Signs that I've probably been up North for a while:
1. It's 'only' -20 outside, and I think, "Gosh, it's awful warm today! I won't even need the hood on my parka!"
2. I can tell, looking out my window in the morning, whether it's blizzarding. Well, mainly that means I can't distinguish the white in the sky from the white on the ground from the white of the sea, and it all just looks white, with the occasional house popping out for flourish.
3. I hang out at NorthMart, just to chat with the neighbours. D'you understand? I'm hanging out in a SUPERMARKET!!! :P (Produce aisle:" Hey Pete! How's it going? Taking your truck out tonight?" Crackers section: "Hey Anita! What time do I need to meet up with you this week?" Pasta: "Elizabeth! How was school this week?" etc etc... sadness... :P
4. I'm used to being told that I look like someone's sister or their aunt or their mother (their MOTHER???) now...
5. I'm used to people saying "Hi Doc!" (Doc? Doc?? What kind of nickname is that???) to me on the streets...
6. I eat meat, whether originally walking, swimming or flying, at every single freaking meal...
7. My boots have been utterly destroyed by the snow out here. Snow 2 Boots 0. We've been trying to hold them together with crazy glue and industrial staples long enough for me to get home and chuck them...
8. I actually want to go out and kill animals and wear their fur (FYI Fur is beautiful and it is warm, much better than any poly-ethyl-vinyl-chlorphyll-ite material despite what the politically correct may say)... although I suspect I would be a pretty pathetic hunter (Oh dear... I think I killed it... do you think I hurt it badly? or, even worse... Oh dear... I think I accidentally pointed the rifle in the wrong direction... do you think they'll be able to salvage that limb?)
9. (A medical one) I wonder, "What the heck is taking so long???" when a woman's in labour for more than 30 minutes. (I've been doing a lot of obstetrics up here, which is great, cause I love it, but it's been less than challenging/educational. The women here are INCREDIBLE! Most women would probably envy them. Obviously, we only have one anaesthetist up here, so it's rare that someone gets an epidural (I actually haven't seen anyone get one, but who needs one when you're in labour for such a short time?). These ladies are able to push their babies out in less than ten minutes! (I know some of you moms are green with envy :P) One woman made one short grunt, looked up at me and asked, "Is the baby out yet?", which it wasn't, but it only took one more short grunt and the baby was out...
The only non-Inuit lady I delivered up here pushed for 1 1/2 hrs (which actually wasn't too bad for a first baby), but I -forgot- that labour usually takes that long, but I remember thinking at about the fifteen minute mark, "What's the hold up, man?" :P I think I'm going to have difficulty getting used to waiting the length of labour with my patients again... :P
And sadly: 10. I am no longer surprised or truly horrified at ghastly stories of domestic violence, incest or assault (actually, just plain old brokenness) within the homes of families up here anymore. I find I am more surprised when I find a functional family, which is truly a sad and lamentable situation. I think that may be one of the parts of my heart that will stay here...
julia
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Nunavut VIII
So, I've attemped going caribou hunting. I went for a whole day out onto the tundra, looking for the elusive animal, searching over wind-swept plains seeking the furry-deer-with-antlers, all for... nothing.... sigh....
People were so generous! Feeling, I guess, that I was a pretty wimpy city girl, various guys lent me all this gear... and I thought I was the Pillbury boy with my parka... I had a caribou skin face mask, balaklava, goggles, skidoo helmet, seal skin mitts up to my elbows, goosedown ski pants, wool soocks, vests, and boots... I could barely fit on the skidoo after all that, but I must say... I was totally toasty the whole afternoon, though I suppose I was just -that- much more additional deadweight...
I was probably the most useless person on the expedition. I couldn't talk, cause I had too much stuff over my face. They wanted me to have some tea at the halfway point since they were worried that I was getting too cold (how could they tell? I couldn't tell them anything!), but realized the huge effort it would be to get all my stuff off my face to actually have some would not really be worth it... I couldn't hear anything. I could barely hoist my leg over the skidoo b/c of the great weight of my legs in their boots... it was pretty much sadness :) :) :) And, most importantly, if a polar bear did show up, since I couldn't shoot a gun, I'd just waste get-away weight on the skidoo.... sigh... :) :) :)
At any rate, it was fun! It was kind of like riding those zhemi-jahns in Benin, but even more scary... I just had to keep repeating to myself, "It's just like riding a horse, it's just like riding a hose..." ... except for I had no reins, the horse could go 60km/hr over rocky tundra, and it wouldn't stop if you thought it was going too fast! However, I've been having the post-horse-ride gait since then, walking kind of bow-legged since my thighs are killing me! :)
It was gorgeous. The Arctic is terrifyingly beautiful. I can see how easy it would be to die out here alone, not only b/c of the cold, but the disorientation, and the vast distances... no caribou were found, but as I was told, it's been getting harder to find them as they've been heading norther with the encroachment of global warming... oh well. I was kind of looking forward to help hack off caribou head and skin the animal... they figured my surgical skills might've come in handy...
So for the whole expedition, I ended up catching a bit of frostbite on the end of my nose... it just figures; cover my face with a caribou in order to hunt caribou, so the guardian angel of the caribou afflicts me with frostbite for such war-mongering thought....
Love you!
julia
People were so generous! Feeling, I guess, that I was a pretty wimpy city girl, various guys lent me all this gear... and I thought I was the Pillbury boy with my parka... I had a caribou skin face mask, balaklava, goggles, skidoo helmet, seal skin mitts up to my elbows, goosedown ski pants, wool soocks, vests, and boots... I could barely fit on the skidoo after all that, but I must say... I was totally toasty the whole afternoon, though I suppose I was just -that- much more additional deadweight...
I was probably the most useless person on the expedition. I couldn't talk, cause I had too much stuff over my face. They wanted me to have some tea at the halfway point since they were worried that I was getting too cold (how could they tell? I couldn't tell them anything!), but realized the huge effort it would be to get all my stuff off my face to actually have some would not really be worth it... I couldn't hear anything. I could barely hoist my leg over the skidoo b/c of the great weight of my legs in their boots... it was pretty much sadness :) :) :) And, most importantly, if a polar bear did show up, since I couldn't shoot a gun, I'd just waste get-away weight on the skidoo.... sigh... :) :) :)
At any rate, it was fun! It was kind of like riding those zhemi-jahns in Benin, but even more scary... I just had to keep repeating to myself, "It's just like riding a horse, it's just like riding a hose..." ... except for I had no reins, the horse could go 60km/hr over rocky tundra, and it wouldn't stop if you thought it was going too fast! However, I've been having the post-horse-ride gait since then, walking kind of bow-legged since my thighs are killing me! :)
It was gorgeous. The Arctic is terrifyingly beautiful. I can see how easy it would be to die out here alone, not only b/c of the cold, but the disorientation, and the vast distances... no caribou were found, but as I was told, it's been getting harder to find them as they've been heading norther with the encroachment of global warming... oh well. I was kind of looking forward to help hack off caribou head and skin the animal... they figured my surgical skills might've come in handy...
So for the whole expedition, I ended up catching a bit of frostbite on the end of my nose... it just figures; cover my face with a caribou in order to hunt caribou, so the guardian angel of the caribou afflicts me with frostbite for such war-mongering thought....
Love you!
julia
Friday, April 09, 2004
Nunavut VII
Since it's Easter, and a time for renewal and resurrection... it's feeling kind of like spring time here in Iqaluit, if you can believe it! The temperature now is hovering around -18 to -20, and for some incredible reason, some of the snow is starting to melt (I dunno, I always learned in school that the freezing point of water is 0 degrees, but hey, what do I know?)... It's very strange, seeing icicles dripping, and mud puddles, and, for crying out loud, actual dirt pathways for the first time since I've been here, but being bundled up, hood and all, b/c it is still cold out... it's a bit confusing... (however, don't get me wrong: there is still A LOT of snow out here; I've only seen two small mud puddles)
Someone was actually surprised to know that there are taxicabs up here. They thought I was riding around in a sled (:P not to name any names :) )... Well, the very fact that there is enough business to keep two taxicab companies going is probably something, however, there are cabs. Obviously, vehicles are pretty expensive (especially when you figure the transportation costs up here: there are no dealerships up here, per se... people buy their cars down south and then work to transport them up here. The cheapest way is by sealift in the summer time; apparently fleets of cars that people have ordered during the past year finally make it through the bay. If people really really need a car or a skidoo quickly, they either buy it used in town, or, if they've got the cash flow, they fly in the vehicle... that's nutty! Sometimes it costs more than the actually vehicle to fly it in!)... lots of people drive around in skidoos, carrying around their babies in amautis and slinging a few kids in the back. Mostly, people drive trucks and SUVs (probably one of the few places I can imagine it's justifiable to be driving massive vehicles... Tim, you'd have a field day :P ) However, I have seen a Penny lookalike on the streets! I cannot believe that a poor little Toyota Echo survives up here! :)
Anyways, about the taxis. Fares are a flat rate of $5. It doesn't matter where you go in town: $5. One night when it was -70 outside, I took a cab the distance of a block rather than freezing and dying half way. It can get pretty expensive for people who depend on the cabs to help them get their kids to schoo, then to work, then to grocery shopping and home again... that's one reason why people have a hard time to finally get the money together to get their own car, especially if they're spending $40 a day just to get two parents and two kids back and forth from work and school.
On another note, as I was earlier complaining about the incredibly poor oral hygiene in children b/c of pop consumption, alcohol consumption actually is not as big of a problem up here. Most of the Nunavut communities have chosen to be completely dry. Here in Iqaluit, there are several bars and restos that sell alcohol (and that's only b/c it's the capital), but no LCBO-type stores at all. This, I think, has helped the communities by at least reducing the number of alcohol-related injuried and problems. I guess it's kind of hard to gauge. On the other hand, I have seen a lot more binge drinkers that totally go on a HUGE bender when someone imports a whole lot to share with their friends. Also, it makes me that much more angry at all the spousal abuse that I see, since there's a LOT of it out here, and the stupid louts don't even have the 'excuse' of alcohol for their behaviour... grrr... grrrr... OK that's another heartache that I've been having to deal with out here that I'm just not going to start on today.... getting off soapbox now...
I've been very confused as to how timing kind of works out here. There's an Arctic Bible Conference that I'm supposed to be volunteering at this coming week, with people coming from all over, from Siberia to Greenland. However, no one can really tell me when things are really starting, or when I need to be anywhere, or what the final date of the conference is. They've told me to just 'show up'... now, seeing as I don't even have a good idea as to what time, let alone what day, I should be showing up, this is a bit confusing... sigh... I suppose it's just my western worldview of time-centredness that's getting in the way... well, at least I know (I think... uh, I hope...) -where- it's taking place... uh, maybe... uh, I guess we'll see if I end up at this conference or not...
Love you!
julia
Someone was actually surprised to know that there are taxicabs up here. They thought I was riding around in a sled (:P not to name any names :) )... Well, the very fact that there is enough business to keep two taxicab companies going is probably something, however, there are cabs. Obviously, vehicles are pretty expensive (especially when you figure the transportation costs up here: there are no dealerships up here, per se... people buy their cars down south and then work to transport them up here. The cheapest way is by sealift in the summer time; apparently fleets of cars that people have ordered during the past year finally make it through the bay. If people really really need a car or a skidoo quickly, they either buy it used in town, or, if they've got the cash flow, they fly in the vehicle... that's nutty! Sometimes it costs more than the actually vehicle to fly it in!)... lots of people drive around in skidoos, carrying around their babies in amautis and slinging a few kids in the back. Mostly, people drive trucks and SUVs (probably one of the few places I can imagine it's justifiable to be driving massive vehicles... Tim, you'd have a field day :P ) However, I have seen a Penny lookalike on the streets! I cannot believe that a poor little Toyota Echo survives up here! :)
Anyways, about the taxis. Fares are a flat rate of $5. It doesn't matter where you go in town: $5. One night when it was -70 outside, I took a cab the distance of a block rather than freezing and dying half way. It can get pretty expensive for people who depend on the cabs to help them get their kids to schoo, then to work, then to grocery shopping and home again... that's one reason why people have a hard time to finally get the money together to get their own car, especially if they're spending $40 a day just to get two parents and two kids back and forth from work and school.
On another note, as I was earlier complaining about the incredibly poor oral hygiene in children b/c of pop consumption, alcohol consumption actually is not as big of a problem up here. Most of the Nunavut communities have chosen to be completely dry. Here in Iqaluit, there are several bars and restos that sell alcohol (and that's only b/c it's the capital), but no LCBO-type stores at all. This, I think, has helped the communities by at least reducing the number of alcohol-related injuried and problems. I guess it's kind of hard to gauge. On the other hand, I have seen a lot more binge drinkers that totally go on a HUGE bender when someone imports a whole lot to share with their friends. Also, it makes me that much more angry at all the spousal abuse that I see, since there's a LOT of it out here, and the stupid louts don't even have the 'excuse' of alcohol for their behaviour... grrr... grrrr... OK that's another heartache that I've been having to deal with out here that I'm just not going to start on today.... getting off soapbox now...
I've been very confused as to how timing kind of works out here. There's an Arctic Bible Conference that I'm supposed to be volunteering at this coming week, with people coming from all over, from Siberia to Greenland. However, no one can really tell me when things are really starting, or when I need to be anywhere, or what the final date of the conference is. They've told me to just 'show up'... now, seeing as I don't even have a good idea as to what time, let alone what day, I should be showing up, this is a bit confusing... sigh... I suppose it's just my western worldview of time-centredness that's getting in the way... well, at least I know (I think... uh, I hope...) -where- it's taking place... uh, maybe... uh, I guess we'll see if I end up at this conference or not...
Love you!
julia
Monday, April 05, 2004
Nunavut VI
Thanks again to all who've sent pictures (thanks for newborn Susanna's pics from the proud Beck grandparents! :) )! Thanks to those who've sent mail; if you're planning on sending anything, I would send it, uh, yesterday, to make sure it gets to me before I leave (or so they tell me)...
A few observations: The only wildlife I've seen so far have been the ravens. There are many Inuit legends of them, none of which I know, except that they are characterized as greedy creatures. They are jet black, in stark contrast to the snow, and are biiig birds. They are sometimes the size of a small toddler! Well, OK, I've seen fish too, but I don't think that really counts...
Due to the fact that the doctors in eastern Nunavut are based out of Iqaluit, they get sent out periodically to the other communities in order to have a physician presence there, at least (ideally) once every 4-6 weeks or so. I've made it out to Pangnirtung (place of the bull caribou) and to Qikiqtarjuaq (I dunno), but, unfortunately, have found out today that I likely won't make it out to any other communities before I leave, either b/c they are too small and don't need two physicians to go, or b/c the doc is going too close to my departure date, and they don't want to risk me missing my flight home. Which is always entirely possible. I was snowed in Pang for an extra 1 1/2 days due to semi-white out conditions. I must say though, coming back to Iqaluit, I was struck at HOW BIG and cosmopolitan (seriously) Iqaluit is... It kinda feels too 'big city' now...
It's amazing at how quickly the sun moves across the horizon. Every day, the sun moves further across the skyline, and sets in a different place, further west, every day. I suppose if I was up early enough, I'd also notice how the sun would rise further east every morning, but I haven't yet :P
I have seen Northern lights! Apparently they are even more beautiful the further north you go, but, unfortunately, I won't be making it out to Arctic Bay or Grise Fjord ... sigh... :( :( :( Just more encouragement to come back up here! :) But they are beautiful; just like you see in cartoons on Sesame Street...
My kids' choir is doing well; I missed the last practice as I was snowed in Pang, but we have one more practice before Easter :)
Love you!
julia
A few observations: The only wildlife I've seen so far have been the ravens. There are many Inuit legends of them, none of which I know, except that they are characterized as greedy creatures. They are jet black, in stark contrast to the snow, and are biiig birds. They are sometimes the size of a small toddler! Well, OK, I've seen fish too, but I don't think that really counts...
Due to the fact that the doctors in eastern Nunavut are based out of Iqaluit, they get sent out periodically to the other communities in order to have a physician presence there, at least (ideally) once every 4-6 weeks or so. I've made it out to Pangnirtung (place of the bull caribou) and to Qikiqtarjuaq (I dunno), but, unfortunately, have found out today that I likely won't make it out to any other communities before I leave, either b/c they are too small and don't need two physicians to go, or b/c the doc is going too close to my departure date, and they don't want to risk me missing my flight home. Which is always entirely possible. I was snowed in Pang for an extra 1 1/2 days due to semi-white out conditions. I must say though, coming back to Iqaluit, I was struck at HOW BIG and cosmopolitan (seriously) Iqaluit is... It kinda feels too 'big city' now...
It's amazing at how quickly the sun moves across the horizon. Every day, the sun moves further across the skyline, and sets in a different place, further west, every day. I suppose if I was up early enough, I'd also notice how the sun would rise further east every morning, but I haven't yet :P
I have seen Northern lights! Apparently they are even more beautiful the further north you go, but, unfortunately, I won't be making it out to Arctic Bay or Grise Fjord ... sigh... :( :( :( Just more encouragement to come back up here! :) But they are beautiful; just like you see in cartoons on Sesame Street...
My kids' choir is doing well; I missed the last practice as I was snowed in Pang, but we have one more practice before Easter :)
Love you!
julia
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