Swimsuits and Snow in September

To me, its humorous to see a day where it snows from start to finish in the middle of September. It feels so out of the ordinary. I remember as a child, I would walk home from school in September. After a long day, I would drag myself home in the heat, my school bag sticking to my back. I remember having no energy left, wishing for a five minute snowfall or a rain storm to cool the City down.

The other day, it snowed from the beginning of the day to the very end. I stood in the window at work watching the big white flakes, thinking to myself, as I always do, that they are such a beautiful gift. Then I would laugh. Snow in September. This is remarkable to me. I love how different my world here is from my world down South.

I wanted to indulge in the humour that I found in the day by bringing my worlds together. I got home from work and dug out my swim suit. I slipped into my winter boots, and mitts. I put my ear muffs on and I danced in the snow.

I showed up with Katie at the apartments on the plateau and we dragged our friends into the fun too. Welcome to September in the North and snow angel fun in bathing suits.

I may be crazy, and my cold may have gotten a little worse but I will never regret anything that makes me smile.

Walking in with the Tide

Next to the Bay of Fundy, Iqaluit has the most dramatic tidal changes in the world. I had always wanted to walk through the muck that is the sea bed at low tide. So I put on my rain boots and grabbed Robert, who I dragged into the muck with me.

 It was a beautiful sunny day and I know that we have to embrace them when they come around. Soon the winter will be here and we'll miss the warmth of the sun on our faces.

 We climbed on rocks that are completely covered in water at high tide. We would walk with the tide, find a rock to sit on and wait for the water to catch up to us, then hop down and find another rock closer inland. The water seemed to move so slowly, but as we got lost in conversation it would creep up on us and in the blink of an eye we would be surrounded. I was prepared for this, rain boots and all. Robert however, decided to wear running shoes and assured me he wouldn't have to take them off. I got a good laugh when we realized we were surrounded by at least thirty feet of water in each direction. He had to take the shoes off and walk barefoot in the freezing water while I walked through with ease, dry until the end.

I couldn't be more thankful for gorgeous days in Iqaluit.

Chasing Ice

Before last Saturday, the last time I had seen an ice burg was the day I moved to Iqaluit. I remember seeing it from my window on the plane, it was sitting in the bay as if to say, "you really are in the arctic, welcome."

A disappearing Ice burg

When I saw the ice burg that floated to the edge of the bay, I wanted to get as close to it as I could. I figured I could hike to it. That hike ended up taking me to the most Southern tip of Iqaluit and further than I had ever been. It had to be made on foot and I had to race against the tide to climb back to a spot that wouldn't be engulfed by the salt water.

By the time my day off rolled around, the bulk of ice had shrunk but I was determined to get to it before it was gone.

The little black spot on the end of the rock is me, the ice is almost invisible

It is so nice to be able to get out on the land and enjoy a sunny day. Knowing that the winter season is on its way scares me into loving the weather while we have it. There is always something beautiful to see in Iqaluit.


One of the Ships on the water



Iqaluit's Air Show

On Saturday August 13th, I spent my day off at Iqaluit's air show with my friends Nick and Nate. I had expected something to actually fly but it ended up being more of an airplane show and less of an air show. It was very interesting none the less. We got to explore the insides of all sorts of planes, from the kind we fly on for travel, to cargo planes, a military plane and the small planes that are used in medical emergencies.

Nate and Nick, looking lost

The guys were much more taken with the mechanical aspects of the air crafts than I was. My favorite part about the day was exploring the Military plane, admittedly because it was packed full of incredibly good looking men. I also enjoyed seeing Nate and Nick's faces as they explored. Their expressions reminded me of those you might see on the faces of little boys in a candy store. It is always nice to get out and get involved in what is going on in the City. I happen to have most Saturday's off so I got lucky and got to enjoy this cold summer day with my friends.

Bow Head Whale

Last week Iqaluit was slotted to set out on a Bow Head Whale hunt. When a community catches a whale, everyone hears about it. The catch is always news worthy in the North. My friend Ashley from work shared the pictures that her boyfriend took while he watched the hunt.

These pictures were taken by Andrew Burry. I wanted to share them here because of the awe I felt when I first looked through them. It is traditional outings like this that inspire me. The banding together of community to take part in something so raw and so foreign to me. A whale hunt, or any hunt for that matter, is nothing I was commonly exposed to growing up in the South. To think about the beauty and tradition behind the hunt for Inuit people makes me appreciate it.

Before moving North, I scoffed at hunting. Lets be serious, I cried at the sight of road kill. Now, however, I have a new appreciation, seeing and being a part of a community that not all that long ago, hunted as a survival method.

It is incredible, the amount of people that one whale feeds. I have seen gatherings of community around seal and muktaaq and have been blessed to be able to see them. I respect the hunt not only for its origins but for its power to close gaps between strangers. 

Lets Talk Country Food

I am a semi vegetarian, I learned in culinary school that it doesn't just mean picky, it is a legitimate term for someone who doesn't eat meat but does eat poultry and fish. Knowing this about me, imagine the thoughts running through my head as I was faced with the chance to try muktaaq.

I cant be sure of the exact definition of the word muktaaq but I have heard it used to describe the raw meat of Beluga's, Narwhals and other whales.

This time, it was the meat of a Narwhal sitting on a piece of cardboard in front of me.

Our friend Alannah had said she had a freezer full of it that a friend had brought her from another, more northern community. Katie's face lit up at the mention of this country food delicacy.

Later that day, I found myself sitting at Katie's kitchen table, watching the excitement in her eyes as she cut the muktaaq with an ulu. I was mesmerized by the appearance of the food. I wasn't sure which part of it we were meant to eat. The skin of the Narwhal was beautiful, smooth and thick. It looked like a marble counter top of greys, black and white. I stroked it repeatedly with my finger tip, apologizing to Katie for playing with her food. She laughed at my intrigue.

Since moving to the Arctic, I have been inspired and filled with an unparalleled sense of adventure and curiosity. I do things now that would have terrified me a year ago. If it seems like something I wouldn't do, I make sure to do it.

And so I tried muktaaq, raw Narwhal, for the first time.

The taste was mild, slightly fishy and the texture disturbed my palate. I felt like I was chewing on a rubber band. The face I made had nothing to do with the taste, just with the texture. Please keep in mind that I have a flare for dramatics. I tried the smallest piece that I could get away with, just to say I did. Then I watched Katie enjoy her meal and listened to the stories she told of enjoying muqtaak on the kitchen floor with her mom and siblings when she was young.

Polar Bears in Iqaluit

I have never actually seen a live Polar Bear in Iqaluit but there were two who ventured into the City last Tuesday. The bears were found at Sylvia Grinnel Park, just down the road. Fellow Iqaluit resident, Annie Manning managed to get out and snap this fantastic close up. I love the North.