A visitor!

I've only been here since August, and its now mid-November. That doesn't seem like a very long time.  That said, things that were once foreign to me seem very common place.  For instance, tonight I bought a pie.  I didn't go to the grocery store or bakery, I bought the pie (or rather JJ bought the pie) "Iqaluit style".  An ad came up on Facebook, I said to JJ "Oh, look, pie!" I texted him the house number, and off he went to pick it up.

There is no WAY I would have purchased a homemade pie from some stranger on the internet before coming here.  I mean, what if that person was some weirdo trying to lure me into their house? Plus, who knows what's in that pie?

Now, however, buying something from a complete stranger on Facebook feels.....normal. 

JJ showed up at this lady's home and took a pie.  He knew it was the right place because of all the cars parked on the street in front of her house (word in town spreads fast when it comes to homemade baked goods).  Her little dog greeted everyone as they walked in (without knocking, because, like the ad says, she's on crutches) and bought their pies. We are saving it for dessert tomorrow when we have a guest joining us for a few days!  Yay! Company!

Coraline has been figure skating for a few years now, and has developed a special bond with her coach.  (For blogger purposes, we'll call her "Coach C".) Coraline has really been missing Coach C, and has been struggling trying to feel like a member of the local figure skating club.  

Coach C is coming to visit for 5 days.  She'll be working with Coraline at the arena every day.  Even better, she'll be working with the other skaters too!  I can't think of a better way for Coraline to bond with the skaters at her new club.  

A thrilled Coraline with Coach C in the background.

She's here! Coach C arrived Monday. Watching her enjoy her trip here has been fantastic. Seeing her perspective on everything made me realize all over again that we really are living somewhere special.

There is a hunter who lives down the road from us.  I have driven or walked past him countless times doing average "Nunavut hunter" things quite often.  He has stored frozen freshly killed seals buried in snow and covered with wood boards under his home. He has constructed a qamutiik by hand in the front yard.  

Qamutiiks like this one are quite common.
They are constructed by hand with wood and rope, and
pulled behind snowmobiles or by sled dogs.

The day we drove Coach C home from the airport he was in the yard chopping the last frozen seal into bits with an axe, surrounded by a gaggle of children watching him.

I pointed out this scene to Coach C, thinking it was a little taste of local flavour. She immediately said "I NEED A PICTURE!" so I stopped the car.  Coach C jumped out and dashed over to get a great shot, capturing another small part of life in north.

Coach C (far right) watching the seal get
butchered to feed the huskies.

The photo she posted on Facebook that evening.

We went out to dinner Coach C's first night here.  Of course, artists came around selling their wares.  We saw jewelry and a carved polar bear.  I bought a pair of sterling silver ulu earrings.

Coraline modelling my new earrings at the table.

Tuesday: The next day we took a trip to Sylvia Grinnell (sp) Territorial Park.  An acquaintance of mine told me about an arctic survival course he had been taking, and said they had recently constructed some igloos at the park.  We pulled into the parking lot, and there they were.

Just looking wasn't enough for JJ.

A dog sled team even drove past us one day as we were driving out of the territorial park.

Dog sled at the park.

JJ and Coach C standing on ice in Frobisher Bay.

Wednesday: No trip to the north is complete with shopping. My mother arrived on Wednesday, so my company overlapped!  The three of us (me, Coach C, and my mother) spent an afternoon shopping for local handcrafted items at the museum, Nunavut Collectibles, and Carvings Nunavut.  We saw animal skulls, stone carvings, jewelry, clothing, paintings and drawings, carved bones, sealskin items, and even a pair of polar bear hide boots.

Shopping: polar bear boots, sealskin boots.

Stone and bone carvings.

Buying caribou (tuktu) for Coach C to take home while she was on the ice
coaching figure skaters.

Coach C experienced much of what makes life up here unusual: igloos, art, watching a seal get butchered....  She also enjoyed coaching the figure skaters from the local figure skating club, many of whom took time off of school to join her for two hours at the rink every morning. The skaters LOVED her. 

Friday: Today Coach C is heading home.  She is taking with her a little carved polar bear statue, frozen smoked arctic char, caribou meat, handmade Christmas decorations, and a surprise for her daughter (caribou skull!).  We will all miss her (especially Coraline). Have a safe trip home, Coach!