Air Trip

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Where have I been? Between the gym, badminton, curling, work, and my "social life," I really, honestly have not had time to write. I'm rarely home for more than a few hours at a time. And you know what? That's a heckuva lot better than having nothing to do but pump out entries! So sorry to say, but if you've been missing my entries, I sure haven't.

As I type this, I have to be out the door in 30 minutes for curling so this will be a shorter version of the entry I wish I had time to write.

On November 1st, I went on what I called an "air trip" being that it couldn't be a "road trip." I had the opportunity to visit Igloolik, Repulse Bay, and Chesterfield Inlet in one day. It was amazing and I loved every second of it, even freezing my butt off on the Pilatus.

I don't have time to post the photos and provide witty and urbane commentary, so please just look at the album on Flickr. You'll save us both time.

Twenty minutes before I have to get my butt out the door again. Townie Bastard hasn't slaughtered me at curling yet, though I'm sure my time is near!!

Answers

I guess it's time for a post, eh?

Life is back to normal post-holidays. I've been working out a lot, eating healthier, and going tanning. I also booked my Christmas holiday but that's not important right now.

I have yet another chapter in the book of Jaime and Her Ignorance Toward Vehicle Ownership. It's a little thing called registration. Tomorrow marks 1 year of owning my beloved Suzuki. It also marks 1 year since I had it registered and insured. My insurance is no problem, I got that covered. I pay an exorbitant amount to cover myself, it's under control. What I don't get is why the hell my registration expired in April and not August. I didn't pay much attention to the sticker on my polar bear license plate, but I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that I needed to renew it sometime in August.

Wrong! Last weekend I was pulled over by the lovely law enforcement officials of our dear city as part of Take Back The Night. The By-law officer took my insurance. "Ha!" he laughed, "Your insurance is expired!"
"No it isn't, I know for a fact it expires August 25."
"Yeah and what's the date today?!"
"August 14."
"Oh yeah."

That was a bit nerve-wracking but I chilled out and handed him my registration.
"AH HA! This is expired! It expired in April."
"Oh sh...no, really?"

I escaped without a ticket, but not without a lesson: Nunavut's Department of Motor Vehicles has seemingly arbitrary expiry dates for registration. If you know why this is, please explain.

And now, I've been getting quite a few question-comments so I'm going to answer them here.

Q: My family is also looking at Iqaluit. I am a Registered Nurse, so am looking at government positions, wondering what the housing is like that they provide?

A: There are many houses, townhouses, and apartments. Housing is decent. Any more specific, and you'd have to find out where you're living because each unit is different. I don't work for the GN and I don't live in GN housing so I'm not much help.

Q: Should I buy a car here or there, if there should I fly there..can you even drive all the way there? Is it safe, or just as safe as Ottawa for a single girl to live? I notice the salaries are quite high but does that just match the cost of living or can you actually make more money there? Is housing readily available? Is there a region that you recommend for someone that will be going to the North for the first time?

A: Whoa whoa whoa. First of all, you cannot drive to anywhere in Nunavut. You have no choice but to fly. You can buy a car down there and have it sealift'ed up, or you can buy one here. There are decent options in the larger communities as far as I know. In Iqaluit there is anyway.

It's reasonably safe but like anywhere in the world, if you put yourself in a dangerous situation, you may not be lucky. I don't walk around town by myself at night, but I don't in Ontario either. Other than that, no, you're not going to be mugged walking down the street in broad daylight. Not by a long shot.

Housing is available depending where you move and who your employer is. Some jobs provide housing, others don't. Iqaluit has some private accommodations, but it's better to have a place secured before you move here, and that goes for any community.

Yes, you will make money here assuming you don't spend it all. Don't assume it will be easy to save, but you probably won't be broke.

If you're going to the north for the first time and aren't sure if you'll like it, I suggest Iqaluit. We have familiar amenities here such as a gym, movie theatre, restaurants, bars, etc. If you're up for a challenge, anywhere in the north is your arctic oyster.

P.S. You won't be able to drive between communities. I suggest you do some more research before committing to moving here.

Q: I want to move to Nunavut. Can you email me at you@email.com?

A: Sorry, no. I do not send out general "how to move here!" emails. Please ask me a specific question and I can attempt to answer it. If I sent emails to everyone who left these comments, I'd have to quit my job and chain myself to my computer. I'm not a mind reader, you have to tell me what you want to know.

Q: Is the people friendly there? I want to spend some time there to know the mother nature and original living style of Nunavut. Is anyone willing to like to keep some one and show places?

A: Nunavut is very friendly. I can't answer your second question because I'm not on speaking terms with every single person here. Only they can answer for themselves.


As a general note, I enjoy answering questions, but please think your question through first. Don't make me smack my head against the keyboard, please. It's brand new and very pretty and I don't want to break it.

Also, welcome to Nunavut Tara and Jordan & Steph!! I've been impatiently checking your blogs for updates! I look forward to reading your observations.

Happy 3 Years

(I apologize for the tininess of the photo; it won't seem to upload larger.)

Congratulations to me! Today is my 3 year anniversary of moving to Nunavut. This time 3 years ago, I was probably sitting in the apartment in Rankin Inlet, staring out the window in shock.

I don't know if I ever wrote about this, but for probably the first 2 or 3 hours after landing in Rankin Inlet for the first time, I felt nothing but panic and dread. As much preparation as you do, as many pictures as you see, nothing really compares to the moment you look out your new apartment at a completely strange and different world. I felt like I had just landed on the moon. I'd never been so far away from my family and friends, and knowing it would be months before I'd see them again shook me to the core. I was, as you might say, freaked out. It was August 1st and I'd just come from a 45C humidex in London. It was 4C in Rankin Inlet that evening. I put on a toque and we went out for a walk. I stared at Hudson Bay in fascination. I breathed in the fresh air, looked around, and officially decided I liked the place. From then on, I've loved Nunavut and have never looked back.

This place has been good to me. I consider myself to be a very lucky person in that I have everything I want and more. I have Nunavut to thank for that. It's difficult to imagine what my life would have been like had I never moved north. I'm not sure I could even fathom a guess at what I'd be doing right now in Ontario if I never left. I've changed so much from the days of riding the Cherryhill bus in London everyday; from the days of freaking out about spending $90 at the grocery store; from weaving through crowds at Masonville mall.

Anyway. Thanks for 3 great years Nunavut, and I'm sure there will be at least 3 more great ones ahead.

Oh! And to everybody who mocked me when I said I was moving north, especially to the person who told me I'd never last and all the people who said I'd hate it: You were dead wrong, losers.

Jordan and Steph

I keep forgetting to include this on posts so now it's getting its own post!

Check out Shelter-The Journey to Nunavut by Jordan and Steph. They're in Ontario and about to move to Nunavut. I love their blog, it's easily one of my favourites. So if you know what's good for ya, you'll check it out!

P.S. It was 23C here yesterday. Although it's nice to have some variety in our weather, it's way too warm for me. That's how I know I've been northernized.

Home At Last

Well, I arrived back in Iqaluit today. It was one of those vacations where you dread returning but now that I'm here, I'm glad to be. I can tell I've relaxed a tiny bit because I didn't want to ram anybody with my cart in North Mart. Seriously, I hate shopping there. But today, it was tolerable. I hope it sticks.

I sent home all my worldly goods on Friday. Amount of my future retirement into the hands of Canada Post? Three hundred. I really didn't think I bought that much, but I always compare my trips to when I came back with 4 or 5 huge totes (hey, I was moving).

All in all, I actually had a lot of really annoying experiences in Ontario and I'm glad to be out. Sometimes I forget why I ever left but then all it takes is 2 weeks there and I'm running back north. Ottawa was the worst, especially the cab drivers. I had a very bad experience in The Southway Inn's restaurant, The Shallows. I don't know about you, but when I'm done eating, I like to NOT sit and wait an hour before the server decides to look at me again. To put this in perspective, the couple next to me was seated while I was in the middle of my dessert. They paid their bill before my server (also their server) would come back to me.

I also enjoy not being scammed by creepy cab drivers. Ottawa, can I have that 20 hours of my life back?

But happily, I've been reunited with my Suzuki, 3 cats, clean apartment, friends, and fresh arctic air. Every time I come back from holidays, I get the same excited feeling I had when I first moved to Rankin Inlet almost 3 years ago to the day. I think it's the smell of the air, it makes me remember the newness and the adventures that lie ahead. I'm not sure what adventures will unfold before I vacation again, but here's hoping they're positive ones.

Obligatory Vacation Photos

After a busy, exhausting week in Alberta, my sister and I have returned. West Edmonton Mall was so much fun, especially the water park. I didn't end up doing very much shopping but still managed to have an overweight suitcase (according to Dr. Air Canada).

Jasper was amazing of course. Every single time I told someone we were going to Jasper, the reply was always, "Oh! Jasper! I LOVE Jasper! You're going to have a great time!" Indeed, it's a hard place to dislike.

Anyway, I won't bore you with words. Here are some choice photos.


My sister and I (right and left, respectively) on some space drop ride in Galaxy Land (at WEM). We staged this and then were too cheap to buy the actual photo.


A slice of heaven...I love water slides.


My sister and I canoeing on Pyramid Lake in Jasper.


Me with my hour-old tattoo (under the bandage) with 382 Galaxy Land tickets. All it got us was an inflatable frisbee.


Elk on the road...we saw so many of them.


We did a tour thing to Mt. Robson.


We rented bikes and biked down this trail (which eventually led us nowhere).

All in all, we had a great time. I love the west. I've spent time in both the Atlantic and Pacific regions of Canada and although I loved the maritimes, I think I'll be adding myself to western Canada's population some day.

Also, here is what I learned from holidays this time: don't travel on little to no sleep. I was awake basically from Sunday at 9:00am MDT to Tuesday morning at 1:30am EDT. I did it voluntarily because we had a very early Greyhound bus, however it made the rest of the day very frustrating. I ended up leaving my jacket in an airport shuttle (which I got back), then left my iPod and cell phone at security in Edmonton. I was cranky all day, and then eventually burst out crying when we missed our last flight. The nice people at Air Canada took pity on me, though (they said they thought I was 17 or 18!) and gave my sister and I a free night at the Delta with $50 to spend on meals. I imagine that's pretty standard if it's Air Canada's fault that you missed your flight, but it still made me feel better.

On Holidays

I'm on holidays now...if you want to see what I'm up to, check out my Twitter page.