brace yourself...

...this may be a long and interesting one. So I'm here, I'm in my new home for the next four months. Well, actually right now I'm at the library...has a fairly good book selection, but is jammed with kids right now, i guess they all come here after school. My first impression of Inuvik was made on me by the trees: the scrawny scraggly trees. They are totally funny looking, short and weighed down with snow. Michelle, who I thought was going to be my supervisor, picked me up from the airport yesterday. She will no longer be my supervisor because she is leaving for a new job with the MNR in Ontario, this week is her last one here. I'm sad about this, mostly because it reminds me an awful lot of the way my other coop term started out. I have yet to meet my new supervisor, she will be back from holidays tomorrow. Anyway so after Michelle picked me up, she took me on a little driving tour, and then on to one of the three grocery stores to pick up a few things. They had no milk. The cheese was $13. Although the prices were as expensive as I expected, the selection amazed me. they have alot more then i thought they would. So, i got a few groceries, and Michelle dropped me off at my new apartment. It's super, has all the furnishings and such. I cleaned it up a bit, unpacked my stuff, and settled in a bit. Last night was the sunrise festival, Michelle offered to pick me up for the fireworks display so i took her up on it, and got my first taste of the arctic cold and culture. We stood outside for the display, it lasted almost a half hour, and even though i was wearing my new gear, i got cold! Oh yeah, my new gear...Canada goose parka $550, Snow pants $200, boots $100, muskrat fur hat $75, Canada goose mitts $80 (they left all the price tags on!). Thanks for the new gear all you tax paying readers! ha. no but seriously, its necessary up here. I went out at lunch to take some photos around the office, and was really cold after those 5 min. It's about negative 25 today without the windchill. But I absolutely love the way the snow crunches under your boots. Today was the first day of sunrise, not that i actually saw the sun, mostly because it was overcast, and too low on the horizon. Though between the hours of 1130am and 430pm, the sky is not black: rather, it is similar to the southern Ontario sky at 430 in the winter i suppose. you know, dim, blue, not black. Oh yeah, a little about work: everyone is kind, the office is small, i think i will get to do some neat shit. I better finish up, this feels a little distracted and rushed, but it is because the library is closing, and there are loud children all around me! I am looking into getting Internet in my apartment today, so maybe I will be more comfortable soon. I'll close with one last comment. My hopes have turned into knowledge: I know I will have a good coop term in Inuvik NWT.