Hi everyone,
I have been very touched to hear of different people, who I
didn't expect to be interested who are reading the blog. Hopefully this piece
won’t be too disjointed, but I think it will be a lot of different thoughts and
impressions from the last week or so.
Well it is still raining – this is day 8 of serious rain.
There was a short break on Wednesday and it was lovely, but it is raining again
today. Plus it has been very misty and foggy with very poor visibility. And the
roads are washing away. The potholes are increasing in both size and number. It
is lovely driving on the few tarmac roads. Our friend, Samesi, is waiting
patiently for his wife to fly back in, but she has been delayed since Sunday.
She is flying standby, which has made it harder, but the thick fog is making it
difficult for planes to land. The supermarket is beginning to show the strain
in a reduction of the fresh fruit and veg on sale. There were only three punnets
of tomatoes yesterday, no cucumbers and large sections of empty shelves. I didn't
buy the tomatoes as they were in plastic punnets. There is no recycling here
and Mike is planning to take a load of recycling back in his spare suitcase to
recycle at Ottawa airport (I kid you not).
Back to the airport and Karen’s brother and family are due to arrive
tomorrow. I am sure she is very concerned about the likelihood of their
arrival. If you want me home on time (hint, hint family) please pray there is
good weather on 2nd August up here. When I look at the local weather
forecast, as observed at the airport, and look at the seven day forecast, after
about the third day, I think the forecast is based on history. Days four
through seven are always more optimistic than what actually happens.
The bay is still frozen over and no boats are able to sail.
Although there is now a small band of open water across the bay and the ice is
getting darker (a sign that it is becoming water-logged), the ice-breaker ships
are still unable to get in. Usually the bay melts in mid-June. People here are
waiting for the sea-lift to bring in supplies. Many people order enough dry
goods to do them a year and then these supplies are shipped in during the
summer. Apparently it is a lot cheaper to do this. For two adults and two under
fives the supplies needed are about $8000. This obviously makes it difficult
for those struggling financially to benefit from the sea lift as one needs
spare income in order to save for it. Building supplies also come in by ship in
the summer. There is no deep harbour here, so I understand goods come in off
the ships by barge. I look forward to observing this – hopefully I get the
chance and the bay does melt.
Yesterday was Nunavut day and we went to the celebrations
(moved to the high school due to the weather). We had a cooked beef burger, but
elsewhere we could see raw meat and fish being served to the Inuit population, a country feast as they call it.
I saw one paper plate piled high with raw stuff – I mean it didn’t look like
meat as we know it. It looked like thick red jelly or white jelly. Some was
probably fat and some maybe offal. I think I may have seen whale meat too.
Later we went to the cinema to see a couple of Inuit
documentaries. They had English subtitles. Watching any film based on Inuit
history is pretty intense as they have suffered so much injustice. The Canadian
government moved people about by force to use the Inuit population as a way of
securing Canada’s high northern territories from other countries – presumably the
Russians, USA and China – as the high north has many mineral and oil reserves.
Also over a twenty year period the RCMP slaughtered thousands of dogs to
prevent the Inuit people from moving around. It was a bit like the government
taking away our cars and our access to food as the dogs also helped with
hunting. Since the establishment of the territory of Nunavut, there does seem
to be an element of healing taking place. However the mix between a settled
life in the towns and a nomadic lifestyle of hunting and fishing seems to be a
difficult balance. The Canadian government still needs the help of the Inuit
people to secure the northern lands, but they are not willing to spend the
money on health and social care that would enable the Inuit population to
thrive. While the Anglican church is mostly serving the Inuit population up
here, there is still anger at how the churches helped the government in the
past to try and wipe out Inuit culture. However Christianity seems surprisingly
welcome and prevalent among the Inuit population. While Inuit and Westerner do
mix here and intermarry to an extent, it is hard to describe the clash of
cultures here. The Inuit still want to live off the land and maintain their
culture. The Canadian government want to educate people in a Western style and
develop the natural resources and protect their ‘borders’.
Iqaluit is a very
unique place. We have been given a great welcome here by both Inuit and
Westerner. Canada itself is a strange place because Canada has welcomed many
nationalities as citizens, however Iqaluit leaves me feeling that where I
belong is back home in Northern Ireland with all its faults and failings. Just
confirming what I have always felt really. I am glad though that I do belong
somewhere as many westerners here do seem to be looking for a sense of
belonging. Many come to Iqaluit and enjoy the welcome and the small community,
but then leave again due to the harsh weather. Others stay many years. Some who
have been here many years then retire ‘south’, possibly due to cost of living
or links to family in the ‘south’. I hope that is a fair representation.
I will sign off for now as my stomach is telling me that it
is time for lunch – no raw meat! J
Love, Sarah
