Wednesday, May 25, 2011

My favorite Inukshuk's

We've spent a lot of time in park, sometimes with our seats reclined, sometimes sitting in silence enjoying the views that Iqaluit offers; they never seem to get old. After dark we drive up to the highest points in the City and look down over the bright lights. It's no Toronto after dark but it certainly has its own charm.


We park and talk, or laugh, or think. We park and find new ways to pass time during the evenings. Katie and I have taught ourselves to jump other trucks and refill fluids under the hood. We have a leak that requires us to refill power steering fluid every few days.

Jumping the Beast

We take turns driving, usually Katie beats me to the passengers seat. After the long stressful days we work, its nice to enjoy the ride without paying much attention to the pot hole filled roads.

I'm learning a lot from Katie, she trades old stories from her culture and her family in exchange for the many useless facts I have picked up through literature. I teach her the meaning behind words from the English language that are seldom used in casual conversation. She teaches me phrases and words in Inuktitut, her side of the bargain being the more difficult side. I haven't got the best memory.

I heard the clang of a cup hitting the metal of the truck bed and just as I was about to accuse her of littering, I saw her grin. She managed to throw the cup out the window of the drivers side and into the bed. My life in Iqaluit has taught me to find entertainment in simple things. We collected all of the cups and took turns trying to land them in the back of the truck. We also took turns collecting all of the cups that missed the bed and trying again until we had scored with every cup and can from inside of the cab. We laugh so hard about the simplest things and it makes life feel light and refreshing. 

Amaaqing baby Mekia

Sometimes we take the baby out for drives. It still feels strange to me to hold a baby in the front seat, no car seat, no seat belt. She likes watching the world go by from her seat on my lap.


At the end of the pier with baby on my back

Some of my favorite memories of my time in Iqaluit so far are with my Inukshuk girls, Miss Katie Inukshuk and Shemekia Inukshuk-Muckpah.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I miss you, but your having a great time....your pictures are wonderful. Mom xoxo