The Move Back To Arctic Bay

The movers came to pick up a number of large items at the beginning of August.  I didn't want to take the large boxes with me because I would have paid a small fortune to check them all in as luggage.  After signing the documents, the movers explained that it would take up to three weeks for all the boxes to arrive.  They were surprised to hear that I was travelling so far north, some 3,120 kilometres.  With the heavy stuff out of the way, I focused on packing my suitcase and resource box.  The resource box contained textbooks, games, and office stationary for my classroom.

            

I caught my flights to Arctic Bay on August 5th, a week before the start of school.  I wanted to be in town that early so that I could get my classroom & residence in order, and ease back into the community.  The morning began with a morning flight from Ottawa to Iqaluit on a First Air passenger jet.  The principal of my school happened to be on the same flights.  There were other familiar faces on the plane but I didn't know them by name.  Since I had breakfast before the flight, I chose to forgo the lunch that was being served.  Before lifting off from Ottawa, we were warned that our flight could be diverted because of fog in Iqaluit.  Thankfully, that didn't happen.  The plane safely touched down in Iqaluit, three hours after departure.

            

My connecting flight would not depart until 2:30pm so I stuck around the terminal and waited.  The building was packed with passengers.  There are plans for a $300 million dollar expansion of the airport which would include: a new larger terminal, expanded apron, repaved runway, and new lighting systems.  The construction phase is scheduled to take place between 2014 & 2017.

            

By the time 2:15 rolled around, the terminal was no longer crowded.  Since the plane was a turboprop, passengers didn't have to go through enhanced security screening.  A loading bus took us to the parked plane.  Usually, it's 'open seating' on the turboprop flights; it doesn't matter what your ticket says.  I took a seat at the front (more leg room), which actually was the middle of the plane.  The front half is reserved for the cockpit, luggage, and freight.    

        

The First Air turboprop lifted off the runway a little past its scheduled departure time but it didn't concern me.  We would be in the air for another three hours.  After touching down in Arctic Bay, the plane would continue on to Resolute.  I also chose to forgo the complementary lunch that was being served on the flight.  The passengers were mostly qallunaat (non-Inuit) than Inuit.   

            

Looking down at the land, I was in awe at how everything looked without a thick layer of white snow.  When I flew down in June, there was still snow on the ground; this time, there was none.  The colours of the rocky landscape were brown, black, beige, and red.  The melting snow had created thousands of pools of water.  The red mountains & hills made me think of Australia and the red planet Mars. 

            

Pockets of green vegetation began to appear as the plane neared Arctic Bay.  I snapped several more pictures before the plane landed on the gravel paved runway.  The waterways were completely free of ice.  As I stepped off the plane and took in the familiar surroundings, I muttered to myself, "Utiqtunga (I'm back)".

            

The principal and I got a ride into town by a local Inuit man for $20.  Unfortunately, the town's only taxi wasn't working.  After letting myself into my residence, I set about unpacking all my belongings and putting everything back the way it was before I left in June.  When that was done, I pretty much crashed on my bed.  It felt good to be back.

                              

I spent the next week carrying books and other resources to my classroom, rearranging my classroom, writing course outlines, preparing lessons, and greeting locals.  The temperature hovered between 4º & 14ºC.  I was frequently stopped by people wanting to know how my summer went and where did I spend it.  I lost count at how many times I heard the phrase, "Welcome back!"

            

My classroom in the high school wing looked exactly the way I left it in June.  I went through all the drawers and cupboards to remember what textbooks and resources I had at my disposal.  And then I checked if there was anything I could discard into the garbage.  Next came arranging the tables and chairs.  I decided to try a different setup than the one I used last semester.  I was pretty much alone in the high school wing because all the other non-Inuit staff had yet to arrive.  Most of the Inuit staff instruct K-6. 

            

Writing course outlines aren't difficult; they're just time consuming.  They give students a heads up on what they will learn in the course, how they will be marked, and what the teacher expects from them.  It's also a good way of laying out the ground rules and what will and will not be tolerated in class.

            

Since it's summer and the waterways are open, the locals are awaiting the arrival of the annual sealift.  The cargo ship is scheduled to arrive during the last week of August.  To save money and time, people living in communities across the northern territories order supplies of any kind (minus contraband) from down south and have it brought up by ship every summer.  Families and individuals order supplies and materials that will last them for the year.  The cargo vessels sail from Montreal.  Though it takes longer for orders to arrive by sea than air, the sealift is actually cheaper when ordering in bulk.  There are a number of companies that run sealift operations in the north, for example, NEAS, Sealift Express, and Desgagnés Transarctik Inc.

            

Of course, the sealift is a great way to replenish depleted stocks of supplies.  I write this because the town's Co-op is currently facing a shortage of pop.  Right now, a can of Coke costs $6 and a 2L bottle (the first I've seen in the north) costs $28.99.  Forget drugs and alcohol; looks like a lot of money can be made from 'bootlegging' pop.  I'm not saying you should because that's not what the people of the north need right now.  What they need are more healthy food options at affordable prices.  Thankfully, the Northern Store isn't experiencing such inflated prices on pop.   

           

And lastly, when it comes to time, the Internet may say one thing, but the locals of Arctic Bay say another.  We actually follow Eastern Time, not Central.  I'm not sure why; I just roll with it.