My friend Alison's birthday cake, she joined as an extra driver/chaperone on the trip. Happy Birthday in Inuktitut syllabics at Dairy Queen.

Any questions on what I miss about BC?

Ah yes, the Mountain High Mud Pie from Red Robin's, Classic!

Enjoying Tim Horton's at the Edmonton Airport on the last day.

All suited up and ready to go whale watching in a zodiac at Tofino, BC

A Grey Whale's tail

Fun times playing at Long Beach, BC

So Tired, sleeping on the Zodiac

Testing out the Pacific Ocean at Long Beach, BC

Hiking on the way to the caves

Canoeing for the first time

I think I tuckered them out!

Tiger Woods or Happy Gilmore? Adventures in mini-golfing in Parksville, BC

Underground in the caves at Horne Lake Provincial Park

Climbing Trees a new experience

Camping in a Teepee overnight at Horne Lake Provincial Park

On tour at the Catalyst Pulp and Paper Mill in Crofton, BC

Horseback Riding through the rain forest in Cobble Hill, BC

Sea Cucumber Hot Dog? Exploring the touch tanks at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Nanaimo, BC

The 8 Students on the trip near Mill Bay, BC

Rock Climbing in Victoria

Outside the Yellowknife Airport

Inner Harbour in Victoria

Ah Yes, life couldn't be complete without a trip to 7-Eleven and the discovery of gigantic slurpees.

Sipping tea in a tent, while spending a day out on the land with the students.

One of our students dressed up as part of a science experiment on the warmth of traditional caribou clothing compared with synthetics.

A 2 day old baby coming home on the airplane from Yellowknife to Gjoa Haven. The students and other chaperone joked that I should adopt it.

Adventures in Nunavut XII

Here comes the end of May, and the countdown is under two weeks for returning to BC for the summer. I actually only have 5 more days with my students, before finishing out a few administrative days. It has warmed considerably, most days now range between –10 and +5, and I can finally see some earthy gravel/tundra in parts as the snow has begun to melt, though all the lakes are still well frozen over. Crazy, but it is exciting to see another color on the ground with about 8-9 months of snow on the ground. The sun doesn’t rise or set as it is up 24 hours a day, it definitely takes some getting used to. Everyone is pretty tired, and everyone just seems to be putting in time until the end of the school year. I’m busy wrapping up report cards and all the administrative stuff that goes with the end of a school year up here. We are getting outside lots to play games and have day camps with the students out on the lakes. If you can believe it, I managed to get sunburned with a parka and a toque on this past week while we were out on a lake. Myself included, we have some of the funniest tan lines I have ever seen in my life, far beyond the realms of farmer tans, with always wearing sunglasses to dampen the glare of the sun on the glistening snow. Otherwise there really isn’t a whole lot happening here, I can’t wait to return to BC for the summer, and I just got my class list for next school year, so I have an idea of who I’m getting and what I’ll be in for next year.

The real adventure this month was my trip to BC with 8 students and a chaperone from May 7th-18th. We toured around Vancouver and Vancouver Island. I had some pretty tired and fairly homesick students by the end of it. It was an interesting experience watching them interact with so many new people, things and experiences. Highlights of the trip included horseback riding, caving, rock climbing, whale watching in a zodiac on the west coast, swimming, time at the beach, shopping, West Edmonton Mall, the Vancouver Aquarium and Science Centre, getting to touch and play with some ocean creatures, walking in big trees, and lots of funny moments. I could tell a lot of stories from sleep walkers to restaurant experiences to sleepy students. The stressful moments included a temporarily lost student in West Ed., and a rental transportation nightmare that ended up working out well with a friend from camp named Alison who came and bailed me out by driving a second vehicle with us for the trip. We had amazing weather for the trip, only a bit of rain on one day in BC, but nothing serious. I think it got up to +28 one day in Vancouver, which was definitely a little too much for my northern acclimated Inuit students, especially since it only gets about as hot as +10-15 at the warmest time in August up here. A worthwhile and draining experience! A special thanks to the friends who helped and dropped by to say hello, the kids enjoyed meeting you.

I’ll be back down “South” on June 9th and making my way towards Kelowna for a week or so, before going to the island to visit my dad and friends for a couple weeks. I hope to spend 3-4 weeks at Eagle Bay Camp in July, before getting myself back together in Kelowna for a week in August to make ready for my return to Nunavut. I look forward to hearing from many of you, and seeing a number of you over the summer.

Hooray for the playoffs! Go Oilers! Go Suns!

Nick.

~The glory of God is man fully alive~ Saint Irenaeus