PSA

I feel like a jerk for having to say this, but I'd only say it if it was becoming a problem, and it is:

Please don't add me on Facebook because you read this blog, unless there is some kind of special circumstance (like I already know who you are or you're one of the Northern bloggers I'm acquainted with). I don't and won't add people just because they are interested in moving here. I apologize for sounding rude, but my Facebook is for people I know.

On a completely unrelated note:

I don't know if you read this but if you are, please know that I think another 10 months to wait is ridiculous. God damn the north...

Comments left on other posts related to either of these topics will be deleted.

On the Move: March 31

For most, moving from one northern community to another isn't nearly as difficult as moving from the south to the north. However, it is not the case for me. I will be moving on my own and as I have never lived on my own before, I have the added task of buying myself everything a person needs to live on their own.

Almost of all my things are on their way (or have arrived) at my new home, but most of my things are extraneous items. On this vacation I have had to buy myself all sorts of things like dishes, cutlery, towels, pillows and anything else I think of while browsing Wal-Mart's aisles for the millionth time.

Don't get me wrong, this task has its own way of being exciting, but I feel it's a never-ending mind game. When will I ever have enough? Do I really need all those tealights? What items should I splurge on?

So, back to the big picture. I am moving across Hudson Bay and right into our quaint capital, Iqaluit. Doors of opportunity opened for me that I couldn't possibly refuse. As I said, I will be going alone and staying alone. I will not answer any questions about that; you can come up with your own conclusion. I do not need apologies or anything of the like.

This is going to be a big year for me and I plan to write all about it.

(posted by Jaime in Ontario)

A Wee Update

A teeny tiny update for all you faithful readers out there...

This will continue being a Nunavut blog. I just need a few more weeks, I promise. I'm coming back sooner than planned.

(posted by Jaime)

Happy 100th

Oddly enough I am using my 100th post to tell you that I'm not dead.

This blog is about to go through a complete overhaul and you'll just have to wait to see it. I don't even know what'll happen yet myself, so trying to figure it out won't lead you to anything. All I can say is that I can guarantee you that when I start writing again, it will not be from Rankin Inlet.

If you've left me a comment and it's gone unanswered, I apologize. I would prefer not to be in the answers business anymore. It was taking up large chunks of my time trying to answering things. There are many bloggers who would be happy to answer your questions.

Thank you to anyone who still checks this regularly. I'll be back, I promise. It'll take me a few months but I will start writing again.

(posted by Jaime)

Hmm

Hmm...something interesting just happened to me.

I was walking over to the Northern (conveniently located just across the street) to pick up some dish detergent because I'd had it with washing dishes using dishwasher detergent (we made a boo boo and bought 5 boxes of the stuff, thinking we'd have a dishwasher).
Now, one point about me is that I walk fast. Especially when I'm alone as I was just now. I have always walked fast and I don't know if even living up here will change that. I also don't slow down when I'm shopping because I hate wasting time in stores. I buy what I want and leave. So I had picked out some Sunlight, grabbed a pop and newspaper, and headed over to the cashier. When I got in line, the lady in front of me turned to me, gave me a funny look, and said, "Are you in a rush?" Inside, I was thinking, "Whuh?" but all I said was "Nope" cheerily. Before the lady left, she gave me another weird look while I stared off into space pleasantly.

I can't say I'm surprised, really.


(posted by Jaime)

Wedding Photos

As requested, here are some of the wedding photos.


Top: The cake, obviously. Bottom: Jeff and me, right after the ceremony.


Top: I sign the forms. Bottom: Jeff signs the forms while I look on.


Top: An obligatory photo of the ceremony. Bottom: Drinking champagne, just before cutting the cake.


Top: Making a goofy face whilst switching to Diet Coke to sober up. Bottom: Take a wild guess!

Hope you like them!

(posted by Jaime)

Post-Nups

Well, our wedding was yesterday. It went very well might I say. It turned out to be a lot less low-key than I expected. Our original plan was have a ceremony at City Hall with just our witnesses as the guests. It turned into a 40-person, backyard wedding. I ended up getting my hair done and we were happily surprised when the next-door neighbours showed up with an organ to play The Wedding March. The neighbours even took our photos in their beautiful yard with their expensive camera.

It turned out to be so much more fun than I expected, too. Definitely one of the best days I've ever had, if not THE best.

Jeff and I have some pretty intense thank-you cards to send out.

On Wednesday the local moving company came to estimate our things. It was a strange experience. The lady got done fairly quickly and I commented that it's kind of sad when all of two people's life's collections can be counted in 15 minutes. I don't really think that as it's quite a step-up from the "olden days" when people were nomads.

As I've mentioned before, our things are being moved this Friday (July 28). It seems so close and also so far away. I can't believe we're moving to Nunavut next week, it's still surreal. It's almost too cool to be true.

I think Jeff and I are pretty much finished buying things to bring up. I don't think it's actually possible to ever be completely finished but what we have will have to do. With everything we've bought/received so far, I'm excited for our shipment to arrive in Nunavut. So many things are brand new, it's going to be like Christmas when it does arrive.

One more thing I wanted to add before I finish this is that if you are not a Blogger member and you comment on our journal, we'd like if you somehow let us know who you are. When you comment, you have to option to select "Other" for identity and then type in your name. You do not need a website for that. It would help us a lot as we've received some advice and we have no idea where it comes from or how to get back to you about it. Thank you!

(posted by Jaime)

Introduction

Hi everybody.
If you are reading this, you are probably here either because you know either Jeff or myself (Jaime) and you want to see what we are up to, or you are thinking about visiting/moving up North and you are disappointed by the information you're finding on the Internet.
Before I go any further, I will give you the story as to why we're here.

After living in London, Ontario for a year, Jeff and I knew we had to get out of Ontario for awhile, if not permanently. Simpler life appealed to us both so it was just a matter of Jeff finding a job in another province. In May he found a job in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. I remember when he found it. I think he asked me, "Hey, wanna move to..uh..Rankin Inlet?" "Where's that?" "Nunavut," "...Uhhhh.."

By June 26 he had the job and we started Googling "Nunavut" and "moving to Nunavut" like crazy but with no results. It was only when we found a list of Nunavut blogs did things start to fall in place a little better.

So what we hope to accomplish with this blog is two-fold: we'd like our friends and family to read about what we're doing on the other side of Canada, and we'd also like to give people a first-hand look at what it's like to go from living in the warmest part of Canada to one of the coldest. We are looking especially to target other people who are or who are thinking about moving to Nunavut. There is a lack of information on the Internet for people in mine and Jeff's position (pre-Nunavut) so we are hoping that by putting our plans and our stories here, it will help others in planning their move to Nunavut.

So, no matter who you are, we hope you will benefit from our blog.

Update: July 16, 2008

This blog is now in phase two of its hopefully long life. I'm the only author now as I have moved onto Iqaluit and Jeff has stayed in Rankin Inlet.

I am no longer a newbie to Nunavut but I don't have the heart to change the name of the blog. Because I'm not a newbie anymore, I don't generally write about newbie experiences, which was the initial point of the blog. If you need information about moving to Nunavut, be sure to read the first 6 months of my writing. After that, it becomes less about first-time experiences and more about how life is going in the north.