Alianait Arts Festival

I have just returned from the most interesting evening of music. There was a festival in Iqaluit this week to celebrate the arts and tonight had an international flare. It started off with a very fun Rwandan band, a band playing Indian music complete with Pungabi dancing. Then an Inuk bank took the stage and played How Great Thy Art and then Rita MacNeil's Working Man in Inuktituk... very interesting, but the crowd, which was about 75% Inuit, went wild! Following that there was a Hebrew band, and a really fun and funny folk band from Connecticut. I had a really great time.


Here's the view from my window at 12:30 am...

That's about as dark as it will get tonight... then she comes back up!

So how about a little about my job? I have been into work for three days now. It is going to be a busy position, very dynamic and fast paced. On day one we were told that one of us would be taking the fisheries position, and the other wildlife. At first I was sure that I didn't want the fisheries position, but after learning more about both positions, I opted for the fisheries position. I will be involved with the management of the commercial fishies in Nunavut, which include arctic char, turbot and northern shrimp, as well as narwhal, belugas, endangered bowhead whales, walrus, seals and possibly polar bear! Very exciting, but the learning curve is going to be VERY steep and not likely to level out for some time. And I received great news today! Since I was offered the position they have reassessed the salary scale and I already received a significant raise! Like 15%! Woo hoo!

More pictures to come tomorrow... I promise!

Day three!

Well, I made it. I have arrived in Iqaluit and I'm delighted to be here! I am still pretty much in shock that I am actually here and that I have actually done this. It hits me every now and then and throws me off, not unlike similar feelings I have experienced in Korea and other places I have been.

It is currently 9:30 pm on my third day and the sun is still bright in the sky. It pretty much doesn't get dark, just twilighty, so there is light coming in around the curtains all night. It doesn't bother me too much though, I think I will adjust quickly... I love my sleep. I am watching Dances with Wolves. For those of you who can remember the movie, Kevin Costner narrates his diary and it inspired me to start my blog! Now all I need is a Two Socks and a Cisco and I will be all set!

The trip here was pretty stress free, which was in stark contrast to the weeks leading up to my departure. I had no idea how much time and energy it would take to prepare for my move here... not to mention the damage to my visa! It will be worth it as the months roll by though. I think I have enough laundry detergent and tooth paste for the next year!

I am staying in a nice hotel right across the street from my work, so I have lots of time to focus on me, getting lots of rest and recovering from the cold I developed as a result of all the stress before I left! Don't worry, I'm not pointing any fingers, it was all self inflicted. I need to develop some strategies to manage my stress better!

Oh yeah, the work! I'll talk about that some other time... I'm sleepy... but I'm here and I'm happy... good night!