Time to leave Iqaluit

08.09.2009

Today was the day to leave Iqaluit. I can't say I was happy, but I can't say I was sad either. I explored a very obscure part of Canada that not many people get to see. I consider myself among the very lucky and feel very privileged to have been able to do so.

While it's exciting to find a place that's so far away from what anybody would call a vacation destination, it also gets boring pretty quickly. That was part of the draw for me, and I'm glad that I experienced it. I have a newfound appreciation for anyone living in "fly-in" communities. It was my first time to go to one, and I'm not sure when I will ever get the chance to do that again.

Before getting on the airplane home, I decided that it is quite important to get a picture of me by the "Welcome to Iqaluit" sign. I had tried to get one on the day that I went to Sylvia Grinnell, but it was too windy and my camera kept blowing over, ha!

Today the wind was nice and calm and so I did that, then checked my bags in at the airport a few hours early, (once again, I saw Hey Rosetta at the airport, what a small town this is!) so that I could find more of Brian's sled dogs and walk back downtown to give Heather her key at work. I couldn't tell which dogs were Brian's, so I tried to take a picture of them all. They were very loud and barking at me nonstop, so I stayed far enough away so that I felt safe.

I said goodbye to Heather at the Government of Canada building and offered her my couch anytime she had a layover in Ottawa. I live near the airport, so it would work out perfectly if indeed she did need to stay for a night sometime in the future.

Still, I was early for my flight. I sat down and found a book, the Tao of Physics, in a big "take a book leave a book" pile at the airport. I thought Mr. David would appreciate that souvenir of the north, so I kept it. Across the aisle, I notice a young lady reading an Irvine Welsh book, boy aren't people cultured up here or what? I start talking to her about her job at summer camp and how excited we are to be warm again in Ottawa. Her name is Robin and she is going home to Kingston after a summer full of playing with kids.

The wine on the plane home is inexplicably free (for a 2.5 hour flight!? This my friends, is not Air Canada) So I get to drink a bunch of that and chew on some bison goulash on the way home. I sleep for a bit and David meets me at the airport with news that he finally got that government grant for school. Yay. (He likes the book, but already has a newer copy of it at home, go figure)

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