Goodbye Nunavut

So I came home from Nunavut, after spending 6 weeks travelling to a number of different communities doing science camps for kids and felt a huge sense of loss, confusion and culture shock. First off, there were trees, which I love as you all know, but it felt strange to have the landscape covered by something so large and diverse. I also felt overwhelmed by the size of everything, Ottawa seemed huge and there were so many people all looking so different from each other, driving cars instead of Honda’s. Walking into my apartment didn’t help things much as Mike had already gotten rid of lots of our furniture and it was a disaster area, although looking back after the weekend, everything was very well organized on Friday. I haven’t had a lot of time to digest and think about all that I learned and experienced, but still having everything so raw seems like a good time to write down my impressions and thoughts. I’ve come back feeling like I have to do something about the negative things I have seen on my journey, but I feel so enriched by the positive things I have seen.

I think I will do a point form brain dump of what memories really stand out for me, not necessarily in order, but just as they come up in my mind:

· The Ravens there are so talkative, with a much larger vocabulary and penance for talking than elsewhere.
· Johnny Cash was ever present as a favourite musician all around.
· Walking down the very broken board walk in Iqaluit to the city square across from the old res and northmart to see the accordion player who came in from Kimmirut. The people square dancing there were unbelievable, with a huge repertoire of moves, smiles and seemingly endless energy.
· PUPPIES!!! So many kisses and they will follow you around just for some love. On a cooler day in Iqaluit a little one had a puppy stuffed down their shirt and I couldn’t think of a nicer way of staying warm for either of them.
· Walking down the street on a weekend in Iqaluit and having a little girl from my Sprout camp run up to me, give me a giant hug and smile and run off with her friends.
· Kayaking around Dog Island and seeing a seal head pop up and stare at us.
· The smell of the tundra, which has a warm, dreamy, sweet scent.
· The sound of the wind whipping around our tent in Kimmirut and the feeling like there was more to the wind than just air.
· When we ran out of water in our apartment in Igloolik, our neighbours offering us the keys to next door without a second thought, just wanting to make sure we were happy and comfortable.
· When an elder asks for something from a kid, they will stop what they are doing and go and do whatever they were asked without questioning or complaining.
· The screams of delight from the kids swimming in the Soper River, even though it was only about 10 degrees out.
· The bikes the kids decorated for the Nunavut Day/Canada Day festival in Igloolik.
· The bannock which kept getting better in each community.
· Walking down from the Arena in Iqaluit to the NRI on Wednesday with the fog and mist rolling in, coming to the edge of the cliff and gasping with surprise when I saw all the sea ice and ice bergs stranded on the beach when the tide went out.
· The gamey and sweet taste of caribou, especially the dried caribou Lori shared with me.
· Rick and Janet in Iqaluit inviting us in each time we wandered by.
· Watching the harvest moon rising above the hills in Rankin.
· The elder saying a prayer in the fog and rain on the morning in Rankin for the girl who had committed suicide the night before.
· Driving the giant old NRI Ford truck down onto the beach to pick up Lori & I’s kayaks after our long, cold ride and our return at low tide.
· Marc and I running away from two of our camp kids, Kyla and Ian who had water guns and us having to book it right through the town’s cemetery to avoid getting soaked.
· For some reason in Kimmirut the phrase du jour was “I’m from Rankin, where are you from?” despite none of the kids being from Rankin- that and an emphatic “NOT EVEN” to make a point.
· Hiking with the rec camp kids up the aptly named “Road to Nowhere” in Iqaluit and taking 2 ½ hours to get to the picnic site and when Lori and I went back on our own, it only taking ½ hour, the kids had so many things to stop and look at and explore, it was lovely.
· Almost missing our flight out of Igloolik and them delaying it ½ hour for us (and our mountain of luggage) to make it on.
· Susie sharing her pipsi (dried Arctic Char) with me in Kimmirut- YUM!
· My bag of rocks that I took back with me, more to add to the fish bowl of rocks I have already.
· Drinking cold and fresh water out of the Soper River.
· Feeling the softness of a sealskin and the heaviness of a muskox horn in the Kimmirut gallery.
· The joy on kids faces when they get to put their hands into a blubber mitt (a bag of lard, inside another bag) and feel the difference between their bare hands and blubber in freezing cold water.
· Becky playing around with the oscilloscope and getting it mounted perfectly so when she throat sang into it, it showed the sound waves perfectly.
· The fact we needed at least three polar bear patrollers and lots of guns each time we went out on the land.
· Having my hands frozen solid after climbing up an iceberg.
· The mosquitoes coming out in force in Rankin after the rain stopped.
· Hanging out with the girls in the tent in Rankin, with all our heads in the middle of the tent and the girls sharing ghost stories (I even got scared!!!)
· Being amazed at how warm the qallnic (lamp that is fuelled with fat) made Catherine’s tent in Igloolik.
· How smart the design of the ammouti is, with a pouch for a baby right against a mom’s back, and a hood that goes over the whole baby and mom to keep them both warm.
· How comfortable people were just letting their kids wander around and pass around their babies, it seemed like such a healthy and caring environment for kids to live in.

Alright, that’s a pretty big brain dump. Overall, my most strong impression of the north is that it is a land of extremes- both the landscapes and the people. I will miss it so very much, and really do hope to go back again one day.