

Wolf Howling Contest

Starts At 9PM

Lolly Pop Sucking

Starts at 8PM

Enough said.

Teaching in Nunavut

A couple of readers have asked that I tell them more about teaching in Nunavut. For non-Canadian readers, Nunavut is a Canadian territory. It was carved out of a larger area called the Northwest Territories in 1999. The land is owned, in part, by the Inuit people as the result of a land claim agreement with the Canadian Government. Nunavut, the least populated and geographically largest area of Canada means "our land" in Inuktitut. I live in a community called Clyde River which is located on the eastern shore of Baffin Island. Directly to the east of Clyde River is the west coast of Greenland. There are a number of small hamlets like Clyde River scattered throughout Nunavut. The capital, Iqaluit, is located on southern Baffin Island.

All teaching positions in Nunavut are advertised in the spring when positions open up. There is, however, a priority hiring system that can affect applicants from outside Nunavut. For instance, priority is given to Inuit and teachers who already teaching in Nunavut. Often, positions in Iqaluit (the capital) are filled by priority hire applicants. Applicants from the south will usually have more success in acquiring positions in the other communities. A good source of information about teaching in Nunavut communities can be found on the Nunavut Teacher's Association website http://www.ntanu.ca/ - go to the New Member's section. Also, under the NTA Documents section you can find the Collective Agreement which gives details of salaries, Northern Living Allowance, etc.
As for the experience, I can only tell you about mine. I know that not all teachers in Nunavut have a great experience, but I am really enjoying my time here. This has been much more of a culture shock that I expected. It is impossible to adequately explain how different this is from teaching in the south. The first language here is Inuktitut, so all students need to be treated as second language learners. If you are able to relax and enjoy the differences, you will probably be happy here. Believe it nor not, it is not the cold or the dark that I will remember most about my time in the arctic, but the warmth and humour of the people. These communities have many needs. Anything extra you can give to the community or school as a volunteer is greatly appreciated and can enhance your experience. My volunteer work is helping people in the community obtain birth certificates and social insurance numbers. This continues to be richly rewarding work, as something as simple as owning a birth certificate, which we take for granted in the south, can be mired down in red tape up here and acquiring the birth certificate can be life-changing. This work has also connected me to many more people in the community (other than the school).
The kids are great. They are polite, friendly, funny and truthful in spite of all the difficulties they face. The graduations at this school have been the most moving experiences of my teaching career.
There are, of course, many things that we have to do without. Believe it or not, though, the deprivation has some amazing benefits. What used to seem pretty ordinary down south takes on a whole new meaning when viewed after time spent in the Arctic. For instance, you cannot imagine how happy I am to see the inside of a supermarket, or better still, a farmer's market. Or drive my car, walk on grass, and countless other things that I used to take for granted.
The Internet makes life up here much easier. My 3 favourite sites are amazon.ca, well.ca (on-line drugstore with free shipping) and my latest discovery, Zip.com (DVD rentals by mail).
So, just some thoughts about teaching in Nunavut, happy to answer any other questions from prospective Nunavut teachers.

The Ice Is Closing In

Sunrise 9:01, Sunset 13:36

The harbour is now covered in ice. I took this picture at lunchtime the other day. At home (Bay of Fundy) we call this sea smoke (extremely cold air over open water). This last bit of open water has since closed over. Things get much busier around town when the ice gets thick enough to travel on. I can usually see people out on the ice on skidoos when I am going to and from school (in the dark). There is tons of snow around. Lots more than at this time last year. School was cancelled yesterday because of a very short blizzard. It was all over in no time and we were back in school after lunch.
There have been a number of polar bear sightings in town over the past couple of weeks. The vice-principal called me one day last week to tell me that there was a bear in front of the school and to keep a watch out as I walked to school. It crossed the road in front of two teachers who were on their way to school. Still haven't seen one. I'd like to - I think.
The big event of the week in town is the H1N1 flu shot clinic. The health center staff (and extra staff that has been brought in) have taken over the gym for three days and it looks as if lots if people are getting the shot. I got both the H1N1 and the regular flu shot. I am such a baby when it comes to needles! I decided to get the controversial shot because we are a very long way from a hospital and doctor here, so I didn't want to take any chances. There is a very well-equipped health center here, but in order to get to a hospital, patients need to be flown to Iqaluit or Ottawa. That's if the weather cooperates.

Going Out in a Burst of Glory

Sunrise 8:21, Sunset 14:15
The days are shrinking rapidly. We are losing daylight at the rate of over 10 minutes a day and that will increase very quickly over the next few weeks. Apparently the last sunset will happen on November 18 and it will not rise again until around the 20th of January. Leading up to the final sunset are some amazing sunrises and sunsets. Yesterday, the sun dropped very quickly behind the mountains at 2:30 PM. This morning's sky was remarkable. I was able to photograph both the sunrise and the full moon.

We have just finished celebrating one of Clyde River's favourite events - Halloween. On Friday at school we held a whole-school contest for best costumes, by grades. I was asked to co-judge the event, along with one of the RCMP officers. It was great fun. The costumes were impressive. Many were homemade (my favourite kind). Here are a few of the elementary kids waiting to show off their costumes.Saturday night was Trick-Or-Treating. I love the way they do it here. There is a set time (5-7) and people of all ages race around town on snowmobiles and sleds. It was incredibly cold (wind chill of -32C) but that didn't seem to slow down the fun. I had around 300 visitors (including a few that came back for seconds). My dog Reba wore s skunk costume that a friend at home found in a second hand shop. It must have been quite convincing, because one group of little kids held their noses and ran away without getting their treats! Here is Reba watching out the window for the Trick-Or-Treaters. You can see that the cat is really worked up over the whole thing.

A Night To Remember

Sunrise 8:21, Sunset 16:17, -7C

Last Thursday night, our school celebrated graduation. Schools in Nunavut hold graduation in the fall because they need to wait for results from the English exam students write in June. Graduation is always a huge event in Clyde River, but this year's was really special. This was the largest graduating class in the history of the school (12 grads). The impediments to graduation are huge for these kids, so making it all the way is cause for a big celebration. I coordinated the graduation again this year and really enjoyed the process. Here are some pictures of the highlights.


Students prepare to go out into the audience and deliver roses to those who helped them reach graduation. This is a really beautiful and emotional ceremony. I ordered 120 roses from a florist in Iqaluit and was very nervous until I received them safe and sound. It has been quite cold and I was worried that they would get frozen or that the plane wouldn't be able to land.



My student from last year, Kevin, received a special award for volunteerism. Beside him is the Northern Store manager who is telling the audience how the first person you see around town in the morning is Kevin, who voluntarily shovels the school, store and elders' steps. She gave him a gift certificate and, of course, a plastic shovel.

This is Pia, another of my students from last year. She is lighting her candle from a seal oil lamp that has been lit by an elder. This is symbolic of elders passing on knowledge to youth. You can see how the small kids gather around and pay such close attention to this.


This is (almost) the whole group. Pia wasn't available for this photo.

Valedictorians Allanah and Tracy deliver the message from the graduating class in Innuktitut and English.

Parents escort grads up to the stage while the theme song plays. This year's grads chose One Step At a Time by Jordan Saprks. There was very loud cheering and applause as each grad passed through the archway.

Jolene celebrates with her son (graduating class of 2020?)

Ruthie and Clara, ready for the prom. The prom is a dance for the whole community.

White Thanksgiving

Sunrise 7:36, Sunset 17:05

It has been snowing off and on all day and quite a bit of soft, fluffy snow has accumulated. The forecast for tonight and tomorrow calls for more snow and high winds. I enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner yesterday in the company of some of the health center staff, RCMP, the couple who managers the Northern store, an electrician who is working on the store renovations and another teacher and her son. The cook was a nurse from Nova Scotia who treated us to a traditional dinner with contributions from the guests. Great food, conversation, stories and laughs.

Earlier today, two little girls threw snowballs at my window to get my attention so that they could show me their new outfits. Green shorts and denim jackets on sale at the Northern Store for $2.00 a piece. "Two, four, six, eight dollars" they yelled as I admired and took pictures. Quite a bargain! Needless to say, they scampered home to get warm after the pictures were taken.

Now here's a story for you. Friday morning, around 7 AM while I was still sleeping soundly, a large polar bear apparently wandered close to my house. An Inuk teacher who lives directly behind me was out on her step having a smoke. Coincidentally, the night before she had won a tag to hunt a bear and was planning to take the day off to go hunting. So, Rebecca (all 4 foot 11 of her) threw on outdoor clothes over her pyjamas, jumped on her brother's skidoo and shot the bear! Then she got dressed and went to school. I have been waiting to see a polar bear since I got here last year, but am not really interested in seeing one face-to-face on my way to school!

There are a number of bear skins out drying in the community at the moment. There continues to be disagreements between government conservation officials and the Inuit about the number of polar bears in the region.

Here is Rebecca with her grade 4 class on Friday. That's her head peeking up behind the kids. Kids in the school sent notes and cards congratulating her on the successful hunt.

Off and Running

Photos from the Terry Fox walk.

Winter has begun in Clyde River. The temperature today is -3, there is some snow on the ground and more forecast for today. I also noticed some ice starting to form on the bay yesterday and the kids were skating on a shallow pond in town. The daylight is shrinking; today the sunrise and sunset will be exactly 12 hours apart to the minuite (6:26, 18:26). It feels different this year, because I know what to expect.

It has been such a busy school year so far. I feel like I hit the ground running in mid August and haven't stopped since. I have a great group of kids this year - some new ones and some from last year. My kids stay with me from year to year. They will graduate once they have accumulated enough credits. Three of my students from last year will be graduating next month. Our whole class is very excited about this. We ordered a suit for Kevin from the Sears website today. Everbody had lots of opinions about sizing, colours, etc. Another of my students from last year dropped by to have a look at prom dresses in the catalogue.

I am coordinating the graduation again this year. It was one of the high points of last year for me. Last year we had 3 grads, this year we have 12! So, I have been busy ordering grad rings and caps and gowns and fundraising with the kids. We have invited a number of special guests and will set the date according to their availability, probably mid-October.

A grade 9 student poses for a photo for her entry to the Dream Job contest.