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