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.