Nunavut IX

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