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!