Sunday, August 25, 2013

First Impressions

Iqaluit - Week One

This trip is quite different from past ones. For starters, I am staying in one spot. Yes, I am still in Canada, but definitely not in Halifax. I will have to ....work...(ugh) to get home. That was the rule...buy a one-way ticket here and work enough to pay my way back. I have been doing some volunteer work here, but also doing the legwork to get a paying job...some sort of casual, part-time work, hopefully in the mental health field.

My host, Gary Wong, did a great job getting me connected to a bunch of people he knows, both for access to sports and work. It was a busy week, lots of hiking, squash, badminton, running, a few volunteer shifts in the local thrift shop and an evening in a bar with work buddies. There is tons of work here, I just have to find my niche and get at it. I will likely leave here in mid-October, but can easily see coming back for a real job and a full year. Of course, many people say that and stay here for a few years.

It is a very busy town, lots to do. Because of the small population, you meet the same people in a variety of situations. While Inuit make up 85% of Nunavut population, in Iqaluit, it is only 65%. This is the hub. Seems like planes landing and taking off all day.

Every conversation I have had so far has been with imports, working for the Territory. The consistent theme is lack of infrastructure, more jobs than people, and how complex the problems are. The suicide rate in Nunavut is 71/100,000, This is almost 10 times the rate in Halifax and the highest in the world...just try and take in that number...I surely can't. Just think of how many implications spin off that one number. Broken homes, friends lost.

I have only been here a week, but have not seen much interaction between imports and Inuit. Of course there is, at jobs and among long-term residents and neighbours...you just don't see much walking around. Part of that is the nature of the beast...many imports just work for the government and are just here on contract. Very easy to stay in your comfort zone. It will be interesting to see how my impressions change as I stay here longer.

The hiking here is stunning. Kilometers of open, rocky, rolling tundra, full of beautiful, little flowers and plant life. Between that and the ocean, Iqaluit is a very beautiful spot. I have hooked up with the local hiking crowd and hope to get in some camping before it gets too cold. There are little waterfalls everywhere and the pictures do not do the scenery any justice. The weather has been mostly sunny and nippy (4C-8C)...gorgeous hiking weather.

I am below the Arctic Circle, so missed the 24/7 light earlier in the summer and likely won't be here by the time the sun does not really come up at any time. I am staying on the first hill looking down on Frobisher Bay, with it's dramatic tide swings and the harbour is a busy spot.

All-in-all, very glad I came here. It has been a pretty cool experience already and I am enjoying myself. I like being in new situations. While I am not "travelling", I am getting the new experiences that are the big reason why I do travel.

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