Day 2 in Iqaluit

We've had a busy day so far in Iqaluit. This morning we had a 7:00am wake up call to be over at Inuksuk High School at 8:00am for breakfast. At 9:00am, we took a tour of Iqaluit via bus for two hours stopping off at some places of interest. We first visited "The Apex" which was the first settlement of Iqaluit and the location of the original Hudson's Bay Trading Company in 1640. Next we arrived at Silvia Grinell Park where we experienced the cold winds and breath-taking views of the frozen water and arctic landscape. We drove up to the plateau where we saw modern Iqaluit housing being built and excellent views from above the city. Lastly, we ventured out to Breakwater Bay to walk on the frozen water.We all got some great photos and memories we'll never forget.

In the afternoon, we returned to the school for a light sandwich lunch and played some Arctic Baseball in the gym with some local high school students. Many of our students were naturals! It's played much like our version of baseball but you run the bases backwards. The school is very nice and modern which took most of our students by surprise. The computers all are brand new and clean. Although the internet runs at snail speed, we're even amazed they can get internet all the way up here! The classrooms are medium sized with clean desks and most have some form of technology (SMART Boards mostly). Every room has whiteboards rather than blackboards. One difference that our students enjoy is that they are allowed to wear their hats in school! Their classes also start at 8:05am due to busing restrictions. The high school students are picked up first, then the middle school, then elementary. Class periods run 90 minutes (15 more than ours), however the students get a 15 minute recess between period 1 and 2 and a 1 hour lunch (20 more than ours).  Classes at 3:00pm.

We watched a documentary on the history of Nunavut in the afternoon which was very informative. We also took part in a seminar where we learned all about dog sledding from a local teacher and even got to meet one of the teacher's dog sledding dogs "Saiku". All of our students got to pet the dog if they wanted to. The afternoon continued with a scavenger hunt put on by the Inuksuk students. The students were split into 4 teams and were instructed to decode Inutituk symbols all around the school to discover a secret code.

This evening, we are seeing another documentary about Toonik Tyme, the huge celebration going on around town. After, we are having dinner at one of our host teacher's houses up on the plateau. All 22 students in one house! Yikes!

Photos will be posted later when we return to the college residence. Throughout the week, 8:00pm seems to be the time we return, so check back on the website around 8:30pm for updates. The students and staff are having a blast and getting to know a little more about what it's like to be submerged within a new culture and society.

Day 1 in Iqaluit

Today was our first day in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut. We landed around 12:30pm and headed to Arctic College to settle in. Around 2pm, we headed to Inuksuk High School which is where we will be meeting up with our matched students from Nunavut daily. We arrived to go over the weekly plans and rules. We were introduced to Craig and Kim, two teachers from the local school who were going to be our guides for the week. The students finally got to meet their student match face to face.

The Nunavut students led many ice breaker games (see photos below) to start conversation. Already we can tell that the students are enjoying each other's company. Next, we had a special guest, Johnny Issaluk, inform us about some Inuit Games. Inuit Games focus around building skills about hunting, fishing and daily life of the Inuit. Mr. Issaluk is well known across Canada as the Inuit Games expert. He even was at the Olympic Games in Vancouver! He taught us many games and even let us try some. 

For dinner, we had a delicious meal made by the host families. There was many of the local foods we were used to back home, with the addition of a special fish, the Arctic Char, which kind of tasted like a salmon Popsicle. Most of our students tried it, which made us staff members happy. The evening was filled with events around the hotel such as socializing, basketball in the gym, working out in the weight room and resting up for tomorrow. In the meantime, Mr. Magee caught a glimpse of a beautiful sunset.

Arctic College

Here's a peak at Arctic College residence where we are staying for the duration of our trip. Our group is all smiles after braving the cold weather for the first time!!

Landing in Iqaluit

 

Our Nunavut Activity Schedule

Here are some of the highlighted activities that we will be doing in Iqaluit:

Sunday: Traditional Inuit Games, Pot luck dinner
Monday: Bus tour of Iqaluit, Dog Sledding Presentation, Attend an Iqaluit class
Tuesday: Visit Museum, Musical performance, Evening with your Iqaluit pair's family
Wednesday: Land trip - Ice Fishing, Snowmobile and qammotiq, Movie night
Thursday: RCMP Tour, City legislative tour, sliding/hiking, Traditional Feast
Friday: Sealskin sewing, Traditional clothing, Potluck lunch, Dance
Saturday: Pack up, Souvenir shopping, Fly home to Toronto

This entire week is "Toonik Tyme" in Iqaluit which is the time of year when they celebrate the coming of Spring (It sure doesn't feel like it!). It is one long week of traditional Inuit celebrations. To discover more about Toonik Time, click here.

We're Here!

We have arrived safe and sound in Iqaluit! The weather is clear, and the ground is snow-covered. The temperature is around -15, but as many of the students are finding out, the wind is the worst part. We settled into our rooms at Arctic College which are well heated and cozy. There are gym areas for us to play basketball, workout in the gym, play ping pong and more. We are spending the afternoon viewing our host school, "Inuksuk High School". We are still trying to get WIFI at the Arctic College Residence. As soon as we do, Mr. Magee will post more photos of the students. We're safe, we're sound, and most important of all, we're warm!

Ottawa Airport Photos