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Arriving in Nunavut

Date Posted: September 21, 2009

Photographer: Michelle Valberg

They say that birthdays are special.  On September 19, my birthday, I received no greater gift than the sighting of a family of Orca whales – mom, dad and several of their calves - sidling right up to our ship, giving us all a close-up glimpse of their large, sleek black and white bodies. After several long minutes of close-up activity, off they swam to do more underwater dances, this time in the distance. 

And as if that wasn’t enough, the Adventure Canada crew – and Michelle - had a terrific birthday surprise lined up for supper. I was treated to  the ‘Happy Birthday’ song in English, French, Swedish, Greenlandic and German. The highlight of the celebration was yet one more version of Happy Birthday, this time in Inuktitut by Kanaanginnaq, an esteemed artist and elder. A very special honour.


Or next day’s journey was to Pangnirtung or ‘Pang’ as it is commonly called. Sailing into the town which is located on the Cumberland Peninsula, we all stood on the deck, quietly in awe of the backdrop that greeted us. This tiny, artistic community is described as being situated at the foot of one of the most spectaculart backdrops of the Canadian Arctic. And it is! The snow-capped, 850 m Mount Duval looms large behind the small town, putting into perspective how truly small we all are in comparison to nature. 

Outside of the breathtaking magnificence of our environment, the highlight of our visit to Pang was our first delivery of sports equipment to the children of that community. While we were not certain of the number of boxes of equipment that would arrive, it was an astonishing sight to turn a corner and to see an RCMP pickup truck fully packed with our large boxes of equipment. The juxtaposition of feeling as though we were at the end of the world while seeing our boxes from Ottawa make their way to Pang’s community centre, will not be soon forgotten.  With assistance from several very helpful RCMP officers and some recreation staff, we were able to round up many of the community’s children and present   them with 11 boxes stuffed with skates, hockey pads, pants, shin pads and hockey sticks.  The laughter and shrieks  of joy upon  discovering more and more equipment as each box was opened was affirmation enough that we had made the right decision when we chose hockey equipment as the item we would give to the community. Sailing back to our ship, we recalled the experience and determined that we had achieved our goal of putting smiles on the faces of Inuit children. (And that was only community Number 1!!)

 


Before signing off, however, it should be noted we could never have accomplished this project without the kindness and generosity of both Adventure Canada and First Air. You actually need to be here in order to appreciate how difficult – and expensive – it is to bring equipment to tiny and fairly remote communities in the north. We cannot say ‘thank you’ enough. And we are sure the children of Pang can’t either.
Written by Joan Weinman





Comments

There are 6 comments on this blog.

 

"We are reading your updates with great interest!
Thanks for including such wonderful photos.
"

Lisa Smith
September 22, 2009

 

"The sheer joy on the faces of the kids makes all the work worthwhile.
"

David A Smith
September 23, 2009

 

"The beautiful photography and captivating words make me feel like I am there! The children's faces tell the whole story."

Janice Lee Weinman
September 23, 2009

 

"Looks like you gave yourself the best birthday gift ever - you made a whole bunch of kid very happy! Good for you! Great blog!"

Ursula Belanger
September 23, 2009

 

"Such small gestures, such magnificent outcomes. Imagine the belief these kids will have in the wonders of Change and the power of Possibility.

Well done, all!"

Abby Hagyard
September 23, 2009

 

"The adventure continues,great photos of the landscape and the delighted kids. not surprised by your organizational skills. Happy Birthday"

Lyle MacLennan
September 23, 2009

 

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