Culture... Up Close

 Let me start by saying: today was soo cold!!  I was enjoying the relatively warm weather we’ve been having, but today was definitely a sharp reminder that it is still winter up here!  It was a chilly walk to and from school today.  However, I did manage to catch a few new sights along the way.  There were two different places where men were outside working on carvings.  It was neat to see them at work… I snapped a few pictures, but only from far away because I didn’t want to interrupt. 

Today was a really enjoyable one at school!  I taught a math lesson this morning and it went pretty well (total opposite to my health lesson yesterday that absolutely bombed!  Haha, ohh well, it was a learning experience).  The students have started asking questions about when I have to leave and if I’ll be back.  They are so cute… it’s going to be very hard to say goodbye!  Some of the staff members have been asking similar questions.  There is certainly opportunity for employment up here next year; it has definitely given me lots to think about!

This afternoon was lots of fun at school as well!  I spent the last two periods of the day visiting in the grade 3/4 class. It was great timing, because it allowed me to observe their Inuktitut class.  This is a class the students have everyday, taught by the elders in the community.  They teach the kids how to read and write in their own language.  They also spent some time today singing songs.  The kids seem to really enjoy this time, and I was happy to be a part of it!  It was so interesting to see how, through their culture, so much can be communicated without words.  As I've seen in my class, and others, students can answer "yes" or "no" without ever opening their mouths.  For example, in the morning when serving breakfast, I'll ask the kids if they want some.  They will either raise their eyebrows ("yes") or scrunch up their nose ("no").  These movements are very small and could easily be missed if you didn't know what to look for.  I think its really neat though, because everyone from the really young to the elders uses this form of communication.