The light here in Qik

If you were to ask Rachael, my roommate from Thailand, who spent a great deal of time as a lighting technition for the National Ballet of Canada she would say "Great lighting is EVERYTHING!" Without a doubt in my mind the combination of the crisp cold, the strong sunlight, and the reflective purposes of the snow makes for great lighting here in Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut.

It is surreal almost. The sunlight is so pure and so strong that everything in the horizon is washed in a halo of golden white light. There is rarely a cloud in the sky to skew the directness of the sunlight. Nor is there the pollution clogging the sky that is so prevailent in the South. There is no dirt or flith in the air to mar the pure white snow. When walking down the snowy road towards the school here in Qik I am enveloped daily in this amazing, addictive, comforting light. I think that people survive the darkness of the winter by sustaining the hope for the light that the spring months bring. The contrast of the light and shadows of the surrounding mountains is heart breaking. The colours and shades of which no camera can truly capture.

It's funny, you know, watching the differences between local Inuit and Kablunaa (sounds like Ka-loo-nac --white people or eyebrow stomachs) and the way that they walk in town. I walk with wonder looking into the sky at the sun and surrounding mountains. I often stumble because I am not watching the road. My face is almost completely covered because my skin is not northern skin accustomed to the old. Whereas, the Inuit walk with their attention on the people walking nearby or on the path infront of them... completely unaware of the beauty that surrounds them - perhaps desensitized by it. They wear Pangritung hats that just cover their ears leaving their necks and faces bare. The Inuit have amazing patterns for parkas and kamiks made in the traditional way. They manage to look warm and slim while we Kablunaas look marshmallowy and clumsy.

Currently we get about 8 and a half hours of sunlight with the sun coming over the mountains around 730am and setting around 445pm. The beauty of the arctic circle is that we gain 8 minutes of sunlight a day until June 21st and the 24 hour sun. I have been told that the sun becomes maddening and disorienting. I have seen studies that put people in constant daylight and document their shift from a 24 hour schedule to a 36 hour schedule so this disorientation is not a new perception of light to me. I don't know how I will react to the increased light though. I was trying to remember how my body feels in the summer time. I am more energised, happier, and I sleep more soundly. I have heard stories about hearing the kids here in Qik playing street hockey at 4am. This is also not a surprise since the kids were out lastnight at 1am when I was walking back from a gathering at one of the other teacher's houses. No wonder they come to my class exhausted.