I have been in town for a little under three weeks now and am beginning to get settled into the rhythm of community life. Iain and I have created a nice little nest in our snug hotel room and have enjoyed a few walks through the hamlet, orienting ourselves with landmarks and important sites (namely, the three stores in town!).
My first few weeks were spent prepping for taking over the Introduction to Mining course. Denise was teaching the first module which covered an introduction to exploration and mining and I had a great opportunity to meet my future students and observe Denise's tactics for instructing the class. I may suffer permanent brain damage from all the photocopier fumes I inhaled getting course materials ready, but the time I spent with Denise was invaluable. Having a chance to watch her instruct and interact with the class helped boost my confidence and gave me many ideas for things to do when I was on my own.
Denise jetted her way out of town last Thursday. Her last day, Wednesday, was the big FINAL EXAM for the guys. There were also a few trays of treats, some photos and some heartfelt goodbyes. The class was very sad to see her go, Denise had created an amazing repore with the guys - I won't deny I felt some trepidation when I imagined trying to fill her shoes!
Thursday morning I started everyone off with an 'Introduction to Mining through Erika's Work History'. For the first time in my life, my having moved jobs every 6 months paid off! I was able to show the guys pictures of exploration work, mine construction work and work at 2 developed mines (both underground and surface). Add to that my history working as an assistant to helicopter engineers and a heavy duty mechanics assistant and I had some serious credibility with the guys. It was a very good way to re-emphasize Denise's material, introduce myself and kill an hour of the morning. Whew...first hour was done! Only 2 1/2 months left...
The rest of the day was all about learning the student's strengths and weaknesses in class. There is a huge disparity between the students; some can read, others can write but no-one has anything near a grade 12 education. All of the students are ESL. In Arviat Inuktitut is the first language, with English a distant second. The education system in Arviat seems to be more interested in statistics (ie. graduating people from Grade 12 regardless of their abilities) than producing graduates who are ready for further education or employment. I'm not sure where the disconnect lies: is it the government, the school system, the social system, all of the above? Whatever the source of the problems, it will require a lot of effort and money to remedy. I hope that a positive impact from a booming mining industry will be an increased desire in the local people for a more effective education system. One that will allow them to pursue higher paying and more technical jobs in industry.
Friday was a short day. I am learning that my first and biggest challenge will be getting my students to class. Once I convince them they MUST show up EVERY DAY, the next challenge is getting them through the door on time. Both Denise and I emphasized repeatedly that employers do not look favorably on people who are late. Oh, and PLAYING ONLINE POKER UNTIL 3AM IS NOT A GOOD REASON FOR BEING LATE! But, once I get past the daily lectures on attendance I have to take into account other factors such as; ProD days, whether the social assistance checks are scheduled to come in, whether the cariboo herds are close to town, if there are a pod of beluga near the town, etc. On Friday there was a ProD day in all the schools in town, so most of my class had to take care of children in the afternoon. This meant it was a half day for my class; it is easier to schedule around these things than penalize the people who can't show up.
It was a great day for the guys to take advantage of an afternoon off - the sun was shining and the wind was calm. I figured it was also a great day for me to set up a field trip, so after the morning coffee break the entire class went down to the shore line to look for rocks for their geology class. We piled 10 guys and myself onto 3 quads (the class convinced me it was pure foolishness to walk when there were 3 perfectly good quads to transport us!) and zoomed off to the beach. I blissfully blanked out all of my "Safety First" training from Diavik...That section isn't taught for another 6 weeks!
It was quite amusing watching the guys 'prospecting'. I really got a good feel for their personalities...some of them wandered around aimlessly staring at the ground, some of them took their rock hammers and just beat the bejezzus out of random rocks, and some of them really got into the act of looking for something valuable; crouched down over stones, tapping away at different minerals and inspecting their finds with eagle eyes. I poked around myself and found a few nice examples of different rock types to take back to the school. After an hour I herded them all up and we headed back to the school. It was a fantastic way to ease the class and I together.
The week ended quietly for me. I spent the rest of friday prepping materials for my class and marking assignments then Iain and I went for a nice long walk around town in the evening soaking up the sunshine while we had the chance.
This weekend has been pretty mellow. The weather on Saturday was warm and bright, which was perfect as one of my students was getting married in the afternoon. Iain and I had been given an invitation to the festivities, which was very sweet of Billy, the groom. He was very excited about the big day, and the class couldn't help but tease him whenever the subject came up.
Iain and I puttered around the hotel, catching up on housework and class prep in the morning, then headed to the church in the afternoon. Unfortunately our prepping didn't include our camera's. Iain's camera had nothing but dead batteries and I couldn't turn the flash off mine for the service. So, we enjoyed the wedding but didn't take any photos.
I was pleasantly surprised by the informal air in the church. When Iain and I arrived people were still coming and going from the church, so we found a seat near the back and settled in to wait. The groom, Billy, was standing nervously at the front of the church and didn't once turn around to look at the crowd gathered behind him! Billy and the groomsmen were all very handsome in their dress shirts and pants and sealskin vests and ties. The bride wore a stunning gown I was told came from ebay and her bridesmaids were decked out in wonderful red or blue dresses. The rest of the people in the church wore day to day clothes...I saw pyjamas, exercise gear, blue-jeans, sweatpants, etc. There were more children in the church than adults and after the bride made her entrance half the attendees left to take care of children, have a smoke or to simply carry on with the rest of their day. Mothers changed diapers wherever they sat and children played tag up and down the aisle or hide and seek under chairs. It was hilarious, moving, wonderful and relaxed. The bride and groom (Crystal and Billy) looked stunned, nervous and happy throughout the event and had both their children in the wedding party. The youngest one spent half the ceremony sleeping on his grandmothers lap and the other half in his fathers lap. The entire service was in Inuktitut, but some things are universal and most of the time we knew what was being said...or at least the gist of it. We did not go to the reception after the service, instead we walked in the sunshine and worked on course materials from our hotel room.
Arviat has a few other charms for Iain and I. Across the street are a couple of wonderful puppies we have fallen in love with. For a time we were "borrowing" them whenever we needed something soft to cuddle...however the kids who owned them were getting a little upset with us, so I have given up the borrowing and hopes of adoption! The dogs' owner is a carver who has provided Iain with some beautiful sculptures...Iain should have a wonderful collection by May.
Along with carvers and puppies I have found the supplies I needed to start working on my moccassins again. There are wonderful furs here in town as well as leather sewing supplies and beading supplies. There is also a store across from the hotel that features beautiful work by local seamstresses. I am hoping to have an Amauti made for me before I leave. The Amauti is a jacket that is worn by women in Arviat, it is a local design quite unique to this region. I think the style is quite beautiful and hope to have a simple one made for myself that I can wear in the north or the south.
So, that is all for now. Hopefully I'll have more stories and adventures to regale you with next week!
Cariboo hide being dried outside hunters home
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