Gallant's Lounge

Well, well, well, I have returned to Nunavik yet again for another adventure.

And I will be bringing you all with me through this blog just like last year. But this time, it’s going to be better than ever. Videos, audio, pictures and words all combined under one roof!

In terms of details about what to expect this year. I am supposed to be visiting around five villages this summer. Not certain which ones yet, but there might be a return to Kuujjuaraapik and a possible visit to the northernmost villages like Salluit and Ivujivik. Might need to bring a winter coat there, oh boy.

I will also be conducting quite a few profile interviews for a potential podcast project. Some segments will be featured on this blog with a nice little description of the person being profiled.

In terms of videos, I will try to get one per week. It won’t be much more than a minute long, because my upload speed is headache-inducingly bad.

Now, in terms of schedule, I will try my best to do a post every week, uploaded Sunday night. My current job is less frantic and non-stop than last year, meaning that I should have plenty of time to get this blog done.

Now, enough jibber-jabber, let’s get into it.

Arrival

The first week is always about adapting to the environment. There is such a drastic difference between Montreal and here that you just need to catch your bearings and remember the do’s and dont’s. But, after the first week, in my case, I already feel back into the northern flow.

This time, I am not hotel-hopping or living in work camps, I actually have an apartment. I live in a place called Kuujjuaq Apartments Inn, or as the locals call it, McDonalds. Why McDonalds? I guess it’s the color pallet…

I live in the Kativik Municipal Housing Bureau (KMHB) transit home, my new employer for the summer. This week, we started my introduction process and discussed the projects to come. Nothing exciting. But on Thursday, something interesting happened though. A black bear decided to roam around town.

It passed right behind the office, which is pretty much in the heart of the city. My coworkers flocked to the window to take pictures, and so did I.

So, since the bear was so deep in the town, and it even passed by a few children, it was unfortunately in great danger. When we saw the bear, it went up the hill whilst being chased by a cop truck. (cops are rolling in trucks here by the way) I have been informed that the bear was killed, which is the usual procedure when this kind of animal goes inside the city. Like I said to many people, nature still has teeth out here, and the community takes great precautions in keeping the people safe from mother nature’s attacks.

The River Ice Broke

When I got to Kuujjuaq on May 30th, the ice covering the river broke just days prior. This event means that in a single day, most of the ice that covered the river collapses and was swept away towards the bay. But, some remains, broken apart and left stranded on shores.

These large pieces of ice are melting at a rapid rate, and when you go near them you can hear the distinct sound of water droplets constantly dropping. As shown in the video below.

The dog knew something I didn’t. He even tried to warn me. When I was going a bit too far onto the ice, he would bark at me, not in an hostile way, but in a “what are you doing” way. I found it annoying until I almost fell in the water a few minutes later. Foolishly, I had gone a bit too far and was not aware that I was standing on an ice sheet that was on the verge of collapsing. It moved from under my feet and I had just enough time to jump closer to the shore.

That dog knew better, that’s for sure.

Anyhow, I have a bunch more pictures of ice, here they are for extra visuals.

An interesting idea : The Question Segment

To add some more possibilities for content, I will call upon the readers to give me some questions they want to be answered. Here is me explaining the idea so that you might have a better understanding.

So, if you have any questions that you want me to answer concerning Nunavik and its 14 communities, go ahead. Reach out to me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Email, anywhere really, and I will take it into account. You can even leave a reply on the post at the bottom of the page.

Then, throughout the week, I’ll do some research, ask people from around here, and I will come up with an explanation. I will then have a sit down outside, and explain away.

The links to my socials are up at the top right corner of the page, you can drop me a message there and I will answer as quickly as I possibly can considering the internet speed.

That is all for now. It was a pretty slow week with me just trying to settle in as much as I can. I will be back next week though with more content as per usual.

Hope you all have an amazing day!

See ya!