Adventures in Nunavut Part VI

November 6th,

Hey! Well, here we are into November now, and I must confess that I am in countdown mode until Christmas holidays, only 6 more weeks until I get to see trees and ground that isn’t covered in snow and familiar people again! It has indeed been a busy time with Parent Teacher Conferences, attendance celebrations for school (We recognize students here if their attendance is over 70% for a month, perhaps a glimpse into how challenging it can be develop flow in teaching when students don’t come to class), Halloween, which is a huge celebration here and of course the classroom, basketball, and my move that took place last weekend.

I now live in a house across the street from the school, and I am extremely thankful for that, I now come home at lunch time and its just a lot easier to come and go and to get to the store, etc. without having to walk 10-15 minutes in the cold every time I want to get somewhere. The previous owner left in a bit of a hurry, so he left quite a mess behind, which I have been trying to slowly sort through and get the house cleaned and under control. Kind of frustrating in some ways, but I also acquired a lot of canned and dry foods and I’m getting free rent for November and part of December, so it’s a pretty good deal in the long run considering the cost of things here.

Next weekend, November 11-14th I will be flying to Cambridge Bay with the guys and girls basketball teams from our high school for the regional basketball tournament. It should be an interesting experience, I believe our guys will be quite competitive, but I think our girls are just going for the trip, as they haven’t really had a coach or practice time. It will be nice to go to a different town for a few days and have a change of scenery, not to mention the possibility of having KFC or Pizza Hut. We have no restaurants in town here, except for the Hotel, which is pretty unpredictable as to what they can actually make that is listed on their menu.

School continues to have its challenges, while I am learning and adapting to some things, and my relationships with the girl students seem to be gradually improving, there are still many days, when I question what I’ve gotten myself into. I also continue to have my hands full with the boy that I mentioned before who came and rang my doorbell at 6 am in the morning. I think I am slowly pushing my students towards learning, practicing, and working more in the classroom, it is difficult though when a lot of the time when they were in elementary school, their day’s consisted of watching movies and play games. No wonder I feel like a glorified babysitter some days! For example, on Halloween, I gave them some colouring sheets after a lot of requests from the students, and it was the most quiet and content I have seen them. It seems a little strange and sad, that this would captivate them so much at the age of 12, but I guess it is true that progress with students at school here is measured by a much different standard than one becomes used to back home. And at least I’m not the only teacher here to experience such frustrations.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been reading through The Hobbit, a personal favourite book that I’ve read a number of times. I don’t believe its coincidence, because as I have been reading through it this time, I’ve found myself identifying with the main character Bilbo Baggins at such a deep level. Bilbo enters into his adventure, not really knowing what he is getting himself into. He so often is frustrated, scared, worn out, hungry, and wishes he were at home in his cozy hobbit hole. Yet, he is often called upon by those others who he is on the quest with to do things and to lead in ways that he feels completely inadequate to do so. Yet, somehow, every time something comes up, Bilbo is provided with a way out or with an insight in how to get to the next part of his adventure. As I teach and lead up here in Gjoa Haven, I can’t help but feel the same as Bilbo, and yet, by the hand of God, I continue to be provided with what I need for each day. This adventure is not an easy one, but I am being challenged and I like to think that I am learning and growing in the process.

Thanks to the many of you who continue to write to me and to those of you who read my letters and pray for me. I cannot thank you enough. Some of you have asked about my address, so I will include it below, along with my new phone number. Also, the attached picture is most of the students from my class in our classroom (Yes, this was our yearbook class picture, and yes students almost always wear hats in school here, and for those of you who think my hair is starting to make me look like a bushman, I have now chopped it all off.) Cheers,

Nick

Nick Ferguson
Box 296
Gjoa Haven, NU
X0B 1J0
(867)360-7027