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.