A Rant About Grocery Shopping in the North!

To make up for being so negligent I have decided to do another post for you tonight. I really could tell you about the funeral I went to yesterday but I think after the last post maybe I should do something not quite so heavy. So I am here to talk to you this evening about grocery shopping in the North!

In some of the larger communities people do not have to order quite so many groceries because they often have 2 grocery stores (generally a Co-Op and a Northern Store) where things may sometimes be more expensive but I'm pretty sure it works out even. Here in Aupaluk we have 1 Co-Op! The things at the Co-Op are very expensive and not always edible.... the potatoes have fuz, the milk is 3 months past due, and I swear I saw a loaf of bread walk out the door one time! The Co-Op is great for avacado though, especially if you want to make guacomole!

Here in Aupaluk we order or groceries from "down south" which basically means Montreal. Every weekend I look at my cupboard and fridge and decide what I'm missing, then I think what meals I will want to make and if there is a get-together on the weekend what I will want to bring, then I make a list.

You can order from Metro or IGA and each is better for different things. If I am ordering produce of any kind or anything that needs to be packaged carefully it is always Metro. The people who work there take a lot of care to pick the best fruit and vegetables, they always package them nicely so there is less chance of things breaking. So, every saturday or sunday I look that the metro flyer, make a list of what I want and email it to the office. Generally orders need to be in by monday morning so they can be sent on tuesday. For IGA you shop by viewing and selecting the products online, and the order must be in by sunday in order to be in that week. Any orders made later are processed too late and if your groceries come in on the weekend there is nobody to pick them up at the airport for you! Also as a rule IGA's packing is terrible and any fruits or vegetables are not up to par which can be frustrating. And unlike Metro who will call if they do not have something or will give you red apples if the green ones don't look good, IGA will either not send it at all or will send you the brown broccoli (I hate that!)

So you ask what is IGA good for... excellent question! They send wine and beer while Metro will only send beer... so IGA gets a few points! Plus they do have some good sales on sometimes and because their packing is sub-standard it is cheaper!

So after spending a lot of time planning your grocery order on a sunday all you can do is wait. Grocery delivery day which is usually wednesday or thursday evening can go one of two ways. If all goes well it's like Christmas morning when you get exactly what you asked for... or it can be a total disappointment and you feel like you're being punished and you just recieved the ugliest sweater ever! I spend wednesday night listening for the plane to land and hoping for a knock at the door and a few beautiful boxes full of goodies. When it doesn't come you go to bed so dissapointed you feel someone just stomped on your heart! Then sometimes it does come but things you ordered are missing and after carefully planning each item this can suck too. Sometimes these things come later but sometimes they never come at all. Sometimes you find yourself so counting on your wednesday night delivery that you don't make dinner until late and when it doesn't arrive you are too sad to care about dinner and your dinner becomes Special K or some toast (if you have milk or bread that is).

I have never liked grocery stores, I have always tried to plan my grocery shopping at the least busy time possible, I hate the crazy shoppers and often have to breath through urges to run people over with the cart. So I thought when I came here that having groceries delivered would be fabulous... it is just a different evil. Now I have to make sure I have not forgotten anything, try not to think of anything new before the groceries do arrive, and hope they get here on time and in one piece. Waiting is way harder than having to go myself, at least if I pick out my own apples I know what I'm going home with.

Furthermore, you can't get everything you get at home! Two words come to mind here... Ice Cream!!!! You never know where your groceries will be left, if they will make it to the freezer section or if they will sit on the runway for a while... the last thing you want is a box of ice cream soup to arrive.

This week I ordered my groceries. I ordered from Metro because I thought I had a better chance of getting everything as it was a long weekend, further I was out of apples! I had my order in on monday morning as always, I was lucky that they were able to reach me when they needed to to replace a few things and so had a good feeling about my groceries this week. Yesterday, our usual delivery day was the funeral, I was a bit afraid for the first time ever that they would arrive then. If the groceries came Emma would probably be too busy with funeral things to get them for me.... still when the power went just as the plane was to land I was sad. They did come today however, while I was at school, and as I looked out my window and saw the school truck pull up to my house I did a little dance! There was a casualty this week however, a jar of green olives smashed and leaked everywhere! Happily it didn't take the rest of the contents with it.... unlike the time a tub of yogurt exploded last month.

So, next time you forgot something and you complain that you have to go back to the store think of me in Aupaluk where if I forgot something I have to wait for an order and an airplane. Enjoy your ice cream all!

Lots of Love,
K.

An "Average" Day in Aupaluk...

Ok I'm sorry I know I've been lacking in posts. So much that I'm hearing people are asking about them... so having "kind of" a down spell I'm going to do my best to update you on what has been going on.

First I should take you through an "average" school day here in Aupaluk:

On monday mornings I am on breakfast duty. We give the kids cereal every morning because while some of them have breakfast at home some do not for various reasons. Mondays are particularly strange days at school and breakfast is no exception! Sometimes they come bright and early and are for the most part happy to be there, while other times they come in no earlier than quarter to nine silent and still half asleep. Those days are the hardest and a good indicator that I won't get a lot of teaching in that day. They are still half asleep because they have had no sleep at home, they have been out all night avoiding the drinking and people who are at home or they spent the night with furniture up against their door to keep people out. With so many people living in one house my students don't have their own room, their own space or even their own bed sometimes. Mondays after a shipment of alcohol has come into the village are the worst!

Every morning and afternoon we brush our teeth, not a routine I ever expected to be doing. After that we go through the calendar naming all the months and days of the week. We talk about what day it is, what month it is, how they know what day it is... some days this goes more smoothly than others but they forget easily.... we're working on it. After the calendar we do journals, usually we do a whole class journal because they get frustrated when they don't get something perfect.

My students have no autonomy at all which makes teaching 4 grade levels a lot more difficult. When I want to work with the grade 3's for example, I cannot just give the others independent work to complete and expect they will work quietly, even if it is something they have done before. I am right now working on training them to do work plans and learning centres. I hope by the end of the year if I teach them anything it is to think independently.

As a rule I have 2 students who attend regularly and the others come occasionally. One of my grade 3's almost never comes to school, she just doesn't feel like it and there is nobody around to make her go. It is frustrating to see her fall so far behind. I have another student from another community who lives with a foster family. He has a lot of anger and gets very angry very quickly. If he decides he does not want to do something he won't and has on more than one occasion destroyed my classroom. Just last week he got angry enough to hit me twice. In the moment it is easy to be angry about his behavior but often I feel terrible because knowing he has been through so much and he has learnt it from watching those around him.

Some days I plan to accomplish a lot and have to throw it all out when I see the mood of my students. Some days I use math games and letter games and colouring to get little bits of work out of them. Other days go smoothly and I feel I have accomplished something but they are rare. It is difficult because the community just wants us to come here and teach but you cannot teach children who have so many other things on their minds like food, alcohol in the village, things they saw the night before, if they will sleep tonight. So my classroom has to be a safe place for them where no matter how I'm feeling I greet them with a smile.

I have been in the North 2 months now and I think the honeymoon stage is over. I came to build my resume, cut my debt, see a bit of Canada and teach some children. After all the stresses of the past 2 months I realize I cannot change the world for them so I will do what I can and remember I am not here to stay forever.

Thanksgiving weekend was a bit of craziness. Holidays make me homesick and as it can be pretty lonely here I was feeling a bit of that already. When you add the turkey being consumed by my loved ones without me it only gets worse. We teachers spend time together but you can only do that so much since we also work together every day. Not being able to go for coffee or to the mall or the park is getting to drve me a bit crazy.

Over the weekend a woman in our community was out on the bay digging for mussels with her daughters. The weather was rough this weekend, the tide was strong and the wind was blowing with it and as it came in fast she was caught in the water and drowned. We spent the weekend waiting to hear about funeral arrangements and did not hear until 8:30 monday night that the funeral would be tuesday afternoon. However, the weather has been foggy and the planes could not land yesterday so the people coming for the funeral could not get here, so it was postponed to today. The community has taken it pretty hard, I think the rest of the week will be very quiet ones in school. This means that I have not had school for 5 days now because we had to close the school yesterday and today as well. It is hard to adjust to the way things work here, I'm not sure if I ever will.

I have not had a lot of contact with the community here. I know the Inuit women I work with but not many others. I don't often go to the co-op and people keep to themselves a lot. Yesterday however was a whole new story. About 2 weeks ago a guy showed up on my doorstep asking if he could "visit" and of course my response was to slam the door in his face. He had been calling my neighbour and after he knocked on my door he called her to apologize. Then Monday night someone broke into another teacher's house. So, I spent my tuesday making statements to the police. I found out yesterday people have been asking about me though I have no idea who any of them are. It is a bit unnerving and I was definitly not expecting to deal with any of this though I guess it adds some excitement to life... right!

Anyway, I think that brings you all up to date for the most part. If I don't get my groceries tonight maybe I'll write you a rant about that, and with this fog you may be in luck there! Sorry this was so late coming and I will try to make an honest effort to write more!

K.

The School Year Begins... and I can't sleep!

School has been in for almost two weeks now, and the only way I can begin to describe these two weeks is "other worldly." I am not naive enough to think that this would be sunshine and roses every day, but I am not sure I was ready for a roller coaster ride such as this.

Firstly, I love being in the classroom again. Aside from my slight addiction to power and control I really do enjoy sharing what I can and helping my students find their way. After a year away from it, and the year previous to that being more of a zoo keeping job I was worried I would be rubbish at it. I don't claim to be perfect but the first day was not as terrifying as I thought it would be.

The first week was all about routines and getting to know each other. I am already of the opinion that my students are amazing little people despite their occasional resistance to rules and journal writing. Our first day we also had a school picnic and on a "hot" day we took the kids swimming. Taking students swimming on a whim would never fly back home, imagine the legal issues with that one!

My students, while amazing are a challenge every day! I have found myself in a room with four different grade levels and 7 different need levels and an obligation to fulfill both. They need more encouragement to try new things, to look at the world outside their village, and to take a risk every once in a while. I have handed out toothbrushes, changed my lessons based on their moods, and been given the responsibility of giving medication which was given to me my first day. I have been privy to information about my students that I would never have known anywhere else, but it's vital to teaching here. The North really is another world like no other. The past two weeks have been late night lesson plans, re planned lesson plans, and a few sleepless nights (such as tonight). Their needs are so different from other Canadian students, I just hope I can adapt enough to be able to give them what they need.

I think the most shocking to me has been the dramatic change on a daily basis. Monday was a good day, everyone tried their best in class and worked hard. Tuesday was a terrible day, the kind that makes you consider running for the airport and getting on the next thing flying out of here. I am just stubborn enough to stick it out though.

Outside of work things are also a bit strange. I finally got a phone hooked up though it does not always work properly. Often there is an echo, and occasionally people cannot hear me at all. The Internet is unreliable to say the least and sometimes painfully slow. I don't think I ever realised what a luxury grocery stores are until now. Currently the Co-op (our only store) has no store manager so what they carry is generally out of date. We get our groceries by ordering online which is not as simple as it seems. So those of you who complain about having to go to the store, please think of me first!

I was not expecting to actually enjoy living in a village with two streets. Maybe things will change when we are surrounded by snow, but for the most part it is nice to be able to walk up a hill to work. Evenings are mostly quiet, sometimes interrupted by the sound of 4-wheelers or by students knocking on the door. As teachers we are forming a close group already which is a comfort on the not so great days.


And on that note I'm going back to bed!

Welcome to Nunavik.......

Ok so I am fully prepared to admit that while I was completely unavailable for a while I should have been able to update all my dedicated followers much earlier than today! Sorry Mom!

The past week and a half has been nothing but a learning experience and lucky for you I will fastforward through the boring things so that I don't spread the suffering... for those of you who love me so much that you want even the boring details (MOM) please send a formal request for footnotes.

Step one of this adventure was getting on the plane, and therefore getting up and leaving the house by 3am! I don't recommend this to anyone who is going to be going somewhere they have decided they don't want to anymore. That's basically how I felt that morning up until about...

To make things really interesting that morning my flight from Ottawa to Montreal boarded about ten minutes after we were suppose to be leaving because Air Canada didn't send anyone to check boarding passes. Our pilot was particularly expressive and decided to yell at someone on the phone, barge through the exit door (setting of the alarm in the process) and tell us on board that they "have absolutely no good reason for running late." On the other end I waited half an hour to collect my bag and go to a small building to catch a charter flight to Kuujjuaq with all the other poor souls going to "orientation" for a week.

I'll save you details of the plane to Kuujjuaq because well it was fairly unexciting. There was a bright point to the trip which was stopping in Schefferville because I had a special greeting party who I have definitly missed! Thanks Mel for braving the black flies to come see a girl for twenty minutes, you really made my day!

Upon landing in Kuujjuaq we were greated by the lovely people who we would be staying with and who were leading the orientation. I spent most of the week hearing most of what I was told in teacher's college (which I did pass and was granted a degree for so please don't make me do it again) so the best part of the week was a picnic on friday at the end of the road that leads to nowhere.

I have been in Aupaluk for a week now. It literally has two streets and is in the absolute middle of nowhere. It is the smallest village in Nunavik and the only one to be created by the Inuit, not the government. We are on the Ungava Bay and migration path of the cariboo. My house is right on the bay and since here I have been witness to some beautiful sunsets and a beautiful show of the Northern Lights! We have to order our groceries from "The South" because we only have a small Co-Op but the people here are friendly and I think though it is small Aupaluk may be the type of place that gets into your heart. Right now it is cool but not cold, and the sun shines most days so it is difficult to stay indoors when it is like this! Today a group of us went out onto the land for a picnic. We spent the afternoon taking photos of cariboo and the tundra, eating and lounging around the fire. After all the fresh air I'm certain I will sleep well tonight!

Tomorrow is our first day of school! I am really excited to be in a classroom again, though I am still a little aprehensive about being a primary teacher. I will have 2 grade 3 students, 1 grade 4, 1 grade 5, and 3 grade 6 students all at the same time every day! It will be a whole different challenge from my last teaching assignment but if I can survive Oasis I can do just about anything... right Kim?!!!

Now that things are settled I promise to write more often and give a better discription of what life is like here. Already I think it is an experience that everyone should have! Miss you all very much though!

Shoe Separation Anxiety...

Only four more days and I will be on my way! The bag is packed for the most part, when you can only bring one 20kg bag it fills up fairly quickly! The boxes were picked up almost two weeks ago so I have no choice but to go now.

Today I am suffering from the early signs of Shoe Separation Anxiety! You know you have SSA because you keep taking shoes out of the closet and trying to find ways they may fit in your suitcase or reason with yourself (or others if present) how they would be sensible even if your reasoning is a complete lie. For example I tried to pack my purple suede boots with the flower because I swear they are warm and sensible fall footwear! Well they are comfortable... as long as you are inside and don't have to stand for too long....

Yesterday after I went through my closet and packed only my running shoes, black flats, and purple slippers I realised the full impact of this move. I know realistically that red wedge heels have no place where I am going but that doesn't mean I feel less regret for leaving them behind.

My only comfort is knowing that in a few months I could buy a few more pairs to keep them company!

The Beginning- Packing Sucks!

Moving is far easier when you are not responsible for it! When I was a kid people would come into our house and pack all our stuff for us. When we got to wherever we were going there would be people there to unload and unpack for us as well. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way anymore!
Over the past few weeks I have been collecting and packing things up and...well I'm over it now! With only a few days until the first of July and just over a month until I actually leave time is ticking and there is still plenty to do.
I recently accepted a position teaching in a community called Aupaluk in Nunavik on Ungava Bay. There have been mixed reactions to my decision to move; some think I'm crazy, some envy the opportunity. After all this packing I wonder why I have chosen to move yet again! Ok not really... to be honest I am anxious to get back into the classroom and experience yet another culture.
Usually I record my adventures in a journal, but I thought it would be easier to share with my family and friends via blog... so I hope you all enjoy following my adventures as much as I hope I enjoy them!
And so begins Kelly's Adventures in the Great White North!... as soon as I am packed anyway!