Spring has hit the North!!!!!
I was so excited last week to wake up to some amazing temperatures here in Kimmirut. It was mostly around 0 degrees for most of last week. I think I did the happy dance in my entry way as I did not reach for my Canada Goose parka.
It has been very interesting to watch Spring come to the North. In talking to my family down south ( who by the way on the first day of Spring got a blizzard and I had 0 degree weather with sun) they are having much warmer days. That is ok a warm day to us here in the Arctic is -5.
My friend Sarah who lives in Pang was having much more Spring like weather than Kimmirut and she is farther North! I loved looking at the pictures she took for her blog www.sarahontheroad.com which showed tundra and shimmering roads. Here not so much we are still snow covered and it is cool enough to keep everything frozen which is keeping the hunters happy.
I think it is funny that last year in May when I arrived it was what I would call "frigid" and now I am basking in the Spring weather. Does that mean I am dancing around in carpi's , flip flops and a tank top ...nope! Spring in the North means you downgrade your Canada Goose or like sized parka for a "southern" winter jacket or if you don't have one ( as is my case) the spring jacket you arrived with. Hats are optional except on windy days and you down grade from homemade leather or animal hide mitts to store bought ones. Your heavy duty -65 degree rated boots can be exchanged for a light winter hiking boot or rubber boots and Sunglasses are a must.
I always thought it was funny before I moved here when I read peoples blogs about the different layering practices in the North now that I am almost full circle I can say to those people who I thought were crazy.... I bow to your superiority in this department.
I was not prepared for layering. I am actually going to be purchasing a winter jacket when I am South on my vacation just so that I have something for in between light jacket and Parka and Parka and light jacket. The best blog post on layering is located at http://illhavenunavut.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/iqaluit-dress-guide-for-n00bs/ now it says Iqaluit but take out Iqaluit and substitute Nunavut and it is basically the same thing. According to some I live in the Hawaii of the North and I follow the practices mentioned in this blog.
Though Spring has sprung looking at our temperatures forcasted for the rest of the week . The Parka may make an appearance once or twice .....or maybe I will just find a hoodie to wear under the spring jacket....
Showing posts with label what now?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label what now?. Show all posts
Monday, March 25, 2013
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Sealift
For those of us from the south going to the grocery store and getting food or any products is easy the store orders them a truck brings them to the store and we go in and buy it.
It is not the case here in the north. All of our food and other necessities are flown in. Well most of the time. Sealift is an easy way to get a number of heavier items or bulk orders of items to the North in a cost effective manner.
Around March and April books start to appear in Northern stores across the North. These books have lists of shelf stable foods and long lasting products such as cleaning supplies and such. The store it self makes a big order and individuals are able to as well. So you place the order in March or April and in July a ship comes floating up the Atlantic Ocean into the Arctic ocean and on to your community to deliver goods.
I knew a bit about sealift from my information session with the North West Company but to experience the first one was nothing short of an adrenalin rush!
We were anticipating our sealift on July 14thish We got notification that due to Ice in Frobisher Bay into Iqaluit the ship would be hitting Kimmirut first. So we posted our signs looking for additional staff for sealift re stacked our old sealift pop and waited. Well we got another update stating that the boat was going to Cape Dorset due to ice in our harbour. After Cape Dorset we thought that we were next ... nope the boat went on to Coral Harbour.
I had developed tendinitis about a week and a half before sealift so I was hoping I would be better but that was not the case. I decided that I would still do my best and Sheryl said that heavy lifting would aggravate it so I was not going to be doing that.
Sunday July 15th was our confirmed date of sealift from the Captain of the ship. Sunday Morning I was awake early ( I didn't need to be awake for work until 11am) I called Sheryl to find out what our plan was going to be for the day... She had been out earlier that morning and found that the ship was docked way out around some inlets... We couldn't even see it from town which sucked because we could see the fuel tanker so clearly !
Sheryl let Me now that the barges would not be coming in until 630pm! Wow all day at work I had to answer questions " Is your boat in?" Once we closed the store Sheryl came in and asked if I wanted to go for a cruise to see where the barge was . It sucked because I didn't have my camera to take a pic of the SHIP! We could see it from the top of the satellite hill.
Once we confirmed where the barge was Sheryl and I returned to the store I asked what my plan of attack would be for the night. She let me know I could go eat for an hour or so or if I could be back in 20 mins I could go with her to the boat launch to meet the barge. .... I will let you guess which option I picked .... That is right twenty mins later I showed up with a hoodie on , hat and bug net and my camera!
There it the barge coming in from the ship
Almost here!
It is here! The three blue things are sea cans it turned out that two of them were ours and they forklift them from here down to the store.
This is Gord our Grocery supervisor stacking some of the 1800 cases of Coke we got on sealift.
New Honda ATV's out back of my house .... I wish one of those was mine!
Sealift for me was over at 10pm.. I had to open the store and although I wasn't an active participant ( I was the gofer and made coffee) I still had fun.
It is not the case here in the north. All of our food and other necessities are flown in. Well most of the time. Sealift is an easy way to get a number of heavier items or bulk orders of items to the North in a cost effective manner.
Around March and April books start to appear in Northern stores across the North. These books have lists of shelf stable foods and long lasting products such as cleaning supplies and such. The store it self makes a big order and individuals are able to as well. So you place the order in March or April and in July a ship comes floating up the Atlantic Ocean into the Arctic ocean and on to your community to deliver goods.
I knew a bit about sealift from my information session with the North West Company but to experience the first one was nothing short of an adrenalin rush!
We were anticipating our sealift on July 14thish We got notification that due to Ice in Frobisher Bay into Iqaluit the ship would be hitting Kimmirut first. So we posted our signs looking for additional staff for sealift re stacked our old sealift pop and waited. Well we got another update stating that the boat was going to Cape Dorset due to ice in our harbour. After Cape Dorset we thought that we were next ... nope the boat went on to Coral Harbour.
I had developed tendinitis about a week and a half before sealift so I was hoping I would be better but that was not the case. I decided that I would still do my best and Sheryl said that heavy lifting would aggravate it so I was not going to be doing that.
Sunday July 15th was our confirmed date of sealift from the Captain of the ship. Sunday Morning I was awake early ( I didn't need to be awake for work until 11am) I called Sheryl to find out what our plan was going to be for the day... She had been out earlier that morning and found that the ship was docked way out around some inlets... We couldn't even see it from town which sucked because we could see the fuel tanker so clearly !
Sheryl let Me now that the barges would not be coming in until 630pm! Wow all day at work I had to answer questions " Is your boat in?" Once we closed the store Sheryl came in and asked if I wanted to go for a cruise to see where the barge was . It sucked because I didn't have my camera to take a pic of the SHIP! We could see it from the top of the satellite hill.
Once we confirmed where the barge was Sheryl and I returned to the store I asked what my plan of attack would be for the night. She let me know I could go eat for an hour or so or if I could be back in 20 mins I could go with her to the boat launch to meet the barge. .... I will let you guess which option I picked .... That is right twenty mins later I showed up with a hoodie on , hat and bug net and my camera!
Its coming!
Almost here!
It is here! The three blue things are sea cans it turned out that two of them were ours and they forklift them from here down to the store.
Seacans waiting to be unloaded
Sealift for me was over at 10pm.. I had to open the store and although I wasn't an active participant ( I was the gofer and made coffee) I still had fun.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Traveling and Arriving
I have made it to Kimmirut!
This was such a long journey and a very emotional one for me. Monday night I was still not done packing so I went to work on that and inserted a bit of a going away party. My sisters got me a Wii , which made the trip to Kimmirut with me! It took my mom and my uncle and I to get everything all packed and taped. I finished packing about 12 am . I had to be awake at 2am to start the trip.
Getting to the airport in Fredericton we found that one of my totes was over weight by like a pound. So my mom did some shuffling and we made ti work. Air Canada also checked my luggage straight through until Kimmirut which meant that when I arrived in Ottawa I did not have to worry about getting my luggage , what a relief!
The flight from Fredericton to Ottawa was very noisy I was on a small Dash -8 plane. I was able to sleep and that was good. I got to Ottawa and had about a 2 hour wait until I got on the flight to Iqaluit.
The First Air flight to Iqaluit was great, I was in the last seat of the plane and had no seat mates which was great! First Air is really awesome I got breakfast on the plane as well as hot towel, three options of newspapers and a pillow and blanket ... Airline service is still in existence?
So I get into Iqaluit and they tell me my flight to Kimmirut has been delayed due to weather until 3:30. At 3:30 they tell me that my flight has been canceled. I am a bundle of tears at the airport trying to figure out what on earth I am going to do. I call my boss in Kimmirut and then to the Head Office for my company to find out what I am going to do , since they take care of my travel and accommodations.
They decide to put me up at the staff housing in Iqaluit and have someone from the store pick me up. Which was ok. .. So picture this a girl who is BONE tired with two carts full of totes and bags and a cat waiting . I am litterly the only person left in the airport who does not work there.
Melissa came and picked me up and when I realized that she was coming to get me I cried . The stress was crazy. I just wanted to get where I am going and be done with it .
I was able to fly into Kimmirut on Wednesday . We were delayed by about 45 mins due to some fog. So I got all checked in and such and was waiting. Then one of the First Air staff comes over and lets me know one of my totes broke open.... GREAT ... My totes were already cracked and chipped and such so I was not looking forward to this. I did a crazy tape job and got it back on the conveyor belt.
The flight to Kimmirut was pretty, since I was in a Twin Otter you can see all the landscape which was beautiful... bad thing my camera was dead.
Staying in Iqaluit was actually good for my mental health lol. I got all the exhaustion , the nerves, the emotions out of my system so I was able to meet people in Kimmirut without being an emotional wreck.
I am going to close this post for now and I will write more on my first few days in Kimmirut!
This was such a long journey and a very emotional one for me. Monday night I was still not done packing so I went to work on that and inserted a bit of a going away party. My sisters got me a Wii , which made the trip to Kimmirut with me! It took my mom and my uncle and I to get everything all packed and taped. I finished packing about 12 am . I had to be awake at 2am to start the trip.
Getting to the airport in Fredericton we found that one of my totes was over weight by like a pound. So my mom did some shuffling and we made ti work. Air Canada also checked my luggage straight through until Kimmirut which meant that when I arrived in Ottawa I did not have to worry about getting my luggage , what a relief!
The flight from Fredericton to Ottawa was very noisy I was on a small Dash -8 plane. I was able to sleep and that was good. I got to Ottawa and had about a 2 hour wait until I got on the flight to Iqaluit.
The First Air flight to Iqaluit was great, I was in the last seat of the plane and had no seat mates which was great! First Air is really awesome I got breakfast on the plane as well as hot towel, three options of newspapers and a pillow and blanket ... Airline service is still in existence?
So I get into Iqaluit and they tell me my flight to Kimmirut has been delayed due to weather until 3:30. At 3:30 they tell me that my flight has been canceled. I am a bundle of tears at the airport trying to figure out what on earth I am going to do. I call my boss in Kimmirut and then to the Head Office for my company to find out what I am going to do , since they take care of my travel and accommodations.
They decide to put me up at the staff housing in Iqaluit and have someone from the store pick me up. Which was ok. .. So picture this a girl who is BONE tired with two carts full of totes and bags and a cat waiting . I am litterly the only person left in the airport who does not work there.
Melissa came and picked me up and when I realized that she was coming to get me I cried . The stress was crazy. I just wanted to get where I am going and be done with it .
I was able to fly into Kimmirut on Wednesday . We were delayed by about 45 mins due to some fog. So I got all checked in and such and was waiting. Then one of the First Air staff comes over and lets me know one of my totes broke open.... GREAT ... My totes were already cracked and chipped and such so I was not looking forward to this. I did a crazy tape job and got it back on the conveyor belt.
The flight to Kimmirut was pretty, since I was in a Twin Otter you can see all the landscape which was beautiful... bad thing my camera was dead.
Staying in Iqaluit was actually good for my mental health lol. I got all the exhaustion , the nerves, the emotions out of my system so I was able to meet people in Kimmirut without being an emotional wreck.
I am going to close this post for now and I will write more on my first few days in Kimmirut!
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