School, Wind, & A Donation

I returned to Arctic Bay on August 9 and spent the weekend rearranging & cleaning my residence.  I also dropped into school to prepare my classroom.  Computer technicians had been in over the summer and installed new Dell desktop computers in all the classrooms.  The computers are for the teachers.  This resulted in my desk being moved to the front of the class.  I prefer the desk to be at the back because I see it as less authoritative & threatening to the students.  The teacher’s desk being at the front is a very old top-down approach that should be avoided in today’s collaborative environment.  I was going to be stuck with this new arrangement for the next foreseeable future because the wires are not long enough to reach the back corner.  Thankfully, I was able to retain the hollow square arrangement. 

The 2019-2020 school year officially began on Wednesday, August 14.  (Teachers were given Monday & Tuesday to prepare their classrooms & learning materials).  I would be teaching three classes this semester: Grade 11 Social Studies, Grade 10 English, and Grade 10 Drums.  I spent the first day going over course outlines, assigning binders & music folders, and playing icebreaker games with the students.  I don’t teach on the first day and I don’t think teachers should.  The first day should be relaxed, about orientation, and breaking-the-ice.  I still had my lessons prepared just in case.

School was cancelled for the morning of Friday, August 23 due to high southernly winds.  It’s really rare for school to be cancelled in late August but anything is possible when it comes to weather.  I didn’t think it was that windy when I was walking to school until I stopped by the Hamlet Office.  I filmed small waves crashing onto the shoreline.  They weren’t tsunami size, but just tall enough for someone to attempt to surf them.  I didn’t know school was cancelled until I got there.  I stayed in my classroom and prepared more learning materials.

Baffinland came to town on August 27 to make a big announcement.  The mining company booked the community hall for the afternoon and sent several representatives, including the CEO.  A community feast, featuring country food, would follow the presentation.  Baffinland runs a large iron-ore mining operation at Mary River, between Arctic Bay & Pond Inlet.  Inuit from both communities work there.

I have previously mentioned the need for a daycare in Arctic Bay.  In fact, many, if not all, the northern communities need daycare centres to look after young infants & children.  Many Inuit youth can’t go to school because they have to babysit while the parents work.  In other cases, teenage parents can’t find babysitters, thus preventing them from completing high school.  The two main challenges to overcome are financial and finding a building. 

The Hamlet Office has been working on addressing the community’s need for a daycare.  They have found a building that can be repurposed, but need to secure the finances to make it happen.  Baffinland has graciously stepped in to help and announced they would donate $50,000 to the initiative.  The presentation was organized to make everything official. 

The community hall was decorated with Baffinland banners.  Two of these banners stood in front of the stage.  In between them was something sitting on a tripod covered with a large black cloth.  I assumed it was a large cheque.  Several lines of chairs were set up at the front and behind those were three tables covered with blue tarps.  On the tarps sat many pieces of raw narwhal meat.  Baffinland representatives handed out free door prize tickets to the people coming inside.  The raffle would occur during the feast.  I took a seat at the back of the hall.

CEO Brian Penney (right).

Mayor Frank May (centre).

The presentation began at 3:30pm.  An Inuk Baffinland Representative welcomed everyone to the event and introduced CEO Brian Penney.  Both men gave brief speeches about the importance of daycare & Baffinland in Arctic Bay.  They called up the locals leading the daycare initiative to help them remove the black cloth.  My assumption was correct.  Removing the cloth revealed a large, oversized, red & white Baffinland cheque with $50,000 written in large black ink.  The reveal garnered an enthusiastic applause from the audience.

MLA David Akeeagok (right).

Mayor Frank May spoke next.  He thanked Baffinland for the large donation and explained how the money would be used.  He also informed everyone that the Hamlet Office would soon start looking for people interested in working at the future daycare.  The last person to speak was MLA David Akeeagok.  He was speaking on behalf of the Government of Nunavut.  He thanked Baffinland for their donation and said the government was also looking into making a financial contribution in the near future.  Unfortunately, he didn’t give a dollar amount.  The ceremony concluded with various people involved in the project standing around the large cheque while people took photographs.

The feast began after the last photograph was taken.  Two lines formed for raw narwhal meat, and coffee, tea, and snacks.  I wasn’t feeling hungry, so I just took pictures.  I asked Frank when the daycare would open, and he said the goal is for some time in 2020.  The door prize raffle began just as I was leaving the community hall.

And finally, cadets started again on August 21.  The first two weeks of the training year are spent checking/fixing/replacing uniforms, reviewing drill, and attracting recruits.  I’m hoping there will be many new recruits because our numbers dipped in May & June.      

Quick Summer of 2019

My last summer of the 2010s began in Sin City.  I returned to Las Vegas, Nevada, to explore more of its sites and attractions.  The city made such a good impression on me in 2018 that I wanted to come back for more.  I now have even more material to write a dedicated blog about the Gambling Capital of the World.  Unfortunately, I still don’t have the time to pursue the opportunity, so I’ll give you the short version of my second trip.

            

Air Canada Business Class meal.

My Luxor room.

I flew Air Canada Business Class again but arrived at my destination in the late evening.  (Last year, I arrived in the early afternoon).  Las Vegas is very bright at night, especially The Strip.  You can probably see the city from space.  I have no complaints about the flight.  The food and service were good.  I stayed at the Luxor, the giant glass pyramid hotel.  I was hoping my room would be inside the pyramid, but instead, it was in one of the additional towers.  I unpacked and went to bed, tired but excited to be back.  I had a whole bunch of activities lined up, spread over a week.

            

I returned to Battlefield Vegas, the indoor gun range, and fired 15 various guns.  The Time Soldier Package features pistols, machine guns, sub-machine guns, assault rifles, and sniper rifle from various periods of history, for the cost of $489 USD.  I had a blast!  You can view the videos I filmed here.  The place was busy with tourists, enthusiasts, and the experienced.  My clothes smelled like gunpowder when I was finished.

            

I don't know how I got this but it still
counts as a bulls-eye!

That same day, I visited Axe Monkeys and tried axe throwing for the first time.  The place was empty but I didn’t mind.  I didn’t want onlookers giggling & laughing at a first-timer trying to throw axes at large tree stumps.  The staff give you a quick crash course on the many techniques of throwing axes.  Safety is their top priority.  I spent an hour developing my skills.  I threw better with both hands and managed to score two bullseyes.  You can view the two videos I made here.  If I come back to Las Vegas for a third time, I’ll give Axe Monkeys another try.

            

I got to experience the joy of operating a CAT Excavator machine at Dig This!, a heavy equipment themed attraction located on the outskirts of Las Vegas.  (I drove there in a rented vehicle).  You play outside in a large sandbox, driving around, digging & filling holes, moving tires, and trying to scoop up volleyballs on top of pylons and placing them in a garbage bin.  The unique experience cost $242 USD and was totally worth it!  You receive a certificate at the end and have the option to buy a congratulatory plaque with a photo of yourself.  There are plenty of machines to choose from.

            

My next adventure took me to the north of the city, specifically the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  Exotics Racing (ER) advertises itself as the “best rated and world’s largest supercar driving experience.”  They have a large selection of exotic vehicles for you to drive around the racetrack.  I originally booked the Lamborghini Aventador but had to settle for the Lamborghini Huracan Performante because the Aventador was having mechanical issues.  As long I was driving a Lamborghini, I was happy.  They’re my favourite brand of cars and this was my first time driving one.

            

Before you step into your chosen vehicle, you’re required to watch a safety briefing video and be driven around the racetrack by an ER staff member.  My driver happened to be the owner.  He drove around the track like nothing was bothering him, but his turns were tight.  I could really feel the g-forces. 

A trained instructor accompanies you in the car, giving you instructions & directions.  Mine gave me a quick briefing on how to operate the expensive vehicle and how to manually change gears.  Changing gears is fairly simple; you touch switches attached to the steering wheel.  I did six laps around the racetrack.  I got so close to 200km/h on the last lap.  You can view the entire experience here.  Total cost was $578 USD.  Expensive, but worth every dollar!

I took a break from Las Vegas on June 20, and drove to Grand Canyon West (GCW) in Peach Springs, Arizona.  I had previously visited the Grand Canyon in 1996 but not this particular area.  I picked up nutritious snacks and bottles of water before getting on the highway.  The desert drive took a little over two hours.  The snacks kept me fed & the water kept me hydrated.  The weather was hot, even with the air conditioning on.

You have to leave your car at the GCW Airport.  You go to the Visitors Center to buy the Admission Tickets.  (I bought mine online).  You then hop on a bus that takes you to the three sites: Eagle Point, Guano Point, and Hualapai Ranch.  The buses drive in a loop.  This system prevents road congestion and controls pedestrian traffic.  The airport is also the staging area for helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon.

Eagle Point.

SkyWalk Building.

Eagle Point received its name from a nearby mountain ridge formation that looks like an eagle spreading its wings.  Many sections of the cliffs are chained off and watched by staff to prevent accidents.  Eagle Point is the location of the Grand Canyon SkyWalk, a U-shaped glass walkway suspended 4,000 feet over the canyon.  Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to bring GoPro cameras or any personal items onto the SkyWalk.  You can pay to have your picture taken, but the line for this can be long.  I was able to stand on the glass and look down without getting weak in the knees. 

           

Sweat Lodge.

Eagle Point also features traditional Hualapai structures to see, such as, sweat lodges, teepees, and wooden tents.  There’re also large information panels that explain the history of the Hualapai People.

            

The views of the Grand Canyon are more majestic and breathtaking at Guano Point.  The depth of the canyon is awe-inspiring.  It’s difficult to judge how big & deep the canyon walls are until you see helicopters flying by.  They appear really small.  There’s an old derelict tramway building that was used by a mining company between 1957 & 1960. 

            

The Hualapai Ranch looks like a Wild West town and features activities such as wagon rides, roping, quick draws, and Tomahawk throwing.  The ranch reminds me of Old Tucson.

            

The last two attractions I saw in Las Vegas were the Titanic & Bodies Exhibitions at the Luxor Hotel.  No cameras are permitted inside so I can’t show you any pictures.  Both exhibitions were quite interesting & eye opening.  Actual pieces from the doomed ocean liner (Titanic) are on display.  The only thing that was missing was the actual iceberg that struck the ship.  If human body parts, interior & exterior, make you feel queasy, then I recommend skipping the Bodies Exhibition.  The displays are not alive but they are detailed.

            

Inside The Venetian.

In between these activities, I explored the hotels along The Strip again, particularly The Venetian & Palazzo.  I didn’t walk through them during my first visit in 2018.  The Venetian features lots of stores, restaurants, live entertainment, gondolas, and a casino (obviously).  The Palazzo is pretty much the same without the gondolas.

            

I did go to In N Out Burger again but this time I ate at the Blue Diamond Crossing location.  The one I went to last year had a line that stretched outside into the parking lot.  I don’t like long lines.

            

I didn’t gamble at all this time.  I can’t stand the cigarette smoke in the casinos.  If the hotels want me to gamble, then ban smoking indoors or provide me with a breathing mask.

            

The next two weeks were spent going through all the pictures and videos I took during my Las Vegas trip, and preparing my sealift order.  I spent days sitting in front of a computer, editing, cropping, cutting, pasting, organizing, enhancing, resizing, and naming all the files.  Making the videos required the most amount of work because of the amount of raw footage I collected and my decision to add subtitles & soundtracks.  Do it right, or don’t do it at all.

            

Preparing my sealift order required me to shop at various stores, collecting all the supplies I would need to survive another year up north.  These supplies mostly revolved around food & school.  I know there are companies you can hire to do the shopping, packing, and labelling for you, but I prefer to do it myself.  I’m a perfectionist.  The only task I did outsource to a company was delivering all my goods to the port in Montreal where it would be crated and placed on the ship.  My sealift order would arrive between late August & September.

            

The last big trip I did over the summer was a road trip to Tobermory, Ontario.  This was my first time visiting the community in the Bruce Peninsula by the Georgian Bay.  Two of my co-workers live there and invited me to visit their “neck of the woods”.  They told me that Tobermory becomes very busy during the summer months.  Boaters, snorkelers, cottagers, tourists, and people looking to escape the cities flock to the small town. 

            

Downtown Tobermory

Crowsnest Pub.

My co-workers gave me a tour of the town, showing me the harbour, ferry terminal, restaurants, stores, hotels, and where all the expensive cottages are located.  The small harbour is filled with motorboats and yachts until the end of summer.  They also introduced me to their friends and families. 

            

Big Tub Lighthouse

We went on a Non-Stop Scenic Cruise run by Blue Heron Cruises.  This boat cruise is 90 minutes long, and features visits to Big Tub Lighthouse, two 19^th century shipwrecks, Devil Island Channel, and Flower Pot Island.  The boat even features a glass bottom on the lower deck for you to safely view the seabed.  Flower Pot Island is the location of “two world famous Flowerpots” – piled rock formations that appear to be people looking out to sea.  We also went snorkeling at Mermaid’s Cove and in a section of Tobermory Harbour that’s reserved for snorklers.  There are several sunken tug boats in the shallow harbour that people can explore.  The wreckages look impressive but it would have been nice if there were large underwater signs labelling the sunken tugs.  You can view my boat cruise & snorkeling videos here.

            

Flowerpot face.

Chi-Cheemaun Ferry.

Overall, I had an excellent summer vacation.  Of course, it went by fast, but it didn’t go to waste.  I’m also glad that I was able to finish writing this blog post tonight.  My flight to Iqaluit leaves tomorrow morning and I’ve spent most of today packing.  There’s still a little more packing to be done but I wanted to make sure this post got published before I fly back to Nunavut.  I’m excited for the new school year and looking forward to teaching new groups of students.