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.
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