Don't blink

I find it incredible how quickly the tundra changes from the deep blankets of snow to a carpet of moss, plants and flowers. Sometimes literally overnight flowers will appear where there was none before, as is the case on my short walk to and from work. There is also a large number of seabirds and other small birds that we don't see here in the winter - even geese were flying overhead a few weeks ago, although I can't imagine how it's worth it for them to spend all of that energy to fly to the top of Baffin Island!


The bay is beginning to break up, although you can still see the ice pan not too far away. Every day there is more and more open water visible at high tide. People are anticipating that the ships will arrive sooner than expected because everything has melted so fast this year. "Sealift" is more exciting than Christmas here, because this is the time when most of the city's supplies are brought in - everything from vehicles to toilet paper. Businesses do it, but individuals and families can also arrange for a shipment - furniture, canned goods, and beer are popular sealift items!!

THIS is what I do

Whenever I chat with someone from 'down south' about living in Iqaluit, I almost always get some version of:

"Yeah, but what do you DO, you know, besides work?"

You need to be creative, flexible, outgoing, and a little bit silly sometimes, but there are lots of things to do if you're willing to put yourself out there. After starting out this past weekend with no set plans, I ended up with an amusing and exhausting couple of days. Planting veggies at the greenhouse, volunteering for the food bank, hanging out in the sunshine, a firefighter carwash, impromptu meals, a bonfire, ATVing on the tundra, a picnic, dinner with the girls, and a little bit of work thrown in the middle!

Life up here is what you make of it, and the people you meet and the friends you make are ultimately what it's all about. I have met and become friends with some fantastic, interesting, and fun people - and feel very lucky for the experiences I have been able to share with them. Good times, indeed.