Wednesday, October 26, 2011

You want to leave Cape Dorset? Hah, not today.

This month has been plagued with travel delays. Both Margot and I have been trying to get to and from Iqaluit for medical appointments (don't be alarmed, we're doing just fine). I got stuck there for two extra days due to booking issues and Margot has missed two trips and is now working on leaving Thursday. I hope she has good weather. It is a lot of work for us teacher's to miss work so I hope she gets out and back this time.

I decided that during my time in Iqaluit that anyone who lives there does not get to complain about how hard it is living in the North. It is a proper city with many stores that carry everything you could need (I did not say want). They had a huge (southerly) selection of fresh fruit, veggies, baked goods and a full size department store filled with hardware, clothes, housewares, and so much more at cheaper prices. You can go swimming in a pool, watch a movie at the cinema, go out for a beer and a burger, even see a doctor at a hospital. It's feels like the south. But, I wouldn't want to live there. It lacked all the charm of our small town. The Inuit people here are more friendly to outsiders, they speak Inuktitut, wear more traditional clothes and seem happier. Cape Dorset feels like somewhere different, like the Arctic. Being here feels like an adventure in a unique place that has it's own ever-changing culture and people. Now, I know that I will catch flack for this statement, but it's how I feel. Iqaluit felt more like a small southern city with all the cars, traffic (seriously right?), English, consumerism and such. I like my little town (most of the time.) There are some things about it that I don't like, but overall I am happy here, well, for today at least. I think that experiencing alternatives gives me a better appreciation for what I have.

Lily, like all kids, is getting very excited about Halloween. Margot told her she could paint her face as part of her costume and she was so amped up that she could not wait. So last night while I was outside working on closing in our ATV shed, Lily was getting painted like a Monkey, or at least what she thought her Monkey should look like.  This is the picture that was on the packaging that she really liked.


What a funny little girl!

It's snowy and cold here. People are out on their snowmobiles already. Cape Dorset is a much happier place in the snow. Everything is clean, the kids are out sliding, the adults and teenagers are zooming around.

Thanks for dropping by and let us know what's up with you.

-Richard

1 comment:

  1. I had to laugh out loud when I read about how much "traffic" we have here in Iqaluit, we like to call it "rush minute"! This is the only place I've lived in the North, and to me is sure doesn't feel like the southern small town I came from in very many ways, but I can see how it might seem "big city" when you are coming over from Dorset.
    Hope the flights are running smooth today!

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