Summer was short and sweet.

Settle in dear readers. Settle in. If you follow this little blog, you'll know that I haven't posted in over a month. I would like to update you on the goings on in Igloolik and in my head.

Currently, it's 3C (37F) with a feels like temp of -3C (26F). I get that it's the Arctic. Well, at least I get that in a factual way, but stepping outside in late July and shivering is just bizarre. It is like I'm in upside-down world. Maybe I need to travel to the Southern Hemisphere so that I can have these chilly temps set a "normal" for me. So, is summer over? I don't know. All I know is that I have ridden to work approximately 1 day in almost a year of being here without a hat. I have ridden multiple days without gloves, so yay summer!

The ice in the bay was blown out to sea in a matter of two days when we had gale force winds slicing through town. Seeing the bay completely iced up one day and then completely open water the next is also bizarre. Another bizarre (bizarre is the word of the day folks) experience was when the water was freed from the ice, I was instantly struck, upon stepping outside, by the ocean smell. The smell of the sea exists even in the cold Arctic. It made me smile. That's a smell I have known. It made me feel that there is life. I found that odd given that I am not a fisherman and so the sea doesn't really represent "life-giving" in that sense to me. However, the smell and sight of blue sparkling ocean is just beautiful anywhere....no matter how cold.

Two days later, the winds changed and all the ice blew back in. Okay. It's like there's a gigantic fan in outer space oscillating back and forth on us. The winds have been relentless. Without sunglasses, my eyes instantly water from the air forcing tears out.

In good news, the summer feels less dry. I have not had bloody boogers or pain sleeping in quite some time. I recently visited Calgary and had zero problems with their air. This is the first time on a visit that my nose hasn't hurt in Calgary.....guess I've adapted. I would likely instantly ooze fluid from every pore on my body should I happen to feel Tennessee humidity and heat again. In fact, when traveling to Calgary, I had to stop over in Ottawa. They were having heat advisories. It was in the 90s (+30sC). I stepped on the jet bridge and involuntarily gasped at the suffocating humid heat. Just the air in the airport felt so wet. The air conditioning was keeping the air reasonably cool, but the moisture was palpable---to me. Felt like I was in a moderately cool cave.

Calgary was great. I laid on the grass and was rewarded with ants in my pants for my leisure. Returning from Calgary was hard. I returned to no water and then a boil water advisory that has not lifted in 2 weeks. Ah. So lovely.

The town is going through withdrawal. There are no sodas/pops/cokes in the town. It's a crisis. On the Sell/Swap page I watched the auction of 4 cans of soda. The starting bid was $10. I stopped watching when it hit $40. That's right my friends. Ten dollars for a SINGLE can of coke. 12 oz, 355 ml. I suspect the bid went higher than $40. The store got 10 cases (not sure what a case is in terms of store supply/inventory-----a pallet? A box? Not sure) of coke and it was gone from the shelves in about 5 minutes. The sugar addiction is real here. And strong. I find it fascinating. Such dire straits regarding food security and general poverty, but there is money here. It's here. I do not know how these things work.

We got a new hire here that started last week and that is very exciting because I may now be able to do the job that I was hired to do. Previously, me and another co-worker were doing the duties of this vacant position that just got filled. This person was excited to come to Igloolik because they'd been in the capital, Iqaluit, for 18 months and found it too big and busy. Yep. Igloolik will not be too big or busy I'm almost certain. A week and a half later, I am not sure he isn't having a reality check on what being not as big and busy as Iqaluit means in terms of daily life. He mentioned that his tub is not draining and that there is a bullet hole in his bedroom window that has apparently remained unfixed for over a year. They put him in this housing unit without fixing the window. Housing said maybe they can fix it when the supplies come in on the sealift, but no promises. That is going to be chilly for him in the winter. Then, he was wondering where I got my meat for eating. He noted that there is no fresh meat here. Yep. There isn't. He mentioned that he'd gotten the ground beef thinking that there was no way to go wrong with ground beef. Wrong. Our ground beef is more beef paste, a slimy concoction of pink, hopefully beef, meat stuff. I laughed when he told me this. Yep, no good meat here. You're lucky if you can get any chicken that is mostly breasts or boneless. There are no other options for ground beef either. It's that one or nothing. Take your one pick. Then, he noted that they lost one of his moving boxes. Us around him nodded in encouraging affirmation. Only 1 box? That's not bad. Nice. Iqaluit to Igloolik is one flight.....straight shot. One box lost. Yep, that checks out. He's mentioned the unrelenting wind....and the dirt.....and how he isn't worried about fixing his hair...that he is just mixing the dirt in and mussing it for the "textured" look. Welcome friend. Welcome. He too is enjoying the boil advisory. He also got his first introduction into trying to get things done here....I know I shouldn't say it, but it's been fun to watch the boyish excitement as he thinks that a shipment we need at work will actually arrive when a rep says it will. hahahahaha. He's already figuring ways to get foods and goods up from Iqaluit by having friends in Iqaluit pick up things and send them. It seems to me that the smaller, less busy, Igloolik is giving him a real dose of the real North. One point five weeks. Bless his heart.

Meanwhile, I'm over here like an old, crotchety weathered pessimistic hag. lol. Just watching with amusement.

Speaking of amusement, today is the last day you'll be hearing from me. I leave tomorrow to start field work. We are anticipating approximately 2 to 2.5 months of work out of cabins in the Arctic. There will be a few days here and there in a town while we get gear ready and go to meet the helicopter in the North starting point. Other than that, it will be no plumbing, no electricity, nothing with 3-5 of my closest stranger friends. Ah, I cannot wait to burn more shit. Igloolik will seem like paradise upon my return.

I'll be taking notes so that I can relay the escapades that will surely transpire in the next few months. So my friends, stay tuned! Enjoy your warmth and summer.....and plumbing....and grocery stores.....and Netflix.......and, and, and. Much love and talk to you soon!Read more