Two Months Before Boxing Day

Hey Everyone

I hope all of you had a great week. We had an awesome week up here in Cape Dorset. Report cards went out and we had Wednesday to meet with parents. I met with 12 sets of parents/guardians so it really wasn't that stressful and I had a chance to get some more planning done for the second part of the first semester. We had a great feed of duck the other night compliment of Leona, Chris , and Ed. They had quite a selection of food. Turkey, duck, salt beef, potatoes, carrots, dressing, cabbage, parsnips, peas pudding, and turnip ( I don't think I forgot anything). It was all followed up by a phenomenal chocolate cake, tea and coffee. I was literally stuffed like the duck. We are now on the downside towards Christmas and everyone seems to be in super duper cheer. It could be that or the fact that everyone has now got their sealifts delivered and put away ( Although if Marche keeps dinging everyones credit card for added charges that will take the shine off the grub). A couple of the staff got hit for an extra $300 or so as added expenses. What a way to do business. Imagine doing a job and realizing that it is more difficult than you thought it was and telling your employer you want more money. The employer would laugh in your face. I can't believe how slippery it is out. I blew a creeper coming home from supper the other night. I hit a patch of ice and as I was sliding I hit a rock and ripped it right off my foot.They didn't have much gripping ability anyway. Thank God my room mate had a spare and more heavier duty set. He has also received his new laptop and a sparkling new Belkin wireless router so now we both can work on our computers and not bother the other by seeing if they are using the internet. I brought up a hard wired router last year but it never worked right from day 1. Hopefully this will work better. Hope everyone had a great week and here's to a fantastic weekend.

Cheers
Blake

Sunsets and Carvings

Hey Everyone

As you can tell by the picture, the sun has set on another workweek in Cape Dorset Nunavut. Except for a nasty ice build up on the roads which cancelled school for half a day this week, everything went along quite well. These unexpected school closures throw a real monkey wrench into the learning process but I guess if you are a teacher anywhere you just have to suck it up. That screeching noise your heard on Tuesday morning wasn't a car or truck sliding off the road, it was the education system coming to a grinding halt.(At least for a half day). We seem to have a dusting of snow every night so it makes all that ice just a little more tricky to negotiate on the way to work in the a.m. The smiles are even bigger this week around the school as our personal and school sealifts have arrived. By now everyone has theirs put away in storage for what looks to be a cold and snow filled winter.
The picture I took of the sunset didn't turn out all that great but we do not get a lot of them first of all because of the cloud cover and second of all for a couple of months the sun will barely get above the top of the mountains.
I also am quite proud of my latest carving purchase. I have been looking for one like this since last year and I have finally put my hands on one. I hope I can get it home to the Miramichi without breaking it all up.

I hope everyone had a great week and all the best for the weekend

Blake

Mid October already? Are you sure?

Hey Everyone

I can't believe it is almost the middle of October and first reports will be going out soon. The year has gone great so far. The classes are bigger but I am use to the kids and especially their names and who is who. One of the unique things about the north when you first get up here, is the different names. Once you get a handle on the names and in my case, pronouncing them semi correctly, I think it gets a whole lot easier. The big thing I am doing today is cook supper for everyone at the school who has ever provided me a meal up here. There help and advise has been invaluable and without them I probably would not have lasted one month, let alone one year. Speaking of the last year, I think we have had more nicer days ( in number) this fall so far than we had all last year up until Christmas and it seems to be a whole lot colder too. The year certainly is flying by. In only 10 weeks we will be home for Christmas, weather permitting. I had a little break last week as I went out to Iqaluit for a teachers workshop. It was very interesting because this time it was a real teacher putting it on and he could really tell us how to apply the strategies. Too many times I have attended workshops like these where they have career academics (no disrespect to those who are university professors) who have no idea what life is like inside a classroom. I was also supposed to attend the Hockey Nunavut AGM but due to the weather I was unable to get out.
Well I gotta pop out to the kitchen and finish getting ready for supper.

Cheers for now

Blake