Seal and Whale

So yesterday the grade 11 and 12 science class got to dissect a seal and eat it, so Shane and I were invited to see it and try some...yes I tried raw seal brains. I must say, Shane had the palette for it, but it was hard for me.

Jenn was sweet enough to bring over the lungs and trachea for my grade 5's to see, as they are learning about the respiratory system in science class now.

So awesome! So much fun hands-on learning:)

And today, one of my grade 5 students brought in muktuk (whale blubber and skin) for a treat for the class. They love it! Shane and I got to try it too...

Kendra cutting with a ulu...

muktuk...better than seal I think, but really chewy!

Shane trying it out...he likes seal better

Stay tuned for more Arctic Cat Adventures!

First Day of Fall

So last night (Sept 21) we had a little snow coming down...

Then we woke to this...

and this...welcome Fall in the Arctic!

So I did "Insanity" workout with Shane and finished the first season of "True Blood" with Penelope

Stay tuned to see if the snow stays!

Field Trip and Embrace Life Walk

This week was full of fun with my students and school. During Art class our students worked on banners to take on the school wide "Embrace Life Walk". Since there is a high number of suicides in the North, there is an initiative to encourage people to think about the great things in life and to talk more about how they are feeling so there can be intervention before tragedy.

And here they are on the walk

My grade 5's are so awesome!

The school and community walk together

The day before our class went to the Thule Site for a class trip and it was a beautiful day!

We had treats by the rocks, bannock (bread) that MacLeod brought to share with the class, cheese, yogurt and meat.

The students sit and listen to stories told by our guide and Elder Laimmiki...and yes, there is a rifle on his back in case of polar bears

The weather has been getting colder, ice freezing on the banks

My teaching partner Melissa and I by the banks...a great team!

Caribou remains

Fun pics of our kiddos and Sarah (our EA)

Walking the trail to the Thule Site

Me and my students...and yes...a little Hello Kitty (Bridgette) next to me, a girl after my own heart

On the bus...yes, we have one bus, not a big one, but we fit!

Beautiful View

We were also very lucky this week as the "Barge" came in with the kitty food and litter we ordered for the year! I was so excited to see it from our window in the morning.

And here is a pic of Isabelle...she is still with us and loving snuggles with Shane every morning

And here is your word of the week...pisuk - "walking"

Hope you enjoy and ask some questions and comment so I can let you in on the North some more!

Stay tuned for more Arctic Cat Adventures!

Cutest neighbours

I just have to share this little story...our little neighbours James and Louis were over visiting the cats and I asked if they wanted to give the kitties a treat, so I put a couple temptations in their hands to give to Penelope, but poor little Louis misunderstood and put them in his own mouth! I turn around and he has his mouth open pointing to the treats in his mouth, because I'm sure they didn't taste very good! So there I was picking the treats out of his mouth and offering them to Penelope and thankfully Ryan, our roommate had candies right there to get the kitty treat taste out of his mouth! Oh my goodness....it was so funny and cute, but oh dear I felt so bad...here's a pick of the boys and Shane with their candies

Shane also wanted me to add that he went out on Jenn's ATV hunting with Ryan, and again...no success yet. There were a lot of Inuk out hunting as well and they all were having no luck, hopefully next week! 

Stay tuned for more fun in the Arctic!

Water, Food and Daily Life

Hello everyone!

I thought I'd let you in on some of the daily life in Repulse this week...

since we live in the Arctic and there is permafrost, we have no wells for our water...so where do we get it from? A lake! There is fresh water up here and it is pumped from the lake, transported in trucks and pumped into our holding tanks in our house. We have water delivered to us usually every other day. Our first water bill was $455...but because of the subsidy we have from the government, we only had to pay $22! There are times, especially in the winter, when the water truck will break down and we really have to conserve! Don't take water for granted...it is really precious. Here is a picture of the make that we get our water from...

We also have trucks that come often to empty our sewage. If that doesn't come often, and it gets too full, then our water won't work because it can't overflow...so we are really dependant on our sewer and water trucks here.

As for garbage, there is a dump here, and everything goes there. There is no recycling or composting which feels really weird not to do. The garbage is picked up daily to reduce the amount of animals it could attract.

Lots of people wonder what kind of food I eat here...and it's all the same as home. I can go to the grocery store and get most things that I would eat at home, and I also have food orders from Winnipeg if I want. Last Sunday, my neighbours Elizabeth and Janie had a few of us over for a turkey dinner and it was delicious! Here's a pic of the table, and no...that's not wine, this is a dry community and that is sparkling juice.

It's been fun finding things online and ordering online. As many of you know I am a Mary Kay consultant and I've had three orders delivered here so far and they come so quick! It took less than a week for all of them! But I've heard once the snow comes the mail isn't quite as quick. I'll let you know about that when the time comes.

Also to let you know...there are some things that I do enjoy that I can't get here...Just Us coffee (I brought three bags with me thank goodness, but I'll be sticking up at Christmas when I'm home) and spices and mixes...so I've now become an Epicure Consultant! I'm excited to have parties up here with my friends and they are excited to get some tasty mixes to flavour their foods here too! The beef spice is soooo good on caribou!

Yesterday I had a student come by yesterday to my place to give Shane and I some bannock (a sweet yummy bread that they all love up here) Sorry I don't have a pic...it didn't last long. So in return for the treats she had some snuggle time with Penelope...she just loves here. It is the first cat she's ever touched and they are all very curious about her.

Oh...and on Thursday there was a sail boat in the bay! You could see it from our window of our apartment! So funny! The students were all asking..."Did you see the boat with the tents!?" So cute, there are rarely sail boats here in the Arctic, sea ice, cold and not really much to explore on such a small boat, but here they were! The boat was from Sweden and were taking pictures and were detoured here because of sea ice, hope they make it back! Their last stop is actually Halifax! The ship is called the Explorer, keep a look out!

I'm sure many of you are also wondering what my classroom is like, well...it's a portable because our school is very crowded, but it is really nice:) Here are a few pics

Kids at work:)

Our SMART Board and desk

And finally...what's life here without Penelope...she loves her MK boxes:) Even the little ones

And here is your word of the week....Suvi - which means "how are you?"

Stay turned for more Arctic Cat!

Visit to the Thule Site

Shane and I went to the Thule site here in Nauyat (Repulse Bay). It is a site of early people who settled here from Alaska (originally crossing the Strait from Russia). They made homes here of sod and hides and hunted whales and lived here about 1500-1000 years ago. They were then replaced by the Inuit people whose descendants live here today. Here are some pics of our adventure. Thanks Bill and Carol for taking us out!

The walk there

A nice view

Info about the Thule people

Remains of the Thule homes

Warming my hands by the fire:)

At the Thule site

In this case are bones that people from Denmark had taken from the site and were returned (after a bit of time)

Stay tuned for more updates with Arctic Cat!

 

Terry Fox Run

Today was our school's Terry Fox Run where the entire school, from K-12, get out and run in the afternoon and then have a penny sale and bake sale after the run to raise money for the Terry Fox Foundation. There was a distance travelled for each grade level, they would run to a designated place, get a stamp and run back to the school...one of my grade 5's was first place! Here's the starting line and some of my kiddos:)

Aren't they cute!

And they're off!

After the race I took one of my students to the Co-op to buy him a new pair of shoes. They looked like alligators, could see his socks right through. When I'm home for Christmas I'll be bringing back shoes, boots and some winter wear for some of my students, if you'd like to contribute, I'll bring them up:)

Many people have been asking about the kitties...they are adjusting well. Missing outside I think though. They have been having to eat wet food since we arrived. The "barge" should be here next week with our order of dry food and litter, and they haven't been impressed. Here is a fun pic of Penelope and me:)

I love your comments and messages. Keep them coming!

Stay tuned for Arctic Cat's Adventures:)

Whale of a Tale

Our community has caught a 51 foot bowhead and some of the 'garbage meat' was tossed outside our apartment and the seagulls had a great time snacking!

 

Repulse Bay is called Naujaat (pronounced Now yat) and most communities have their own dialect of Inuktitut. Here's your word of the week: Quiannami (means thank you). 

These are some of my awesome grade 5's after they finished a puzzle during break time. They are so sweet! 

Here is a cultural fun expression....when you ask them a question that is a yes or no answer, most times they don't speak at all...they will raise their eye brows for 'yes' and scrunch up their nose for 'no'! Like this...

and....

So funny....I'm so glad the other teachers told me this before my first day!

I actually have students who want to stay after school and help me with things I need to do. They are a great class that would love to be with you all day and play and learn, but for some I don't think they want to go home...not a good situation for many.

The kids are always out playing, sometimes up to no good...the other day there was a crew throwing rocks at our door, the thing to do up here...but then the next day when we got back from the prom Shane and I had three of these cute magnets on our front door...

There isn't a day that goes by that there aren't students knocking at our door asking to visit and see the cats...so cute!

Stay tuned for more Arctic Cat Adventures!