Back "Home" Part 1: Leaving

Well, I have arrived at my new southern home for the time being.

On the 17th, Anthony came up to Iqaluit and we spent the 5 days of his trip packing stuff up and hanging out with my friends. It was SO great to have his help, I don't think I could have done it without him. Anthony has all of the culinary skills between us and he's very creative, so he managed to create us meals with the leftover stuff in my freezer. We ate quite well for the 5 days. I had a ton of frozen smoked trout so we were eating that everyday. After a particularly long day of packing, some friends came over for board games and I wolfed down several packages of smoked trout.

I had already done quite a bit of packing and throwing things out before Anthony arrived so the only things left to do were the end-of-the-line stuff. It was hectic trying to remember to do everything and clean everything.

I had no idea, but Canada Post has a weight restriction of 30kg for anything you send through the mail. Anthony and I hauled down several Rubbermaid totes to the post office, only to find out from Jordan that they were too heavy. I felt terrible for Anthony because he had done all of the heavy lifting and we had to bring them back to the apartment and back up the stairs. Once we redistributed some weight and got them under 30kg (most were 23-25kg), they were much easier to handle.

Anyway, on Wednesday we woke up early and finished everything up. I had my official apartment "march out," I dropped my vehicle off to its new owner, we mailed all of the totes, and checked into the airport. By dumb luck, Anthony and I were both on first class on Air Canada. I had booked his ticket through Aeroplan and first class was the only thing available (for a cost of 25 000 points) and I had gotten first class because it was strangely cheaper than Tango on the website when I booked it. It turned out to be a great happy accident because we were allowed 3 checked bags each, and I had my cat with us in the cabin but there was still lots of leg room. I'd never flown first class and I'm glad I did, it was a nice treat for my last arctic flight. As the plane took off, I was a little upset I'd never see Iqaluit again, but the free wine helped soften the blow, haha.

We picked up Anthony's car at the Ottawa airport and drove to Oshawa to spend the night. Since we had the cat, we didn't want to drive the entire distance in one day. On the drive, we stopped at some Smart Centre to eat and change. I took some clean clothes into a WalMart bathroom and changed into them. It felt SO good to put on clean, non-sweaty clothes, you have no idea. In Oshawa I took a shower and put on pajamas and again, it felt great to be clean. I crawled into bed and basically passed out.

The next morning we leisurely awoke and left. We got McDonalds breakfast -- Anthony's treat -- because he knows how much I love it. A bacon and egg McMuffin never tasted so good.

We made it back to Sarnia around one and Leah was eager to get out of her cat carrier.

All in all, a relatively smooth and painless move, though it was long and tiring. I started preparing in early June so I am glad it's finally over. Check out the next entry for my thoughts about being back south, I didn't want to create one giant entry.

Good Mail Day

There's nothing I love more than a good mail day. Today was the ideal mail day. I got 3 items, none of which were bills or junk.

1. I got the handbag I ordered from eBay. This was a little splurge as I'd been wanting the bag for so long. I sold so much of my stuff in such a short time, I decided to buy myself a present. I can't wait to start using it. I was surprised how quickly it arrived! From Florida to Iqaluit in 9 days (it arrived on the 30th). I think it's a record. And surprisingly enough, the USPS tracking information continued to update even while it was in transit in Canada. It's so nice when things actually work the way they're supposed to. Things like quick shipping, accurate information from southern companies...they're luxuries up here.

2. I received a postcard from a cohort on a web forum I frequent. It also came from the USA, though it did take quite a bit longer. It came from New York state, so it doesn't make sense why it took longer than a package mailed 2 weeks later.

3. The last item, also from the USA, was from my boyfriend's mom. She sent me a really nice card and it made my day. Something as inexpensive and easy to do as mailing a card to somebody really makes a big difference. I'm going to try and remember that so I can repeat the gesture.

In other news, I have almost everything packed. The only stuff left is the stuff I'm still using. When Anthony comes up next weekend, we're going to finish it off and then I'll finally be able to relax! I want nothing more than to soak in my last few days here, go for some nice walks, eat some nice meals, and go for a couple drives. Besides the stress of giving away my cats, the move thus far has been seamless and easy. Even giving away the cats happened quickly, it was much quicker and easier to find a home than I originally anticipated. I can't remember if I mentioned in my previous entry, but there was about double the interest in the cats than my Suzuki or TV...combined! That was a big surprise. Had I known it would be easy to find somebody, I would not have been so stressed out about it all year.

I'm also happy because I have and will be donating a lot of stuff to charity. 3 boxes of stuff plus 3 garbage bags of clothing. On the weekend, I filled an entire Rubbermaid tote (the largest size) with clothes. I walked away for a moment and then had a breakthrough thought. I asked myself how I would feel if I was without most of those clothes. I realized I didn't care about most of them, and so with that I filled an entire garbage bag (about half the tote) to go to charity. Now I am bringing half a tote and a suitcase of clothes. Pretty good for a 24 year old clothes-buying addict, I have to say. I'm pretty proud of myself for that. Before last year, I was constantly buying clothes and other stuff online. I rarely buy clothes online anymore (I can count twice in the past year) and I only make the odd online purchase here and there anymore. A pretty big improvement from the once and twice a week online buying habit I had before!

Anyway, enough about materialism. My latest obsession is planning to buy a car when I move to Sarnia. Originally I wanted to buy something brand new but after giving it a lot of thought, I've decided to go with a nicer used vehicle. I've been looking online, but it only serves to make me feel impatient that I can't buy something RIGHT NOW. I know, car buying cannot and should not be an instant gratification thing, but I'm a generation NOW person and delaying the pleasure of buying a car is excruciating. Okay, that was a little melodramatic, but I am excited about owning a car that isn't so much of a soccer mom-mobile. And about seeing my friends and family. And having Timmy's and McDonald's whenever I want, at any time of the day I want. And mail that only takes a few days to arrive. And stop lights and highways and long Wal-Mart aisles of candy. And considering it was 17C today and I was sweating my butt off...air conditioning!

Am I Really Leaving?

As the move date gets ever closer (17 days from now), many of my conversations with friends and coworkers revolve around my leaving. People keep asking the same questions: am I excited? Am I nervous? Am I sad?

The answer to those questions is...sort of? The reality of it all hasn't really set in yet. Even when I'm selling off my worldly goods, even when I'm packing my parka into a Rubbermaid tote to take a much-needed rest...it just doesn't feel real. I feel like I'm packing for a long vacation. But even then, the distracting excitement isn't there. Oh sure, I am excited, but once I'm back in Ontario, my journey is far from over. I have to find another job, I have to buy another car, I have to stuff to do related to my visa. I'm only in the midst of the hard work required to make it to the end of 2010. It's been a long year already but it's far from over.

To be honest, I don't really remember how I felt before I left Ontario. I think I was pretty aware of the fact I was leaving, though. At the time I was excited to quit my much-hated job and experience a different way of life. I know that once I was in Rankin Inlet, I never really felt like I was in Nunavut. I'd stare at a dot on a map telling myself over and over, "You live there. That's where you are now," but it didn't made sense. It took about a year for it to really, really sink in.

Now, as I prepare to leave, it just seems too weird for words. It's happened so quickly. It seems like just yesterday it was January and Anthony and I were discussing when I should move. July seemed excruciatingly far away. I had a hard time just making it to the end of March, when Anthony came up for a visit. Those 3 months dragged so slowly, I thought March 27th would never arrive. Somehow in my agony of waiting for March 27, it became July.

I realized that once I've left, it's just going to feel like I'm on vacation. I will wonder what's going up here and try to stay on top of local news and gossip because I'll feel like I'll be back soon. I don't know how long it's going to be like that for, I'm guessing a few months. I am a bit scared of the adjustment period and I'm scared I won't like the south anymore. I'm scared things will be so busy and so hectic that I'll long for the days of gazing out my window and seeing 1 car drive by in the span of 15 minutes. However, there are so many things I'm looking forward to doing, seeing, and eating that it masks any kind of worry I have about the adjustment factor.

I've been a proud northerner for 4 years and yes, I am sad about not being a northerner in a technical sense anymore. However, I believe I will always be a northerner in spirit. You become a northerner and then it becomes you. I've embraced this place and I've loved it and taken in as much as I could and I know somewhere in me, Nunavut will never leave. The lessons learned here cannot be unlearned, the people cannot be un-met, and the memories will certainly linger long past the day I'm still appreciative of 24-hour convenience stores.

T-Minus 32 Days Until the Big Move

Thanks so much for all the nice comments you guys have been leaving lately. They've been really nice to read.

For those wondering, I am going to keep writing post-Nunavut. Once I'm in Ontario, I'm going to start a new blog to chronicle my life as a born-again southerner.

There's been lots of movement since I posted my to-do list. On Tuesday I went around town and posted some signs. I noticed they've already been removed from a few places. That's testament to the fact SO MANY signs get put up on a regular basis. It actually bugs me because if the car and TV don't get sold soon, I have to go put and signs back up.

Since I posted, my cats have found a new home. Their new owner is coming to pick them up tomorrow. I'm going to miss them a lot, they've been such good company. I will never give away a pet ever again, once in a lifetime is more than enough.

There's been some interest in my TV and my Suzuki also. Once those things are sold, I won't have anything left to sell! I sold and gave away the last little bit today. I had a box left plus 2 bags of clothes so I brought them down to the thrift shop. The Anglican church has a thrift shop down in Green Row and I was more than happy to donate my stuff.

Starting Monday, I am going to start mailing 1 or 2 totes back to Sarnia each week. With all the money I'm giving Canada Post in the next little while, I hope they use it to hire more workers at the post office here. Our mail is unthinkably slow right now. On Monday, I received an Entertainment Weekly from MAY 14! It was a whole month late! I've seen on Facebook other Iqaluimmiut talking about how slow it is, so I know it's not just a fluke. Everything I've been receiving lately is 2 weeks to a month late. I'm expecting a postcard from NY state and I am expecting it to show up mid-July. Anthony was in Germany in April and he sent me a postcard from Cologne. It took about a month to get here. I'm not going to miss the constant frustration here that is mail.

On the agenda for this weekend (as far as moving is concerned) is pack up a tote or two, get rid of some of the cat litter I bought on sealift, and drill holes into my Rubbermaid totes. Normally I just use tape to keep the lid on my totes but since these totes are not going to be opened again until early 2011 likely, I decided to do it the right away and do the cable tie thing. The best way to keep the lid on is to put the lid on, drill holes along the edge of the lid that go through the lid and the tote, then use a cable tie to hold them together. Not even the war field that is Canada Post can pull the lids off then! (Knock on wood!)

This will be my inspiration when packing my stuff:

Current view out of my apartment:

(Coincidentally, this photo is exactly 1 year old. I took it June 19, 2009 at 11:30pm)

New apartment view:

(Okay, well, the view will be from one of those apartment buildings. And it will be facing the water.)

I'm still trying to find a job in Sarnia so I can buy myself a purty new car, so keep your fingers crossed that something comes my way.

Leaving To-Do List

Admittedly, leaving here is a lot easier than arriving! I at least know what to expect of the south. Nevertheless, there's still much to do. I know people appreciate(d) my moving to-do list...so here's my leaving one!

1. Give away Moon Unit and Dweezil. :(
2. Sell the Suzuki.
3. Sell the rest of the stuff in my apartment.
4. Change addresses on:
-Reader's Digest
-Our Canada (hush, I know my taste in magazines is elderly)
-Visa cards x2
-Bank account (change branch if possible)
-Bell Mobility bill
5. Cancel internet (I WON'T miss the Internet here!)
6. Pack stuff
7. Mail stuff down
8. Figure out if a storage unit is necessary
9. Clean up the entire apartment once empty.
10. Find something fun to do for when A visits.
11. Find out where the local thrift shop is and drop off unsold stuff.
12. Get Suzuki professionally cleaned.
13. Replace burnt out light bulbs before leaving.
14. Buy a new vehicle in Ontario.
15. Cancel car insurance.

UPDATED: 2010-06-19

That's about all I can think of. Not so hard! I've already sold the vast majority of stuff I wanted to sell. I'm currently trying to figure out how many totes the rest of my stuff will fit in and decide whether it's necessary to get a storage unit in Sarnia.

As a final note, if a certain person leaves me one more rude comment (I know who you are, I'm not stupid), I will be forced to disable anonymous comments for everybody. A good majority of my comments are from anonymous readers, so if you want to continue to be an idiot, you will wreck it for everybody. Consider yourself warned. I'm sick of your slanderous commentary about my life and I find it in REALLY poor taste that you would choose my blog of all places to blast your garbage. If you don't like me or like what I write, stop reading it.

The 5 "W"s

I've been asked to give some explanation about my choice to move back to Ontario.

It started last fall. I decided to write the entrance test for the RCMP. I already work for the RCMP and after thinking about it since the day I started my job in 2007, I felt ready to try it out. My original plan was to wait to start the process when I felt ready to leave Nunavut. I did not feel 100% ready last fall but knowing it could take up to a year for the process, I went ahead and started.

Soon after, my mind was occupied by the idea of moving. It seemed inevitable after writing the test (I was certain I had passed). Everything just seemed like a forward march back down south starting then.

Shortly after I received the results (I passed), I went on Christmas holidays. It was then I met my boyfriend Anthony, who had found me online through this very blog and with whom I'd struck up an online friendship. I even went and visited him in his town, Ann Arbor. Without going into much detail, everything changed for me. I knew what I needed to do.

I came back home and canceled my RCMP application. It was a difficult thing to do as I'm not a fan of backing out of things, especially since all my coworkers knew I had applied.

Anthony and I were talking every single day (we still do) and things had gotten serious. After talking about our options, I decided that since I was planning to leave Nunavut anyway, I would move back to Sarnia so we could be closer while we continued to date.

So that's the deal. I rarely go into this much detail about my personal and work life, but I know everyone is interested in the details.

Now that I've returned home from my last ever vacation from Nunavut, the idea of leaving is becoming real. I don't know what it's like for other Nunavummiut, but I have lived most of my adult life here. I moved out of the house I grew up in when I was 19 and moved to Rankin Inlet shortly after turning 20. I'm 24 now and so much of my adult life has revolved around living here. There are things about being in the south that confuse me (most infamously, pay-at-the-pump gas stations). The rapid pace at which things change confuses the hell out of me. Self-checkouts were just getting big when I left. Timers on stop lights, iPhones, electronically-paid parking...it's a whole different world I'll need to learn.

As a final thought, the only part I am feeling genuinely sad about is the fact I can't bring 2 of my cats. If you know of anyone who wants 2 smart, friendly cats, let me know. They are spayed/neutered, de-clawed and 2 of the best pets you could ever ask for.

On a different note, I came across this website. It's an online store filled with different "Canadian" food. I thought it might be of interest to Nunavummiut who stock up on certain favourite groceries on vacations. They even sell Laura Secord chocolates!

July 21, 2010

"The time has come," the narwhal said,

"To talk of many things:

Of shoe stores--and sealifts --and TJ Maxx--

Of McDonalds --and Burger Kings--

And why the south is boiling hot--

And whether Canada Post will ship my things."

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am moving back to Ontario on July 21st. I booked my flight today, I am departing in style: in executive class because for some reason, it's cheaper than economy.

I'm excited and scared and all sorts of emotions which I'm sure will become more varied as the date gets closer.

My blog posts will now be focused on the process of leaving.

So far this is what my to-do list looks like:

1. Find homes for my 2 cats. Anyone want them? They're great cats but I just can't take them with me.

2. Pack and mail down all of my stuff (at my own cost unfortunately).

3. Figure out where to send my stuff.

4. Hold a yard sale and sell everything else.

Anyone wanna help???