Fundraising and Polar Bears

Well it's almost the end of November and I would be lying if I said that I wasn't looking forward to Christmas!!  It will be a welcomed break and a great visit with everyone!  I am hoping that everything works out well with the flights...and if so, I'll be flying to Winnipeg on December 16th. And heading home to the Sault with mom and dad from there (with visits in Winnipeg, Thunder Bay and longlac!). Merry Christmas to me!!

I have honestly had an amazing few weeks. I'm starting to get comfortable with the winter and have begun accepting that the sun now sets before 3:00 pm. And rises well after I am in the school.

I do not get to witness much of the sunlight (except on my cold, brisk walk home for lunch). I have started to secretly take up yoga and I am the new proud owner of a 2-month-old full beard.  

I have learned a few lessons (self-taught) that I thought I would share with everyone...

1. No matter how well you think you know a "shortcut"... Stick to the road, path or trail during the winter. About a week back, I came out of the coop (the only place to buy something in Whale Cove) and decided Id take a short cut... I'd walk off the trail and go up behind a few buildings... head through the school parking lot and up to my house. Anyways, I seriously only made it about 50 feet, fell through the snow, and actually ended up getting absolutely soaked. I was chest high in snow and couldn't get out. I worked a while and climbed out, just to fall back in. After I finally got out of the snow and back on to the "long way home", I still had about a 7 minute walk in -40 degree winds. By the time I got home, my one soaked boot (somehow there was about a foot of water at the bottom of the hole I fell into... I don't understand how "water" exists in these temperatures but it was definitely there)  so... Anyways, my soaked boot was like a cinder block, my pants were seriously frozen and my legs were absolutely numb, dark red and tingly ... Lesson #1... Learned. 

Lesson 2...Whether we like it or not, our surroundings don't have much effect on our overall lives or happiness. I have started to recognize that wherever I am and whatever the circumstances... It's on me to be happy. I could find things to dwell on and be miserable about... Sure.  

It's consistently -40 with a horrible wind, I can't really go outside without the threat of being attacked by a polar bear and I rarely see the sun (unless its through my classroom window). Boooohoooo right? Poor Andy?  Haha. It's actually the opposite. I don't think I've been happier here than I have been in the last few weeks. And a lot of that has to do with you guys.  I started to feel down, feel trapped... (Not that everyone here isn't amazing because like I've said plenty of times now... They are by far the nicest people, the most welcoming and kind people I've ever met... And I genuinely feel at home.) But the lack of sun, activity, the fact that i have no method of getting out on the land and just being homesick had brought me to a place I didn't like... 

I woke up one day determined to find something to lift my spirits, and somehow I thought of an idea that could do just that. I started to plan a trip home. But not just any average trip home. I started to put together a plan that would allow me to bring ten boys from Whale Cove home with me. I started to plan a hockey trip... One that would be monumental not just for me, but for many. I started by trying to make sense of how expensive everything is here... Trying to cut corners. I priced a trip out for 12 people to go from here to Geraldton, and the best prices I could come up with were roughly $3000 a person. Just insane. And not doable in little Whale Cove... But, all day I spent trying to bring that price down, and by the end of it... I had it cut in half. Aeroplan is a wonderful thing when you live in the north. Did you know a flight from Taipei to Canada is actually cheaper than a flight from Nunavut to Thunder Bay??? But aeroplan considers Nunavut to Manitoba (direct) therefore being compared to the cheapest flight possible.  ;)  anyways... Where you all come in... During my attempts to make this a reality, I leaned on a few people who I have always known to be very helpful and insightful... And sure enough... I was helped immensely.  "There's this website for fundraising... I get emails for it all the time. You should look into it. It's called www.gofundme.com. People would help you fundraise from all over. It's perfect for your team!"  

Thanks Lisa.   

I sat back after about an hour of setting the site up and watched you all remind me how lucky I am. In a really weird way, that day was the best day here. But I did nothing at all. I seriously sat on the couch... Watched the hockey games and continuously was reminded of my friends and family as the countless donations for my hockey team poured in. I received over 100 emails and the team fundraising site: www.gofundme.com/5fv3t4 was shared over 300 times.  My friends and family and a few complete strangers opened their hearts for a good cause and raised over $1300 in the first day.  And by doing so... Made me realize how lucky we all are to have each other. To have what we have and to want what we want.  

So... Enough corny talk... But before I move on... I want to say thanks. Thank you not just for your kindness and support, but thanks for all the things people normally don't say thanks for. Thank you for making me smile, for that time You called to talk, or that time you sent an email... Thanks for everything. OKAY... Moving on.  

I am now proud to say that I have stood in front of a polar bear and was able to take it all in. I took pictures... Lots of pictures.

I stood 80 meters or so away from it and zoomed in as close as my camera would zoom.  The entire time being completely in awe of how amazing this animal was, how majestic it was and truly how dangerous it was. Haha.

It is hard to grasp, but not being the "alpha mammal" is actually empowering once you accept it.  Maybe I'll try and explain that some other time. Can't find those words right now... But, knowing that at any moment, if it wanted to, that bear could really be deadly... Actually somehow made me feel peaceful. Yea... Too hard to explain. And I just sound nuts. Haha. Some other time.  

So the weather here, like I said is basically the same everyday now. It's -25 to -40 but with wind it feels much colder. It's kinda similar to Northern Ontario's coldest. "Our dead of winter". But it's two months away from the "dead of winter".  We have yet to see a blizzard. Which is abnormal. They said last year by this time there were many days that school was cancelled because of blizzards. During a blizzard, there is heavy snowfall and massive 70-100 km/hr winds. Which makes it so people can't see outside. It is very dangerous to even go outside as you might get lost, and in those temps, it wouldn't take long to freeze to death. Haha.  So yea. A little worse than a blizzard back home.  Hopefully we don't see many of those.

I hope everyone is doing fabulous, and I'll be home in less than 3 weeks to have a good visit!  Talk soon

If you are interested in helping my hockey team please visit the site below. 

http://www.gofundme.com/5fv3t4

And again thanks to everyone who has already supported us!  Simply amazing how kind everyone has been!

Polar Bear season.

In the last few weeks I have witnessed yet again, a lot of change.  One thing that has become very evident in my short stay here is that the only thing that is guaranteed... is... change.  The vast open land that we travelled over with absolutely no trail, covered in small shrubs, lichen and berries

...is now covered in a thick layer of hard packed ice and snow.  The lakes that we were fishing in less than a month ago, are now blanketed by almost a foot of ice.

And most amazingly, the sun that was up past midnight on the night of my arrival... now sets before 3:45pm.

I thought of how I was going to write this blog entry, and a lot has happened since my last. I decided that the best way is to break it up into two sections (my social life, and the polar bear hunt) this might make it easier to read and more importantly...easier to write.

What to do on the weekend?

Whale Cove, as most of you know by now, is very small. 

It is only roughly 400 people.  There is no restaurant, no pool hall and definitely no dance clubs.  This does not mean that there isn't anything to do.  

Take for instance a few weeks ago... I was sitting in the staff room talking about what I was planning on doing for the weekend.  Before I knew it, my plans changed three times and I was taking part in a 9-ball tournament on Friday, going fishing Saturday and playing in a poker tournament Saturday night. 

I know, I said that there is no pool hall... and there isn't.  One of my co-workers (Sophie) and her husband (Peter) have a pool table in their house.  This thing is amazing!  A very nice pool table.  I couldn't believe it!  Anyways, I lost badly.  So did Morteza.  But it was very nice to get out and shoot some pool!  Next time I will do much better! ;)

Poker here is very common and popular.  I guess it is just like everywhere else I have been.  Poker is played to basically get a group of friends around a table and have some laughs.  Really good poker players here. I have been lucky a few times... but I am convinced now that they are just trying to make me feel comfortable and confident before they fleece me! haha.  I really enjoy the times that I can get out and play poker with everyone.  It is a lot of fun and a great way to become more involved with the community and get to meet more people.  My poker buddies have also become some of the people I am closest to here in town.  Shon, George and Benji are great guys who have taken the time to show me a lot of their hunting and fishing ways.  There is a lot to be learned as a Qaabluna (white person) up here and I am very grateful and glad that they are taking the time to show me.  I owe a lot of my fun times and amazing experiences to these guys.

As I said, the lakes are completely frozen over and are safe to go on now.  They have been for a few weeks.  We have started making our way out fishing as well, but have yet to catch anything through the ice.  Hopefully next weekend! I have never gone ice fishing and interrupted a hockey game before.  That is what happened this past Friday.  After school, Morteza and I went out to Fish Lake with Joe (one of the high school students) as our guide.  

We wanted to try our luck with the Land Locked Char.  And when we got there, we were met by a heard of our students wearing their hockey skates and gloves. 

 They played hockey around us... and watched us catch ... nothing.  Haha, it was a real neat experience.  The boys helped us cut our holes (without an auger, it is much harder)

and they gave us a ton of tips on where to go, what to use as lures, one of my students (John) even helped me by tying my lure on my line.  (he wanted to show me how they tie their hooks on).

The winter days are going to obviously get shorter, and shorter until there will be no daylight (outside of working hours) for us to enjoy.  I think it is safe to assume that those weeks if not months, I will have many hours to write wonderfully edited blog entries.  I will be up to date on the T.V. Series Dexter and I will know all of the newest movie titles!  But I also expect to be able to go on the land and see some more remarkable things.  Hopefully at least.  I have met some amazing people here that have done their best to make me feel at home.  I am very thankful for this and only hope that some of them have felt my appreciation somehow. 

The Polar Bear Hunt

Now, I know that this is a very touchy subject for animals rights activists, Greenpeace and Inuits as a whole.  I am going to do my best to just tell it how it is. 

As far as I know, Nunavut is one of the only places left in the world where the polar bear hunt is legal. In the Nunavut hunting regulations there is a section for polar bear.

  I also know that scientists around the world have speculated that there is about 20000 - 25000 Polar Bears left in the world.  About 15000 of those Polar Bears reside in Canada's far North (most living in Nunavut).  I do believe most people here expect there to be a change in this soon, but the hunt is completely legal and from what I have seen, it has been justified. 

On November 4, 2013, the Whale Cove residents and hunters all gathered into the hall.  They had a meeting (an annual meeting), which they have every year to discuss and decide who will hunt the Polar Bears).

  I went to this, and even though I couldn't understand most of what they were saying (mostly in Inuktitut), I was really amazed at how the entire community was involved in this decision.  Everyone who wanted to speak got their turn, and many people made some very good points.  There were 7 tags to be handed out to the hunters of Whale Cove.  Do they just do a draw? Who would be entered into that draw? Do they have a open hunt? (meaning everyone hunts and the first people to get bears get the tags for their bear.) After a long deliberation and many conversations it was decided by the entire community that the first 4 tags would be open, and then the last 3 would be drawn at random from a pool of all the residents of 16+ years of age.  They voted almost unanimously for this.  It was really cool to see it all unfold. 

After the meeting was over it was a mass exit to the door and the awaiting polar bears. It was seriously a race to the first four bears.

  And it really didn't take too much time.  With in 36 hours all four of those open tags were filled.  I have yet to see a Polar Bear.  I can not believe that there were four that close to town. 

The night after the meeting, there were still open tags to be filled.  Shon called me, and asked... "wanna come see if we can find a Polar Bear?"  I jumped at the opportunity and geared up, Morteza and I met him down by his place where he had seen some Polar Bear tracks.  These tracks turned out to be a few days old and were not worth pursuing, so we ended up going on a little adventure to the point. 

It was about 9:00 pm. completely dark and Shon and Don were using spotlights to try and see in the distance. 

We drove along the shoreline of the ocean but we didn't see any Polar Bears. 

The bears that do get hunted are used for many things.  Every piece of the animal is used.  The meat is all eaten by the local families, the bones are all used, the organs are sent away to scientists for research and the fur is sold.  If the fur was the only thing these bears were being killed for, I would have a huge problem, but that is a misunderstanding that has no truth behind it.  The polar bear is a huge amount of meat that will feed families for months. 


I hope everyone is doing well, and I look forward to seeing you all at Christmas!