still haven't seen the sun

04-sep-2006; 12:05pm

Good morning.

Well, technically, it has just turned into afternoon as I write this. I just looked out the window and found a beautiful rainbow staring at me. I took a picture, check it out. The view from my living room:



Hmm.. So what to do today. I slept in. It was "heavenly." I love it. ;) I had some brekkie. Oh, here is something very funny in a "I must be in the north" kind of way. We have no fridge. Also, we discovered they lied about the house. Of course. They said all the bedrooms were the same. They aren't. There are two smaller rooms with SINGLE beds, plus one master bedroom with a view of the fjord and a double bed. I only have double sheets and bedding, ditto for Wingman. But somehow, because apparently I am a people-pleaser, I have taken the single bed for now. We will try to get me a double, and if not, we will work something out, perhaps trading months on or off. My bed looks ridiculous right now ñ my duvet is queen size, so it is literally touching the floor on both sides of my bed.

Our perishables are in a big wooden box on the back porch. I will hopefully be turning that box into a doghouse for the dogs as soon as we get a fridge. Itís been raining pretty much since we arrived, so I havenít seen the tops of the taller mountains yet, and Iíve been having to put the dogs in and out every now and then. The problem with the dogs is this: the dog that my roommate has was attacked by some bigger dogs some time in the past, and she gets freaked out every time one of my comes near her. They arenít being aggressive, my girls are being very well-behaved, save yesterdayís escape. But this other gal, she barks and lunges at my two. She got a few tufts of loose fur out of Fiona yesterday. So weíre doing the intro sort of gradually.

Another interesting north thing is that my roommate and I seem to be teaching the same thing. Apparently we have been lied to about that as well. Some teachers we met yesterday seem to think that ìeverything will changeî tomorrow when we go into the school. The principal didnít even come to meet us at the airport yesterday. Little bit rude! I donít even know what time we are supposed to be at school tomorrow. And apparently, when he promised us each our own apartments, he knew that there would be a housing shortage this year. Wingman thinks thatís why he didnít come to the airport ñ he knows weíre not pleased with the situation or with the lies heís told us. I have to say, I am less impressed than I was during the interview when I was promised the moon. They ask us to be honest so that they can find the best teachers for their children, but then they are dishonest and distrustful with us.

Another interesting tidbit: Iqaluit has cell phone service! Who knew! I called my mom from the Iqaluit airport just to tell her I could use my cell phone from there. I think she was appropriately impressed. I feel badly, but I havenít called her yet to tell her Iím here and safe. But I donít know anyone, and none of the teachers who we met at the airport gave us their addresses or asked where we lived, so there is no phone I can use. So hopefully she has realized that I am safely arrived and isnít at home worrying. She can always call the airline to check if my flight landed.