Day 3 - Ottawa to Kuujjuaq and the Ungava Bay

Hello from the Lyubov Orlova, our Students On Ice Polar Ambassador ship!! We are underway across Ungava Bay north of the province of Quebec, headed for our first Arctic destination. The Orlova is our lab, classroom, dining room, social gathering place and home for the next two weeks… but more on that later.

The day started out with an early wake-up call and a trip to the airport to board our charter to the town of Kuujjuaq, Quebec. It was a balmy 10 degrees Celsius and raining when we arrived, but the reception couldn’t have been warmer. We were treated as VIPs by the townspeople, including tours by members of the youth council, a speech from the mayor and a great BBQ lunch.

The tour was a real eye-opener for the non-Inuit students in our group. Conditions here, while far from primitive, were certainly different from what they are used to. One student commented that under any other circumstances they would consider the community to be somewhat dirty, but the warm reception makes everything look “home”-ier.

For many of our Inuit students, this was their hometown and they took the time to show us things. Most alarming to me was the price of gas. While I expected it to be higher, I didn’t expect it to be as high as you see in the picture. I was told that all gas is brought to the community by barge once a year, and the price is set based on that arrival. The last delivery was during the large increases in gas prices, and for the folks of Kuujjuaq, it hasn’t gone down since. Just to give you an idea of other costs – a 4 litre jug of milk is $8, and a return flight to Montreal costs $2400!

By mid-afternoon, we were off to the docks for our zodiac trip out to the ship. For most students, this was their first trip in a zodiac, although many took to it like fish in water. In the second picture you see Susan Nanthasit, Bryan Kimiksana and Allen Jr. Pigalak. (Forgive the bad quality of the photo, it’s not easy taking a picture while in a bouncing zodiac with one hand clenching a rope line.) Susan is my fellow Manitoban on the trip and a talented, well-spoken young woman who plans on proposing a plan for an outdoor classroom at her high school upon completion of the trip.

We arrived on the Orlova minutes later, and before long we were exploring our new home. First task was to get things moving, and to commemorate the occasion, about half the students posed for a photo on the top deck. It’s amazing how quickly these young adults have bonded with one another, and I’ve surprised myself with how quickly I’ve grown attached to them. They are a unique and engaging group of future leaders, scientists and human beings, and I’m privileged to get to work with them.

I read a quote once that said, “I travel a lot. I hate having my life disrupted by routine.” Saturday we are off to Hantzch Island and a zodiac cruise by its famous bird nesting cliffs. Doesn’t sound routine to me…