Happy 3 Years

(I apologize for the tininess of the photo; it won't seem to upload larger.)

Congratulations to me! Today is my 3 year anniversary of moving to Nunavut. This time 3 years ago, I was probably sitting in the apartment in Rankin Inlet, staring out the window in shock.

I don't know if I ever wrote about this, but for probably the first 2 or 3 hours after landing in Rankin Inlet for the first time, I felt nothing but panic and dread. As much preparation as you do, as many pictures as you see, nothing really compares to the moment you look out your new apartment at a completely strange and different world. I felt like I had just landed on the moon. I'd never been so far away from my family and friends, and knowing it would be months before I'd see them again shook me to the core. I was, as you might say, freaked out. It was August 1st and I'd just come from a 45C humidex in London. It was 4C in Rankin Inlet that evening. I put on a toque and we went out for a walk. I stared at Hudson Bay in fascination. I breathed in the fresh air, looked around, and officially decided I liked the place. From then on, I've loved Nunavut and have never looked back.

This place has been good to me. I consider myself to be a very lucky person in that I have everything I want and more. I have Nunavut to thank for that. It's difficult to imagine what my life would have been like had I never moved north. I'm not sure I could even fathom a guess at what I'd be doing right now in Ontario if I never left. I've changed so much from the days of riding the Cherryhill bus in London everyday; from the days of freaking out about spending $90 at the grocery store; from weaving through crowds at Masonville mall.

Anyway. Thanks for 3 great years Nunavut, and I'm sure there will be at least 3 more great ones ahead.

Oh! And to everybody who mocked me when I said I was moving north, especially to the person who told me I'd never last and all the people who said I'd hate it: You were dead wrong, losers.