Road to Nowhere

Until today I have been beyond excited by the sight of falling snow. The first day I saw snow, it fell for five minutes, the second day I saw snow, I woke up to a thin layer of it covering the ground. Today was another first. Today I experienced a blizzard in October. Probably sixty mile an hour winds with snow blowing everywhere.

I'm feeling a little bit over worked and tired. It's difficult to see everything you want to when you literally need to spend your days off recuperating from the pain of your legs and feet and mind.

Today the exhaustion sort of hit me at the same time the winds did. Maybe they threw me off a little... or maybe they knocked some sense into me.

For the first time, after sixteen days I am starting to feel a little bit homesick. I felt the sadness today that the darkness brings. I began to miss the yellows, oranges and reds of the fall trees back home... in fact, I began to miss trees in general.

As fantastic as it is to have an entire apartment between the two of us, living in harmony can be difficult. Matt is discovering my prejudice against dirty dishes and I have figured out that he was never taught to change an empty toilet paper roll.

We have made plenty of wonderful new friends but still I find myself longing for a hug from the arms of someone who represents home.

I have however, made a commitment, not only to my employer or to Matthew, but to myself. I am going to stick this out and appreciate it for all the new and exciting opportunities it will continue to offer me.

I find that its not the vitamin D that helps my spirit to combat the darkness but the memories that make me want to embrace this experience for everything that it has to offer.

Memories like those of my grandfather. Before my gramps passed away last year, he suffered from Alzheimer's Disease. I constantly wondered if he had lived the life that he'd hoped he would and if he'd had any regrets along the way. When I remember my grandfather, I remember to make memories for myself that I will someday be able to share with my grandchildren. I remember to try and live every day to the fullest, without compromise.

Some days I forget to think these thoughts first thing and it takes me until later in the day to pick myself up but no matter what, I carry his memory with me always.

Saturday night was our first night out in Iqaluit. We had dinner with Ellen and another coworker named Saky and headed over to a very small bar called the Elks Lodge to join a group from work for a diabetes fundraiser. It was a fantastic night that brought with it a not-so-fantastic morning after.


Jimmy, Matthew & Smiley

Regardless of my state on Sunday morning, I spent the minimum amount of time recovering and hauled Matt out for a "hike." Let me first point out that Matthew is not really the hiking type, nor does he have proper foot wear, as his shoes (and our winter boots) have not yet arrived in the mail. We finished the remainder of the Apex trail and found the old Hudson's Bay buildings!


Incorporated May 2nd 1670


We also found some Inukshuks out on the water.

We thought we would take the road back into town, assuming it would be an easier trip... unfortunately, nothing in Iqaluit is what you would expect, including the almost entirely uphill trek back to our apartment. The majority of the walk was an empty stretch of road that seemed to go on forever in the middle of nowhere. Funny enough, we knew we were almost home when we found the road to nowhere... which literally leads to nowhere but we know as a landmark that is close to home.

So here's to snow storms and for the first time in our lives, actually landing ourselves in the middle of nowhere. More adventures to come!

With love from Iqaluit