Hello all! When I wrote my last blog entry the snowy banks of Koojesse Inlet were just beginning to melt away, and as I started writing this much overdue update it dawned on me that not only have both Spring and Summer come and gone, but Fall has also made way for an early Winter. That's right, it's Winter here right now. In fact, at this very moment, all I can hear are blistering gushes of wind blowing powdery snow onto my window screen, thus completely blocking my view of what would be a very cold but extremely beautiful Winter scene... and all this merely a few days before Halloween! I remember the disappointment I would feel on Halloween nights when our parents would make us wear our snowsuits under our Halloween costumes because they deemed it too cold outside. I am curious to see how kids fare up here in that regard! Anyhow, I have so much to update that I don't know where to begin. So much time has passed and so many things have happened. I suppose it's becoming increasingly harder to update this blog because with every day that goes by I feel significantly less like I'm "visiting" and more like I am at home here. This shift actually took place back in the Summer and was triggered by my visit to Ottawa; that was when I realized that I was beginning to feel more at home in my house on Road to Nowhere and with my friends from small northern communities like Rankin Inlet and Resolute (communities of which I admittedly knew nothing to little about before moving here). Speaking of the people I have met up here: the people I have come to call friends over these past 9 months (can you believe it has been NINE months?) have had such a meaningful impact on my life. Every day I am thankful for the connections I have made and the amazing individuals I have the privilege of calling my friends. But to get back to my original point about finding it difficult to update this blog frequently: it has become increasingly difficult to do so because I no longer feel the need to report to the world "back home" about my life "up North" because "up North" has become my home (for how long, even I'm not sure) and my life "up here" is simply my life. That being said, I know there are lots of things I would love to share with the people who look forward to these updates, especially the greatest woman I've ever met, my grand-maman Isabelle! So I will put up some pictures with a small bit of information and let your imagination figure out the rest!
My first time gutting a fish. This Arctic Char was caught in Pangnirtung and given to me by a friend. It became sweet potato and char burgers.
There is something infinitely satisfying about knowing where your food comes from and preparing it yourself. (More satisfying than any processed packaged tofu hot dog can ever be.)
Went boating with my friend Joe's family.
Joe's sister Nell.
Joe and I in the foreground, with Nell's son and partner in the background.
Fishin'.
Sylvia Grinnell Park
The berries were starting to come out!
Hi Joe!
Nell and her panik.
Mom and son huddled, and the only fish caught all evening... Caught by grandma nonetheless!
Paternal grandmother, mother and son.
This was at the feast put up for the Governor General's visit.. The tuktu (caribou) went fast!
Nap using her ulu to cut off some tuktu for me.
Tuktu stew. Mamaktu!!
Ivalu! She is a little ray of Greenlandic sunshine! haha
Sunset on Upper Base Road with Ivalu.
