Inuit Idol

Two days to go.

Despite the prolonged build up to my departure, and the fact that I'm writing this surrounded by boxes in various states of 'packed-ness', I still don't think it's really sunk in that in two days I'll be on a plane out of here for the very last time. At this stage of proceedings there are so many loose ends to tie up and last minute jobs to be done that there isn't really any time to think much further ahead than today.

James' party on Saturday was fun, and I've been invited next door for supper on Tuesday, so my adventure in Kangiqsujuaq will be ending just as it began. James and Sophie fed me on my very first day here back in August, and I shall miss their kindness and friendship when I leave. I'm also eating out tonight, as Roland is putting on a supper at the residence for the departing students, and it was earlier today that I gave my students their TOEFL results, the results that dictate whether or not they get to go to college.

I always feel like Simon Cowell at this stage of the year, the whole process reminding me of the conclusion to Hollywood Week on American Idol when the contestants are told whether they've made it onto the show or not. The students sit in our classroom and then, one by one, I call them into the room next door (which is fortunately vacant a lot of the time and was again today) to give them their results. Like Simon, I'm not one to sugar coat the truth if it's bad, and whilst I don't gain any personal pleasure out of doing it this way I don't think I'd being doing the students any favours if I did it any differently. If they get praise from Simon then they deserve it, and it's the same in my class.

As it was, my students did pretty well this year so there wasn't much disappointment floating around, but it's only now that their journey really begins. When they head south to college they'll no longer be the big fishes in a small pool, and like the contestants on Idol they're going to have to work hard to stay the course. Whether they manage to stick it out remains to be seen, but at least their fate is in their own hands, with no phone votes and no Ryan Seacrest to deal with.

Dim the lights...

They think it's all over...

My students sat their TOEFL yesterday, which ostensibly means that my work with them is now done. In reality though the course runs until May 7th, so the period between now and then becomes an exercise in creative thinking in order to keep them in school. This is not too difficult a task though; Roland is organising a trip to the Pingualit Crater at the weekend, and the end of next week marks the start of the Easter break, so in effect I only really have three weeks of class to organise.

I would love to be going on the excursion to the crater but, unfortunately, duty requires me to stay behind. A few of the students aren't going on the trip and will remain at the residence as they are flying home this weekend as opposed to next, and with Roland gone the building would otherwise be unstaffed (is that a word?), so yours truly will be holding the fort much like the character in a disaster movie who sacrifices himself in some heroic manner so that the main cast can escape to safety.

Speaking of disaster movies, we watched 2012 in class today as a post-TOEFL treat and, in the words of Ron Livingston in Office Space, it was everything that I thought it could be. Those of you reading this who know me well will understand that director Roland Emmerich made this film specifically for me, and he certainly didn't disappoint. I was already exhausted after the first hour, and as the film reached its climax I actually felt relieved that I didn't see it at the cinema as I honestly don't think my body would have stood up to the audio-visual pummelling afforded by a big screen, and would have simply liquified before the end credits began to roll.

As it was I came out alive (unlike most of the cast), and I was able to console those students who fear they may not have passed the TOEFL with the fact that it doesn't really matter as we only have a couple of years to live anyway, unless of course we manage to befriend John Cusack in that time.

Aren't I an inspiration?

It's all happening!

Sorry for the lack of updates over the last week - pure laziness on my behalf, I'm afraid. Just as in Dog River, there's not been a lot going on of late, although that is all about to change, as I will explain shortly. Just to fill you in though, we sort of got the blizzard that I was writing about in the last post - we had the morning off, so I guess it was a 'half blizzard day' (or a 'bliz day', or a 'zard day', depending on your preference) - and, much to my surprise, my keys were found! The locks on my apartment building have now all been changed (they were going to be changed anyway - it's not my fault, officer!) so it's a bit of a moot point, but it's nice to have them back.

Now, as I was saying before I rudely interrupted myself, it's going to be a busy week in town. Firstly, my students sat their TOEFL exam today, which was a surprise to both them and myself as Gail, who comes up from Montreal to administer the test, wasn't meant to be coming until next week, or so we thought. Anyway, at least the exam is over and done with now, and the fact that Gail is staying with me tonight has made me do all the cleaning that I've been putting off for weeks. Oh, and whilst I was cleaning, I discovered that my apartment is so small that I can vacuum the entire place without having to unplug the vacuum cleaner (or hoover, to you Brits) even once. Remarkable.

Gail is having to stay with me tonight as the hotel in town is full (yes, we have a hotel here, and it'll only cost you $250 a night to stay there if you come and visit), and this fact brings me on to the second and third things that are happening in town this week. Firstly - or should that really be 'secondly' as we already had a 'firstly' in the previous paragraph - the Makivik Corporation has its annual general meeting in town this week, so there are many dignitaries and other persons of import in town at the moment. Makivik basically runs everything in the North, so to have its AGM here is quite prestigious for the town.

Finally, and probably most interestingly (is that a word?), tomorrow marks the start of the Ivakkak dog sled race, which this year leaves from Inukjuak. The Ivakkak is an annual (although there wasn't one in 2008) race for Inuit dogsledders, which follows a varying but always challenging route across Nunavik. There are thirteen teams entered this year, including two from Inukjuak, and the race can take anything from two to three weeks to complete, depending on the weather; you will be able to follow their progress on the Ivakkak website. We shall be going to see the teams off tomorrow morning, and I'll try to post some photos in the next day or two.

OK, that's all from me for today; I need to finish my house cleaning!