Money, Money, Money...

I have very little of interest to write about today, at least concerning my personal adventures, since I spent the majority of the day on the couch recovering.

I walked into town to do some grocery shopping in the middle of the day, and stopped by the library afterwards to help with the "redesign". Our "redesign" consisted of moving the entire children's section and the librarian's desk, as well as dusting, removing labels from shelves, vacuuming and other odd jobs. We are hoping that these adjustments will make the library look more professional and spacious.

Dee vacuums while redesigning

My dad and I collect coins, so I spent part of the day collecting my loose change to see which I could contribute to our cause. I observed that unlike American coins, which have a different "head" for each coin value, Canadian coins always have a picture of the Queen on the front. However, there are several versions of the Queen's picture, because it is updated when deemed necessary. Here's a great website about Canadian currency, with great pictures of the coin "tails". Of course, if you want to know absolutely everything about Canadian currency, check out this Wikipedia site. It's very informative!

My favorite thing about money here is that Canadians call their dollar coin a "loonie" because of the loonie bird, and their two-dollar coin a "toonie". As my good friend Jacques says, "Who can take Canadian money seriously when we call it loonies and toonies?!" : )

A Most Depressing Post

Today was probably the most boring day that I have had since being in Cambridge Bay. "Why is that?" you ask? Well, today, I stayed home from work because I am sick. Yes, I do have the basic symptoms of the swine flu. And yes, lots of people in town are sick, though I haven't heard that there have been any confirmed cases in Cambridge Bay yet. Yay for pandemics. No worries, though; I don't have any of the "If you have the following symptoms, go to the doctor immediately!" symptoms. I just hope I get better before I go through customs!

Here's an article that claims Nunavut's high number of swine flu cases is due to extensive testing.

Because of all the video problems and barbecue yesterday, I forgot to write about an important piece of news. Pia came into the Heritage Society yesterday afternoon, saying, "Did you hear? There was a suicide this morning."

Though none of us knew the woman, we all knew her biological son; a 10th grade boy I met working in Jacques' shop. Quiet and shy, he has sparkling eyes and a ready smile, and my heart went out to him. He has never lived with his mother, but that does not lessen the grief he must be feeling. A solemn mood passed over the room...

for a few minutes. Then, everything returned to normal. We went back to getting ready for the barbecue and I started to work on my video again. In fact, we pretty much forgot about it for the rest of the day.

Later yesterday night, Renee reflected back, saying, "You know, the fact that we all just returned to work so quickly shows you how desensitized this community is to death now." In the past six months, at least ten deaths have occurred in Cambridge Bay. Probably only half of them occurred naturally. Renee said Julian's (the boy who committed suicide from jumping from a plane) death shook the community for several days; that all of Cambridge Bay became like a ghosttown. After experiencing that kind of grief, what can shock them?

Here's a happy picture to make up for the bad news! This is Pia's son, Waylon, trying on her sunglasses.

"In the Future it Will Change"

Renee helps one of the kids with his hotdog at the barbecue

Happy belated Aboriginal Day! To celebrate, the Heritage Society held a barbecue, where people could come to hang out with their neighbors and get free food, of course! The event was held at the Youth Centre, so most of the clientele was kids...very hungry kids! : ) I cannot tell you how pleased I am that the Youth Centre reopened. During the summer, there is not much for kids to do. All of the kids not yet old enough to work complain that they are bored and want to go back to school. The Youth Centre is a wonderful chance for them to socialize in a healthy environment.

At the beginning, it took me a while to realize that the Heritage Society's camera only works with Mac computers. When I figured it out, I tried unsuccessfully to load the video onto my PC. I resigned myself to working with iMovie, a tedious and frustrating video-editing software. After a few weeks of figuring out the program, I got the recycling video together. We were supposed to premiere it at the barbecue today, but then remembered that the projector doesn't work with Mac computers. After several attempts to burn the video to a CD, I finally gave up.

It is probably better that we didn't announce to the community that the director of a local company was donating a shed to house the recyclables. Earlier today, we walked over to his office to discover that he had quit the day before. Also, the lady who is in charge of approving land use permits is leaving tomorrow, so since the new director couldn't commit, it looks doubtful that I'll be able to get the permit approved by the time I leave.

I have told you all of the challenges I encountered because they have culminated to one of the summer's biggest life lessons: where there's a will, there's a way. It is a trite statement, perhaps, but never before has it applied to my life than now. I knew before I started the project that it would probably not be comleted before I left. Now that I only have about a week left in Cambridge Bay, I am forced to think about the feasibility of this project in the long term. I must face the unfortunate possibility that it will never be completed. Over the next few days, I will write up directions for how the project should work, including contact information of the businesses involved and suggestions for future improvements.

You see, I don't want to be another outsider that comes into Cambridge Bay with a great idea, gets everyone excited about it and then leaves without seeing it through. Granted, by this point in the life of the community, it is very difficult for them get excited about any new ideas, since they have seen so many broken promises in the past. The last thing I want to do is break my promise to the kids and this community.

Nigel really enjoyed his hotdog!

I hope that this project is completed simply because I want the kids to know that they have the power to change their community! Yesterday, I sent a message via facebook to one of the guys who I filmed for the video, thanking him for his participation. This is part of what he wrote:

"Thank you for the opportunity of getting us into recycling and going green. We finally have the part of the community on our side, I hope this changes the community. Now we wait and observe the town. In the future it will change. "

If nothing else, I hope that during my brief stay here I communicated to the kids how strong I think they are. Hopefully, the video will convey the idea that it only takes a few people to better a community, and that if they are passionate about something, they should pursue that passion.

I want a hat like Nigel's!

Fist Pumps for Recycling

Today was mostly spent shopping for supplies for tomorrow's Aboriginal Day celebration barbecue at the Youth Centre. I have been working on the environmental video all day, which meant I got to see some of the environmental students outside of school in their element (a.k.a. at work).

I headed to the Northern to film Logi, who works there from 10am-7pm every day. Then, I went off to the Quik Stop, where I filmed Gary, Colin and Eric doing some fist pumps for recycling. Tracy was also there, so I asked her to make a few comments about the health effects of burning waste. It was quite a productive day, and I have spent the rest of the day editing the video.

I got a little antsy later today, so I decided to poke around in the storeroom (see pictures below).

Wolverine attack!

The Big, Bad Wolf

I also spent part of the day helping Brendan adjust a display for the Heritage Society. It is a beautiful model of a longhouse and campsite. Unfortunately, the back part of the display kept falling over, so Brendan had to take apart the display case to fix it. I'll try to get a picture of it on here soon!

News Gets Around

There was so much to write about yesterday that I am using today to update you with the rest of my adventures, most of which have to do with...news.

Yesterday, I went with Mary Avalak to the store to buy the material for the parka she is making me. It will be in the "Mother Hubbard" style and I am very excited about it! True, I won't get to wear it very often, but it is a piece of Cambridge Bay culture that is very special to me, especially since Mary is making it for me.

Mary takes my measurements

Yesterday and today, we bought the food and supplies for the Aboriginal Day cookout. It is difficult to plan for events like this one that are open to the entire community, because the turnouts depends solely on how well we publicize them. Public relations in this community is a little more difficult than most. The first newsletter was published only a few weeks ago, and it is important that any radio publication is translated into Inuinnaqtun. Fortunately, word of mouth works pretty well, especially when there is free food! There is an elder here whom I have nicknamed "the college student" because every time there is an event with free food, he is there, regardless of whether it is a teacher appreciation luncheon or the 6th grade graduation potluck. : ) I should just hang out with him more often!

Food!

Today, I continued working on the "Street Beat" article for the Nunavut News North newspaper. The "Street Beat" section of the newspaper is where Nunavut residents are asked their opinions about current news issues. This week's question is, "How do you think a recycling program would benefit Cambridge Bay?" I will try to post the article when it shows up in the newspaper!

In my spare time, I discovered this article on Nunatsiaq News' website, entitled "Climate change scientists "part of the problem"." You should definitely read this article. I agree with this man's point of view that local researchers should be utilized as often as possible and that researchers who fly north have a huge carbon footprint. However, I could not help but wonder why a caribou researcher, who admittedly flies several times to the Arctic each year, would think he is the most qualified to champion this cause.

In the juicy gossip column part of the news, I have finally been here long enough to have heard a rumor being spread about me in Cambridge Bay! The lady I am living with works at the bank, and she said someone told her today, "Have you heard of that blonde girl who works at the Heritage Society? She's been here for three months and has been staying at the Green Row (apartments that cost $200 a night!)...she must be loaded!" Joey laughed and said, "Well, actually, she's only been here for a little over a month and she's staying with me!!" : )

The High North Shall Rise Again!

To make up for my very short blog yesterday, I have quite a few exciting things to write about today! Buckle up!

Firstly and most importantly, the recycling program is 100% going to happen!! We are in the process of applying for a development permit to build a storage facility beside the school that would house the recyclables, and have a verbal commitment from a local business to donate a shed! The students are very excited about their accomplishment and all of the community feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I'm going to finish up the video editing before this Thursday's Aboriginal Day celebration so we can show it at the Youth Centre barbecue.

Logi was thrilled to hear about our recycling program's success!

I saw a flyer posted about a community meeting for tonight; a public forum for people to discuss the Nunavut Government and how well it has been serving its constituents within the last ten years. When I first arrived at the Community Hall, I peeped inside and saw that only two people were present. I turned around and started walking home; I was just going to observe and didn't want to sit there awkwardly with only two other people! I got about 30 feet away from the door and thought, "Oh, come on, Abbey. Just go!" I turned around, and was so glad I did.

There were only seven community members in attendance at this meeting, which was held by a consulting firm hired by the Government of Nunavut. The firm is in the process of visiting all of Nunavut's communities to conduct these public forums. As the two ladies opened the floor for discussion, one man quickly spoke up. " Just out of curiosity, how long have you been here? We have a lot of groups come through here for a day or two, not giving us any time to prepare or think about these issues, and then nothing is ever done! These kinds of trends wear down a community." Also, "Why wasn't this announced more in the community? We should have more people here than this!" and "We speak Inuinnaqtun here, so if there were any monolingual elders here, your Inuktitut would be wasted on them." I cringed; this was going to be a long meeting! What he was saying, however, was true, and it was good for me to see his frustration.

I was the only white person from the community to attend, so the meeting was a unique opportunity for me to gain insight into what Inuit feel should be done for their community. It struck me that if we had to name the top five social issues that should be addressed in Cambridge Bay, perhaps only two of mine would overlap with theirs. Housing problems, for example, is an issue that I have not had firsthand experience with, but was a priority to those in attendance. I was surprised to learn that the current system requires that people pay rent based on their income, meaning that people with no income pay less rent than those with an income. One man said, "This is Communism, and we know from history that Communism does not work." He said this system "crushes initiative," as some people would prefer to be unemployed and pay lower rent. He suggested that banks be allowed to finance mortgages so that private business could take care of this issue while the government focuses on other issues. Another man raised the point that the available public housing is in shambles, with moldy 2x4's being used for flooring.

There was a drawing at the meeting for two $100 gas cards, but I was not a lucky winner.

Here were some other interesting quotes spoken and points raised as a part of the discussion:

-"The Kitikmeot region is often forgotten. We always get the leftovers of what the Baffin and Kivalliq regions get."

-"Why are we taking sending kids to foster families down south? The Department of Social Services is doing the same thing to kids now as the Department of Education did to us a few decades ago in residential schools! They're stripping them from their families and taking their culture away from them!"

-"The nurses in Cambridge Bay are all contract nurses, meaning that they are not allowed to be long-term residents of Cambridge Bay. This discourages local residents from pursuing a nursing degree, and is bad for the community because we are not being served by our own people."

-"We need more elders in the area of social work, because they have the knowledge and experience to tell youth how to live better lives."

-"A lot of times, Canadian law conflicts with Inuit culture. The Government of Nunavut should have the power to make its own laws! To do what's right for its people! If its good for Inuit, it should be good for Nunavut!"

-"When Nunavut was formed, it gave a lot of programs to the communities. All this did was make us broke. The government should take these programs back."

-"Because of the Canadian laws, we are not allowed to discipline our children! Inuit way is to discipline our children. I think not disciplining them leads to a higher suicide rate."

-"We should encourage young couples to get their own houses. There should be less priority on public housing. Housing and unemployment go hand in hand (see above paragraph)."

-"There should be more opportunities for young people to go out on the land, so they can fall in love with it and have a reason to return here after they are educated. Right now, why would they choose Cambridge Bay over Edmonton? Aboriginals are being cut off from their land and non-Aboriginals are taking it over. We are going to the table on our knees to beg (for land) when it should be the other way around."

-"We should reward hunters who provide traditional food for their families and for the community. Right now, the traditional food is being handed out at the Wellness Centre for free for families in need. It's being treated like charity! It's degrading! That's not the Inuit way! The Inuit way is to share and say "You're welcome. Take whatever you need.""

-Why aren't we tapping into the oil and gas in the high Arctic? We could be a rich territory if we would just do that!

-"We need cement. A few years ago, calcium chloride was put on the roads and now it is kicked up with the dust."

-"We need more government announcements in Inuinnaqtun. Right now, the Government of Nunavut is just taking the Inuktitut syllabics, changing them to the Roman letters and pronouncing it Inuinnaqtun. If you're going to serve people who speak Inuinnaqtun, it needs to be translated properly."

-"The biggest priority we have is to prevent suicides. How is it possible to go from our elders, who fought tooth and nail to survive, to our 20 and 30-year-olds who can't handle their everyday lives? It's a disgrace to our territory!"

At one point in the conversation, a woman said that she wished elected officials would make more of an effort to be present at community events. Another man piped up and said, "How many people here are on the Hamlet Council?" We all laughed, because nobody was, of course! During my time here, I have never seen the mayor at a single public event. "Where are our Hamlet Council members? Where is our mayor?" the woman asked. Her husband suggested that all of us overthrow the Council. I told them all that if I could vote in Canada, I would vote for them, and instantly won over some new friends. : ) Then, the man joked that Cambridge Bay should secede to Alaska and Greenland...The high North shall rise again! Sweet!

Happy Aboriginal & Father's Day!

A very special shoutout to any fathers reading this blog, especially my dad! Happy Father's Day!

It was also Aboriginal Day today, so I woke up by watching the Yellowknife Aboriginal Day celebration, which included performances by throat singers, a rapper and a blues band. Here is a blog that has some great pictures of the festivities. The Cambridge Bay Aboriginal Day celebration will take place this Thursday, so I will write more about that when it happens.

I decided to walk around tonight and take video of Cambridge Bay in case I have time to make a small documentary before I leave. I was glad to get some of the kids on film, but not much was going on in town tonight.

As I have started to prepare for my departure, I have been dealing with some mixed emotions. I wish I could stay here longer because I want to do so many more things for this community. This is the first time that I have stayed for a long period of time in a place that I will probably never return to. Though I would love to come back to Cambridge Bay someday, I have to be honest with myself. I have not let this affect the way I pursue relationships since I've been here, so it will be difficult to leave them. Hopefully, I will maintain these long-distance relationships well, but this is something I have not done so well in the past.