"It's a Pretty Big Problem"

The Arctic "Sunset"

The structure in this picture is called an Inuksuk (in-ook-shook). Inuksuks are extremely common in the north. They were used for navigational purposes, indication of local topography and resources (like where there was plentiful game), and sometimes for spiritual practices. The inuksuk is pictured on the Nunavut flag, and was recently selected as the logo for the 2010 Winter Olympics to be held in Vancouver. The one in the above picture is an example of a different type of inuksuk called an inunnguaq that is shaped like a human.

My work today consisted mainly of finishing up the canvas project from yesterday. The perk of this project was getting to work with students in the shop class, the majority of whom are upperclassmen boys. Not only are they a lot of fun to talk to, although very silly, they provide insight into what life is like for high schoolers in Cambridge Bay. I would like to share with you a conversation that I had with two of the boys when we were alone in the classroom shortly before school ended:

Boy 1: I think I'm gonna go grab a smoke. Do you smoke?
Me: Oh, no, I don't.
(pause)
Boy 2: Do you drink?
Me: Nope.
Boy 1: (slightly under his breath, jokingly) Well, aren't you the goody two shoes!
Me: (laughing) I just don't like it, that's all...But I have noticed a lot of people do that stuff here. Back in the States, it's not as common. There are a lot of people who don't do either.
Boy 1: Yeah, pretty much everybody does it here.
Boy 2: I'd say probably 99%.
Boy 1: I mean, everybody smokes. You see little kids smoking. And you walk down the street and see a drunk every day.
Boy 2: Yeah, it's a pretty big problem.
Me: You know what, though? That stuff is a problem back where I'm from, too, but nobody talks about it. Here, at least everyone knows it's a problem.
(Both boys nodded)
Me: I mean, I was a leader at my high school and I knew there were a lot of kids that, well, kind of looked up to me, you know? I didn't want them to see me doing that kind of stuff and think it was okay.
Boy 2: (Glancing at Boy 1) Sounds kind of like David (name changed).
Me: What?
Boy 2: Oh, David's this little kid we caught drinking yesterday. (Looks sheepish) He said he was drinking because he saw us drinking.
Boy 1: Yeah, maybe we shouldn't drink in public anymore, especially not in front of him.

(Abbey doesn't remember what she said next because her heart warmed all over)

Will I inspire these boys to stop drinking or smoking? Probably not. Will they remember this conversation in a few weeks? Probably not. But maybe, just maybe, I've caused them to think more deeply about how their actions affect others, especially as role models to younger kids. Even if this conversation meant nothing to them, it meant something to me, because these two boys who had just met me shared a part of their lives with me. They exposed themselves by showing concern for their friend. They trusted me.

Tonight, I skipped out on the traditional games and music to do the ski-doo poker rally. I went with two high school teachers, one of the teacher's daughter and her daughter's friend. We pulled the two girls on a komatik, a traditional Inuit sled (pictured below). It was a bitterly cold night (-13 degrees Celsius)! To compete in the poker rally, you ride out on ski-doos to local cabins to draw a card at each. At the end of the night, the best poker hand wins. Unless there is also a prize for the worst hand, I will not be receiving a cash prize. I had lots of fun, though, and met some fun people at the cabins (who gave us cookies!)!

The Komatik