It’s somewhat amazing to me that this week has passed as quickly as it has. Yes, I’m in Ottawa, a city which I just love to wander around it and soak up the sites. Too bad for me that I can only see it out of my hotel window, or from the patio where I’m allowed to go to get some air. I’m not alone in this. I don’t have any real idea how many Government of Nunavut employees are current in this hotel which is called the ‘Isolation Hub’ but is must be a lot. There is also a Hub in both Winnipeg and Edmonton, for each of the regions in Nunavut. So, with Igloolik being in the Qikiqtaaluk, or Eastern Region of Nunavut, I’m in the Ottawa Isolation Hub.
For those that are wondering, the accommodations are first class, with a full kitchen. The meals are OK, cafeteria style provided 3-times per day. I am fortunate to have family in Ottawa (Donna’s cousin) who picked up some groceries for me. So I have lots of snacks and drinks to keep me going. The room is also big enough to allow me to walk in it, so I’ve been doing 32 minutes of ‘Power Walking’ everyday along with some other exercises. Don’t ask, I don’t know why I settled on 32 minutes.
I enjoy my own company so for the most part I’m able to keep myself entertained. I brought more books that I could possibly read, magazines, and the PS4. There’s also tv too. We’ve also had daily 1-hour conference calls for New Teachers and School Leaders. These are led by the Dept of Education and have been a really good orientation to Nunavut.
I did get some mixed news about my ‘stuff’ that is being shipped up to Igloolik. Some of it, about 3/4 of it is there already. I hadn’t expected any of it until the end of August. Hopefully the rest of it will get there in the next week or so. It’s kinda nice to know that I won’t have to be living out of a suitcase for a month or so.
As I get closer and closer to actually getting to Igloolik, I’m looking more and more forward to the work, seeing the community and meeting the people who live there. The weather in Igloolik is warm for this time of year, high teens so it would be nice if it hangs on for another few weeks so that I can get out on the land. Apparently, it’s in a landform area called the Arctic Archipelago. For those interest Travel Nunavut has a very interesting website, http://www.travelnunavut.ca, well worth checking out.
Once I get on my way to Igloolik, I’ll be posting daily events and adding a picture gallery as well. It’s exciting to be going on such an adventure, but I’m really looking forward to seeing Meghan, daughter one, who I haven’s seen in almost a year. FaceTime is nice, but it’s not the real thing.
Take care my friends.
Grandpa Guy 