October 31st, 2008 a very tentative and slightly nervous woman walked off a First Air flight onto the snowy tundra not knowing what the next two years would hold.
That’s me!! I was that tentative and slight apprehensive woman and today marks my one year anniversary in the GWN (Great white north). I like to think the North hasn’t changed me, but I know that it has. I’m not the same nervous apprehensive woman I once was. I hate to say I’m more abrupt and abrasive but I do border on both of them, however, on the other end of the spectrum I’m more open and friendly towards people I hardly know and that is a huge change as I use to be very sceptical about new people; judging the book by the cover.
I also find myself thinking about things that I normally wouldn’t be thinking about if I was living down south.
1. Water truck…In a happy good world the water truck would arrive like clockwork 3x per week. The world we live in is not always happy and good.
2. Sewage truck…will it arrive today; and must remember to flush the toilet in case they suck my tank dry.
3. Wednesday = Fresh produce day; the best time to go is when school is in session and preferably when it isn’t the hamlets or the co-ops payday.
4. Starting Christmas shopping in October because you never know how long you’ll wait for your shipment to arrive.
5. How I can put on enough layers to keep out the –4o weather and still manage to get some outside activity.
6. How long until my next IPA (Vacation)
I like to think I’m older and wiser and I’ve grown in leaps and bounds in the last year, but really I think all I’ve learned is that I can dust my woodworking everyday and there is still hair that collects immediately after. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about living in Kugaaruk. I wouldn’t change a thing about the last year, well okay I would…but that can be saved for another time and place. I couldn’t ask for a better hamlet to be living in for our two year posting. We have beautiful landscaping and post office that runs consistent and clear open water with a fresh smell of salt that permeates the skin on a cool summer day.
I’m not going to rush the next year, although I know without doing so that I will be. I’m a Southern girl at heart and while I love living here and all that it entails I’m looking forward to being back in civilization where I can get my Starbucks with my Chapters with a side order of Futureshop without making do with perked coffee and the internet.
Losing the sun = October 30th, 2009 @ 2:00pm
Bring on the long stretched out winter, I think I may even enjoy this one.
3 comments:
Looking apprehensively at my own first winter in the North, it's comforting to hear you've enjoyed yours...
Happy Anniversary! Yeah, who would have thought 'pooptruck' would become a word you use all the time. At least that's what we call it.
Glad your happy with living here but I hear you. I'm not in a hurry to go back but I look forward to living in the 'real world' again.
Chris - The winter here isn't "that" bad, we had a couple of really cold days. If I remember we hit the -55/60 (with windchill) last December. For the most part the hardest part was loosing the sun for a month and a half. (Mid-November until January). I find it funny that we live in a community as small as ours and I have yet to run into you..lol unless I have and didn't know it.
Morena - Hope you are having a fantasic time being home back East. It is funny how we automatically pick up the lingo of our community without really trying.
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