January 31, 2011

Today I am SO glad to be back at my one bedroom apartment. It was SO cold at work today. Workers were wearing their parkas to work in, if they sat at all during the day. One of the docs wore his parka all day. We also have a lady in early labour, and although homebirths are the exception here, it was easy to talk to her about it, because the maternity is also cold. We had tried warming it up all day, with extra heaters and lights on. Did not work particularly well.
The mechanic who is working here right now started talking to me when he was checking the heating in the maternity. He said he wanted to ask me where I was from, that he had worked, in Victoria, with the navy for 17 years, and thought I must be from there. I asked if it was my accent, and he said yes, but also I looked like someone from Salt Spring, or Quadra Island, or Victoria. Was almost taken aback, and then thought, what the hay...that is where I am from. (Born and raised in Victoria, and other than travelling, did not leave until age 23. Attended University of Victoria, and was married there as well. It is probably the reason I now live outside Vancouver...as Island life is lovely, but getting there and back is tedious.)
Lots of interesting calls today as we were trying to sort out a lady who went into premature labour on the weekend. They took her to Puvirnituq, on her way to Montreal, but conditions were bad in Montreal, and she ended up in Quebec City. Her boyfriend, though, ended up in Montreal. The Midwives were trying to help get him to Quebec City, and answer her questions about what was going on. The hospitals in Montreal have Inutittut translators, but not so in Quebec City.
As I mentioned in my weekend blog, three men are missing from here in Inukjuak. Two went polar bear hunting last Wed and one went fishing on Friday. The fisherman was found by search and rescue, who are here looking for the polar bear hunters, yesterday. He is fine and well. Today, they found the skido of the polar bear hunters, but not in the direction they said they were going. They have not been found yet. Conditions were not good on the weekend, with the wind chill dropping to -48. Everybody is worried.
One of the interesting things here is how many people are related to one another. It is probably due to the isolation. Each town has different names of families within it. Here there are masses of Kasudluaks and Aculiaks and Weetatuluks. If you read the list of people in town there will be a hundred or more of each of these names, and then you have a few families with only four members, and they came from somewhere else. In Puvirnituq the names are totally different. This is also true in Nunavut (probably not Iqaluit), that there are different family names in each community.

It has not been snowing much recently, and everything is extremely slippy. The snow has blown off all the roads and paths. The centre of the roads is more clear than the sides because cars, trucks and atv's use the road, where the side is used by skidos and pedestrians. Since the road to my house was plowed late last week, it is now like a skating rink. Not many people used it but I slid a number of times trying to get up the "hill" this morning. It is quite flat here, so a "hill" is relative. The river has finally frozen over, and sea ice has been forming for a week now. Not sure how long, or if, it will get to its normal amount. Usually it starts to form in November, and this year it started last week.
I was also told on the weekend that polar bears are newcomers here. They only started coming to the area about two years ago. So, for sure, as the global warming trend changes, it also changes animal habitat, and this is a prime example of that.
I am now drinking tea, and feeling warmer. My water is boiling, for drinking for the next couple of days. Am waiting to see what instructions will come out for February. Every month water inspectors go to all the villages and test the water. Then the health centre posts whether it should be boiled that month or not. Right now the water is boiled for 20 minutes and then, when cool, it goes into the brita. Tastes fine, but when I was here in the summer, one of the pregnant woman was really sick, and needed iv antibiotics, due to problems with the water.
My thoughts and hopes are going this evening to the families and the polar bear hunters. I am hoping that they are found quickly. It is so hard on the families when people are missing.
Hope you all have a great evening.

This Week in Inukjuak

This has been a truly interesting and fun week in this little village. Have been meaning to write about it for the whole week and now it is Saturday. I am not on call, am able to have a glass of wine tonight, watch TV(there is cable now), use the modum (which only came this week), and knit socks as an envelope also arrived for me. What fun.
We are a little low on personel at the Maternity this week. One Midwife is on maternity (adoption) leave, one became very sick on Wednesday, and one student quit just after I arrived. That leaves one Inuit midwife, one student and me. It might be quite busy next week, although probably only the lab days, Monday and Tuesday.
There is no lab here, and the majority of labs, especially routine, are done on Monday and Tuesday and sent off to Puvirnituq. The lad there does all labs for the Innulitsivik area (Hudson's Bay coast).
The other days we have meetings and administration and pap clinics. Midwives do most of the paps for women of the community, along with std testing and hiv testing (if they want it). There is no HIV in this community.
It has finally gotten cold and most days this week the high was around -26 with a wind chill one or two days. It makes it really clear, cold and wonderful. The sun rises just before we leave for work and sets before we leave, so we can look out the windows, and also walk home at lunch in brilliant sunshine. It is so cold though that everyone leaves their cars, trucks, atv's and skido's on while they are in buildings. So there is a constant blue haze in parking areas. Also as you walk down the side of the road, you are passed by skidos that ooze out blue haze, and cars, trucks and atv's in the middle of the road doing the same.
As I walk to work I pass all the kids going to school. They are dropped off by skido's, suv's and school buses, and a few walk. The school is at my end (old end) of the town, and there are few houses. It is mostly working buildings.
When I arrived the driver told me that although it is a nice road in front of our building, and it is the only building on it, that it is no road when there is a blizzard. With the wind it became obvious what he meant. Walking was a bit of a challenge. Most days a high truck went through so I could walk in the wheel paths. On Wednesday a car got stuck, and really stuck trying to get down. (Really do not have any idea why a car would even try to come down here). They did manage to dig it out. (This is a more difficult feat than you can imagine. The car was here over lunch time, which means it was not plugged in, and would become cold. Then it becomes very dicey starting them again. Our midwifery student had her atv freeze this week, and so she has not transportation until spring, or summer, when it is warm enough to thaw out, and they can replace necessary parts.) So, on thursday our little road was plowed. What a difference to walking, except now it is very icy.
Yesterday was a worried day in this town. Two young men went polar bear hunting the day before and had not returned. Yesterday a number of people were out looking for them. The elders were on the radio telling people that they did not think these men had the skills to survive, and had to be found. Snow is not good for igloo making this year, and probably they did not know how to do it anyway. The radio here is totally in Inuktittut, except for bingo, where it is French, English and Inuktittut, so I could not understand any of the postings. The Inuit Midwife did tell me some of what was being said.
Also yesterday morning polar bears were spotted just outside of town. We went out to see if we could see them, but of course, not. The lack of wildlife has been one of my few disappointments with the north. But then again, any smart animal is going to stay away from town, and as this is a very poor community, they are unlikely to survive a sojourn here.
I have seen lots of bird life, right now only ravens, siksiks in Rankin, a seal last summer going up the river here, Arctic hares in Rankin and Narwhals in Repulse Bay. The Ravens and I seem to have a problem. I keep trying to photograph them, and having no luck whatever. Yesterday the midwife told me I should go out when they are smoking with them, as the Ravens are always there. I did. They were not there.
This next week, my concentrations will be on trying to photograph Ravens.
I hope you will all join me in saying prayers and lighting candles, or whatever your choice for the two young men who are missing. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.