Trapped Killer Whales and their "Fate'"

Not long after Christmas there was a great deal of excitement in my small part of the world.  A pod of roughly 20 killer whales were trapped in Hudson’s Bay about 30kms away from Inukjuak.  The wind, tide, and ice had shifted, trapped the whales and preventing them from reaching the open water.  The whales had only a small area open as a breathing hole with pack ice and ice floes on all sides.  The questions and rumors flew quickly around the school and town about where the whales had come from, what had caused them to become stuck in the ice, and what was to be their fate.  The foremost desire of many of the students and their teachers was to find a way to go out onto the Bay and see these beautiful animals in the wild; a first for many.

Early that afternoon I was bringing my sister to the airport to catch a flight home after her New Years visit to the Arctic and while we were checking her in there was even debate over whether they could convince the pilot to make a small detour over the area where the whales were stuck so that the passengers could catch a glimpse before winging their way south.  As I drove back to town after seeing Kat off, there were a number of skidoos and snow machines heading out of town across the ice as the afternoon light was beginning to fade.  A number of people from town were heading out to get a look at the trapped whales and the rest wanting to do the same.  The difficulty lay in the route.  The breathing hole where the whales were trapped was out on the edge of Hudson Bay, following a track of ice and snow covered bumps.  Without a guide or a good knowledge of the right way to go, a person could very easily get lost on the ice.  These are what had stopped many of the teachers from venturing out after school; that and the fact that the sun was already setting by the time classes got out.  But the thought of "wouldn't it be incredible to be able to see the whales" still remained in our thoughts.

That evening, photos and videos started circulating online and interest to go out on the ice began to rise.  At dinner that night, the whales were a large part of our discussion, specifically how we could get ourselves out to see them before it was too late.  We had a skidoo, a hamutiq (sled), and warm clothes but we needed a guide and a way to get the day off from school.  As dinner progressed we began to rationalize how this experience would be a once in a lifetime and wound up staging a kind of rebellion involving a flurry of phone calls, chats, and email conversation.  After contacting our centre director and a number of other teachers we decided that we had to try and get out there no matter what.  Our centre director agreed to find a guide that could take us out there and we decided that we would take a sick day in order to make it happen.  The next morning we arrived at the school, ready to go if there was a guide to take us, the principal was not happy with the majority of his staff taking the morning off but there was little he could do.  The group of us took the morning without pay and headed out on the ice. The weather was not great but we had a good guide and travelled out in convoy style for about an hour to get where the pack ice floes had trapped the whales.  After arriving at the site, the guide reminded us to follow his directions and to watch our step on the ice.  We climbed over jagged ridges of blue ice to the breathing hole that was being kept open by the movement of the whales.  There was a fair size crowd being directed by several elder hunters who were checking the ice and looking for weak spots.  It was a surreal experience standing on the edge of an ice floe, maybe 3 meters from these giant, sleek creatures.  It was saddening to see how much the area of open water had diminished over night as the temperature had dropped.  The tide and the wind were working against the whales, pushing the ice in, keeping the whales prisoner, and until mother nature changed her mind the situation was unlikely to change.  It was a beautiful experience but sad at the same time.

I was struck by the situation or even debate of what to do about the whales.  With youtube and other Internet media sources sending the situation viral, it was interesting to see people’s reactions.  Many believed that the government should send in a icebreaker to set them free, or that the community should take out chain saw and cut a path free like had been done in the movie “Miracle”.  It was interesting because it begs the question “What if”.  What if the polar bear hunter had take a different route home and had not found the trapped whales, what if the videos had never been posted?  The whales might have gotten free or they might have died depending on the weather and nature herself and we would never have known.  People were complaining about the injustice of a pod of killer whales being trapped and that the village had not gone out to cut them free, but knowing nothing about the reality of the safety for the people involved.  Floating ice floes or unstable ice trapped the whales.   It would not possible to cut a path with chainsaws ‘like the Americans’ without endangering the live of the people.  As for the idea of sending in an ice breaker, should the government ‘waste’ the money to fee a few whales when there are social problems in the North that are in dire need of aid. 

In the end, the village decided to send out volunteers to break up enough ice to keep the breathing hole free until the weather shifted, Mother Nature decided the matter for us.  During the night, the wind and tide shifted allowing the whales to find enough channels and free water to escape their temporary prison. As quickly as the excitement has begun it was over and village life went back to normal.  I will never forget the feeling of standing on an ice on Hudson’s Bay no more than 3 meters away from a killer whale.

Air Maybe or Travel in the North

There are many things that people taking flight would like to believe to be true.

1)    You will arrive at your destination on time

2)    There will be a bathroom on the plane

3)    Your flight attendant will be able to do a service on your flight

4)    The plane will be able to land at your destination

5)    Your plane will be able to depart from your point of departure

6)    Your seat is your seat

While these are all well and good, they may not always come to pass when flying in the Arctic.  Over the past three years I have had the chance to fly to a umber of northern communities, sometimes planned and other ties not.  Out of approximately 20 flights, I have been delayed roughly 15 times.  These delays are usually not simple 10 or 15 min delays but ranged from 30 mins to over 24 hours.  The most common reason for delays are a ‘mechanical’ problem or severe weather.  The delays can be frustrating, tiring, entertaining, or sad depending on the day.  I have been treated to several airport picnics served by the flight crew, an impromptu fiddle/accordion concert, northern lights show,  and the eternal search for wifi and outlets. We always seem to get where we are going eventually but it may take time and a great deal of patience.  However, I have learned a few lessons along the way: always wear layers, have snacks to eat or trade, something to entertain/distract yourself, and a sense of humour.  Travelling in the north is not for the faint of heart or those who live on a tight schedule but it is always an experience.

Airport Picnic day 2

From the Arctic to Europe - Grad trip memories 2011

Students - check, passports - check (just barely), funding - check, me as a last minute chaperone - check :)This year it was decided that the school would send our graduating students on an end of year Graduation Trip, destination: Paris, Venice, and Rome. Many of our students have not traveled outside of Inukjuak let alone the country. There were feelings of excitement, fear, and curiosity in equal measure as the students prepared to board the plane that would take them so far from what they have always known. En route to Europe we made a stop in Montreal to do a bit of shopping as both students and teachers were in need of summer clothes; hazard of living where the ice breaks up the last weekend of June. After a visit to the local college where a number of our students will be attending this fall and more shopping than is good for any one person, we took the students for a day of at La Ronde. We thought that it would be a good idea to spend the day before our evening flight to Paris burning off energy running around an amusement park. The weather was not promising when we arrived at the park but despite a few showers during the day it didn't hamper the fun. Once we were in the park, teachers and students split up to race for the rides, we would see each other every so often in lines for the different rides. The bad weather was actually a great thing for us for despite it being a holiday in Quebec we had the park nearly to ourselves. Late in afternoon it was time to head to the airport to head to Europe, once we managed to round up all the students we were on our way. I'll admit that I was as excited as they were to fly to Paris, it is one of my favourite cities to wander around. We encourage the students to try and sleep on the plane as we were in for a long day of touring when we arrived, some of them actually listened. After getting everyone through customs and finding all their bags we were on our way into the city of lights. It was fun watching the students reactions to Paris, surprise and delight seemed to be the most common. We found ourselves staying in a hostel not too far from Notre Dame and this is where the 'fun' began. Travelling in the summer in Europe does tend to have its disadvantages, one of which is there are a lot of people. Staying at our hostel were several other large school groups. Nice enough kids but perhaps a little misguided. We were woken up at about 2am by one of the young men yelling "I love you!" and "Will you sleep with me?" to the open windows of the girls on his trip. He was very drunk and apparently very horny. We felt rather sorry for the chaperones of his trip, they had their hands full with 40 students and only 2 chaperones. Not that we were without difficulty on our trip. The next night was another sleepless one for the chaperones on our trip as we had a group of our students sneaking off to "try and find internet" aka "a bar". We found them pretty quickly, actually coming back to the hostel, only a couple of them having drunk too much. Unfortunately one of the boys that had been drinking was on some medication that did not react well with the alcohol. This meant another 2am wakeup call as the male chaperone came to tell us that the student was acting very strangely and seeming to have no idea where he was. Long nights of strange followed by good days of touring around Paris; the Louvre, Versailles, Notre Dame, bike tours, and of course the Eiffel tower. Our last night in Paris was another sleepless one unfortunately. We had a restless evening as the students were getting their bags ready to leave the next day for Venice and there was a great deal of running around between their rooms. The were slow to get settled down and we were keeping an eye on them as we patrolled the halls, often running into the chaperones from the trip with the "love" student. After the chaperones had finally gone to bed for a light doze we were woken by the new that one of our students was feeling ill and in a fair bit of pain. It was decided to take him to the hospital, just to be on the safe side. Good thing we did, it turns out that he need to have his appendix removed. Seriously, what are the odds? A kid flies down from the Arctic and all the way to Europe only to need to have his appendix removed in Paris. Well arrangements were made and his operation was scheduled for later that day, the day we were to be leaving for Venice. It was decided that since I was the extra chaperone, I knew Paris fairly well and spoke French, I would stay with the student during his operation and either take him back to Canada or meet up with the group again depending on what the doctor decided. The rest of the group had to run off to catch the train to Venice I settled back into the hostel for one more night to await the doctors verdict. Side note: there are some very cute and helpful

doctors in Paris at the Hotel de Dieu (hospital near Notre Dame). After the surgery they decided that he would need to stay in the hospital for another 2 days, then he could rest one more day in Paris, and then we would be allowed to rejoin our group in Italy. Good news for us, it would have been a little disappointing to have to fly back to Montreal without having seen some of Italy. He was released from the hospital, allowed to check into the hotel, and do a little gentle sightseeing before we left for Rome to meet our group. When I gave him a few options as to what we could do before our train left, we decided to tour the catacombs of Paris. Very creepy and very interesting, not for the faint of heart though. Once you are underground and in the catacombs there is no way out except straight through. If you enjoy the macabre I definitely encourage you to go and ogle the tunnels of artfully arranged bones, complete with the sound of dripping water and the odd echoes that haunt the place. Not a bad way to end our visit to Paris. Later that day we headed to the train station to make our way to Rome where we would meet the rest of the group. We left a bit early as the hotel staff had warned us that it was coming up on a holiday and that the station would be a little crazy. Good thing we left when we did because about 10 mins after we arrived at the train station we found out that the subway line we had been on was stopped, and no one could tell us why. I left my student to guard the luggage and went off to find some supplies for supper on the train. We were taking the night train to Rome because the Doctor had said that it would be better if the student could spend the trip lying down rather than sitting up. Less of a chance to see the scenery but better comfort and healing for him. We found our car and got settled in, we were sharing it with a family from South Africa headed to Florence to visit family. Very nice woman and her children who were very interested in the fact that we were coming from the Arctic. Finally arrived in Rome the next morning and made our way to the hotel where our group was staying to get checked in. Next task, to find them somewhere in the eternal city of Rome. Luckily they had left us a copy of the itinerary, and since it was close to lunch time we decided to head for the restaurant were they were to be having lunch. Rome is a beautiful city and I enjoyed looking around as we figured out how to get to the restaurant. We passed by the Spanish Steps and several fountains on our route. When we found the restaurant and went int to join the group, you would have thought that a celebrity ha arrived. The other student were so glad to see us, particularly him as they had been uncertain if he would have to go back to Canada. We joined the group for their pizza lunch and toured the rest of the afternoon through the Vatican and did a little shopping. It was nice to be back with the group again and share in their experiences. The Vatican was beautiful, I love the statues throughout. Later that night I sneaked off to get a look at the colosseum by myself. The group had done a tour there the day before but I wanted to see it for myself. Even though I couldn't get a look inside it was beautiful, and there was almost a summer fair feel to the evening as I wandered around. There was someone playing the accordion in the park nearby, and vendors selling snacks, coffee, and light up toys that they sent whizzing into the air. The only thing I would have like would be someone to share the fun of it with, but it was a small price to pay for the experience. The next day we were off to Pompeii to play among the ruins and learn the secrets of the city. It was a beautiful hot day, perfect for exploring ruins. The students really enjoyed the day, a few of the girls even took the time to do a little throat singing in the middle of the amphitheatre, a sound that had probably never been heard there before. Tired and slightly sunburnt we headed back to Rome for our for our last night before flying home to Canada. We finally said goodbye to our students in Montreal after seeing them safely onto the flight back to Inukjuak. Our journey complete but memories to last forever. To experience such a trip that shows them a different world is a wonderful experience to have at their age, just getting ready to start a new chapter in their lives.

Quebec Roots Project- Book Launch Montreal

Over the course of this past school year my students have been involved in a literary project through the Blue Metropolis Foundation and Quebec Roots. Along with five other communities in Quebec they were chosen to write about life in their community, what it is that makes their town/school unique. Today was the culmination of 7 months of hard work as we were able to see the book in print for the first time. They have been writing, editing, rewriting, and taking photos that describe "Life in our changing culture". The entire project was a great experience for the students as well as myself as we worked together to make our pieces the best that they could be. In the end, Blue Met. was able to get funding for three students (and myself) to fly down from Inukjuak to Montreal to attend the book launch. I was so proud of my students, I actually started to get teared up at one point when two of my students were at the front of the room, reading pieces from their work to the audience of fellow students, authors, and photographers. The cover of the book is actually from a photo that one of my students took, and the girl in the picture was one of the students that was able to come down to Montreal. It was a complete surprise to her, she was pleased but a bit embarrassed to tell the truth. I was interesting to see the students interact at the launch. The Innalik students were the oldest of the students involved and although they were shy at first T, J, and D soon got into the spirit of the launch. After a few of the students presented, the schools were given their books for the first time. I was like christmas, complete with ripping paper as the book boxes were wrapped in newspaper. Once the books were out all heads were down as they saw their hard work of writing and photography in a real book. After the initial read was over all the students began exchanging books, getting autographs from each other. It was great to see my students meet, greet, and exchange signatures from the other groups. You could see the pride and happiness on all the faces of the students involved. It was a great day. I am so proud of them all :)

Sorry, I am a bad blogger

I feel awful that I haven't been keeping this blog up this year. I let teaching projects and other activities overwhelm me and I let the blog suffer. I ran into a friend at a book launch in Montreal today and she reminded me that she still checks my blog as it is a contact to the North for her. I felt extremely guilty and made a spring resolution to mend my blogging ways. Apologies to anyone that cares. Next post to follow ASAP

Joy and Agony of Exams

It is that time of year that most look at with either dread or delight depending on their situation. As a teacher it is mostly delight with a hint of dread; delight that the time has come to torture your students, and dread that you now have to untangle their answers to formulate marks. I rather enjoy making up exams, figuring out the wording to best jump start a brain without giving the answer away. Thinking back to my days as a student, I remember how much I would freak out at exam time; unable to sleep and nervous about the outcome. Agonizing over my math and science exams, trying to reword yet another view on a piece of poetry for english exams. Now as the teacher, I find myself trying to balance a fine line between not too easy and not soul-crushingly hard. Trying to be fair to those who have studied and worked all year and yet still challenging. Now with 2 exams down and 2 to go the results stand thus: English (pretty easy but students were lazy, I actually didn't write that one), Math (perhaps a little too long and difficult), over the next 2 days we will have the Science and Social studies exams (both written by me so we will see how it goes). As my students write I find I have plenty of time to catch up on the odd pit of paper work and report cards that are due end of the week. From a teacher's point of view the week is long but not very difficult, a bit boring and yet entertaining at the same time. For the students it had been mostly a week of agony with the possibility of joy when the week is over (and of a tiny bit of worry over their report card marks). The year is winding down, boxes are being packed and classrooms are looking a bit bare as things get cleaned up for the summer. It has that bittersweet feeling about it.

You might live in the north if....

An ever growing collection of various observations from those of us living in the north :)

1)   Going to the store is the highlight of your day
2)   -40 degrees is the new +10
3)   You call the Municipal 3 times then yell "Mother$@#%*$! sewage!!!!" (possibly happens on a regular basis)
4)   It takes 4 teachers with University degrees to figure out how an Ikea can-opener works
5)   You have to crawl over the tundra to get to school
6)   You automatically know that a Honda is a four-wheeler
7)   Not flushing is actually acceptable due to water shortages
8)   Getting your groceries is like reliving Christmas
9)   You can exclaim, "Holy *&*^ it's cold!" at least 280 days of the year
10) Being asked if you are a 'ghost' by a kid at the store because you are so white is normal
11) It's perfectly normal if you wake up to your entire house swaying from the wind
12) You have created a special knock that differs from those of the carvers
13) You can walk across town in 25 minutes but you still find an excuse not to
14) You can start a rumour and it'll get back to you 5 minutes later, sometimes with crazy changes
15) You regularly order Febreeze to fight the foul odours from the bowels of your students
16) You end up doing your laundry at school
17) You will be able to slide from school all the way to your house....possibly without a running start
18) You realize that you can do anything, then you do it
19) You could end every sentence with "Welcome to (____insert name of community____)" followed by a chuck and smile and know that there is some truth to it
20) Teachers are the last to find out what is going on and then we are expected to have a witty answer
21) When you get calls from Solo Mobile and have to explain that cell phones don't work up here
22) Jehovah's witnesses can't visit, but they sure call!
23) Tu peut manger chaque repas avec un tuque sur ta tete!
24) You can experience all 4 seasons depending which window you are looking out of
25) You are utterly confused when you try to open the door to your house with your classroom key
26) Tu sais que tu vis dans le Nord quand la seule sortie scolaire de l'année est d'aller glisser sur la coline au coin de la rue
27) You have to adjust the projector in your house for movie night because your house is lopsided
28) Your kids leave during an anti-smoking speech to go smoke
29) Your house smells like poop when sewage removal comes
30) When you download a Fart application for your IPod to retaliate against your students
31) You know that if you are flying home from another community you will get there...eventually
32) You have had a parent bring ammunition to school for their child
33) When it takes longer for you to get dressed to go outside than it does to get dressed in the morning
34) You have ever found yourself wearing a parka and a flower lei at the same time
35) The entire town (with the exception of the school) has shut down because everyone has gone fishing
36) You have more winter socks and mittens than any other pieces of clothing
37) You can tell the difference between a snow-machine and Honda by sound alone
38) If you have ever sat outside your house in delight watching the Aurora Borealis dance across the sky
39) You have seen fellow teachers slice open a seal in the school lobby for a school activity
40) Movies and TV shows are like gold for trade purposes
41) You have ever had someone come to your door with an unidentified animal skin telling you "Good price"
42) The school has been closed for a blizzard in May
43) School announcements come in 3 languages and take about 15 mins on the PA system
44) You have seen repair men thaw out your frozen furnace with a blowtorch inside your house
45) You attend the May 24 weekend bonfire in a parka and snow pants
46) The alarm goes off at the school because the building in too cold, in JUNE.
47) The teachers are all wearing fleece to teach because the school is too cold, in JUNE.
48) You have watched a sunset at midnight and the northern lights an hour later.
49) You have helped someone move in -50C temps using hand sleds to push boxes through the snow.
50) You carry pepper spray just in case you run across unfriendly animals on a walk