"There's a Tear in my Beer..."

Today was extremely busy! The mural artist has begun to paint and is teaching students to be a part of the process. It looks wonderful so far, and I can't wait to see the final product! The pictures in the mural were chosen by members of the community, so it is going to be very culturally significant to the community.

Some students working on the mural

In the late morning, Renee and I went shopping for food for the canteen that we are hosting during the Frolics. A "canteen" is the American equivalent of a concessions stand. This led to a discussion about nutrition, especially amongst children in Cambridge Bay. There is an obvious connection between healthy eating and socioeconomic status, and I have noticed that, like in the United States, many people in Cambridge Bay are overweight. However, the people here are not poor, comparatively speaking, but healthy food is still too expensive, especially fruits and vegetables. This is not hard to believe considering how expensive food in the North is in general. I've also noticed that there are fewer healthy food options here. For example, in the United States we are used to choosing between the regular potato chips and the low-calorie potato chips. There are no such choices here. Also, this community is composed of some who have been raised on only traditional foods, so the introduction of junk foods is fairly recent, so some may not understand the importance of regulating their diet. Plus, there are many more pressing matters than watching what you eat. When you are on a budget, spending more to eat nutritiously is not a first priority.

After shopping, I met with the environmental studies teacher to discuss the climate change curriculum we are developing. When I first met her, I got the impression she lacked faith in her students. She had constantly mentioned that her students don't come to class and that when they decide they're not interested in something, they will not do it. Honestly, I chalked this up to her being an inefficient and unmotivating teacher. However, after our talk today, I realized I was wrong. She puts a lot of effort into making her class interesting, and has not only worked without a textbook the entire semester (because science textbooks are written by people who live with trees, which incorporate labs about clouds that cannot be done in 24-hour darkness, etc.), but has attempted to structure the assignments so they can be accomplished by the small pockets of students who sporadically attend. Being a teacher in the Arctic is an entirely different experience than anywhere else. This teacher said that she has taught in an inner-city area, and that though half of her students were drug dealers, she had better attendance rates there!

Today we also celebrated Mary Angulalik's birthday! This is actually the second time that her birthday was celebrated this year. When she went to residential school as a child, she could not speak English. When they asked her what her birthday was, she could not answer, so they just gave her one. Consequently, her birth certificate lists an inaccurate birthday date. We surprised her with a cake and her son read her a card. She was deeply moved, and said that cakes reminded her of her late husband. There was not a dry eye in the room, at least until Mabel (another elder) started shaking her hips out of excitement to eat the cake!

Happy Birthday Mary!

I was invited to attend tonight's Seal Fur Fashion Show by some of the high school student models, and I was very impressed! Recently, the European Union banned the sale of seal fur products, and many Canadians are furious. They accuse the EU of only instituting the ban to appear moral or to promote european fur markets. Regardless of the motive, this ban will certainly hurt Canada's seal fur markets and the economy of Nunavut. This seal fur fashion show was an effort to show that Nunavut-made products are glamorous and relevant to the fashion world. One of the girls told me her jacket cost five thousand dollars! I told her that in the real world, models keep their clothes and that she should demand the same treatment.

The Seal Fur Fashion Show

After the fashion show, everyone went to the high school for tonight's games and live music. The live music included "Country Roads" by John Denver (yay for America!) and some song that had a chorus of, "There's a tear in my beer, cuz I'm cryin' for you, dear." : ) There was "jigging" later, which seems to be a mix between clogging and square dancing. In case you're wondering, I have not yet learned to jig. No worries, though. I plan to bring it back to the States. It will be huge! : )