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| Loading gravel |
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| sunny but cool |
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| Preparing for the housing unit |
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/cambridge-bay-dead-snow-geese-1.4258264
There was some construction on the go with gravel being put down for new housing which is heading our way on the barge. The local info says this week so it must be in the area. There is a Canada 150 expedition through the NW passage this past week and the Crystal Serenity visited Uluhaktuk again yesterday. But I digress. The fuel truck was out and about, sewage truck made its round, we heard a helicopter and what was likely a freight plane this morning. On Thursday evening, during fog so thick that you couldn't even see 50 ft., as if a huge cloud wrapped around us, the sound of a plane approaching, circling and trying twice to land, caused me to wait by the window staring into the grey up the hill towards the airport. It headed off and I took a breath. When there are just two nurses and some folks with first aid locally, it gives new meaning to the title emergency response plan....just sayin.
We have had the usual sedate pace at work this week with just four or five visits per day but some of them have been lulus. No, not serious, just real winners. Chest pain twice "I'm worried I'm having a heart attack" the second time after arguing with the spouse, then found on the health centre steps having a smoke after the EKG. A huge fiasco with medical travel, medical escort and family, physicians, social workers and more. Essentially, suicidal threats made (clearly CHNs cannot play chicken with this one) we attempted to save the $25,000+ medevac bill + our overtime by transferring the patient with physician approval on a scheduled flight with medical escort who was promised that simply presenting the patient to ER ended the responsibilities and awarded freedom. This of course degenerated to the ER Dr not admitting the patient who absconded and went drinking while the escort was told by medical travel that they were responsible and must stay until the patient was released or 21 days whichever came first. I wouldn't be pleased with being screwed over like that either if it happened to me and how can you be responsible for someone who runs away? Not going to get anyone to step up for that gig again and our local credibility was on the line. Being talked to as if I am the psyche patient by a physician the age of my children did not win me over and the final resolution was the NIC grabbed the phone, took to her high horse and confronted the medical staff with her nurse voice threatening "I WILL go up the food chain here" which she promptly did. Good thing we didn't check our own blood pressures. The final outcome? The patient and escort were flown back and we have had (fingers crossed) no contact despite the assurances from the physicians that upon arrive there would be a visit to 'contract for safety' yeah yeah. So clearly medevacs r us from here on out. One afternoon my coworker answered the phone, handed it to me and named a parent I'd left a message for to call. I took the phone and said "can you come in and sign the consent for a booster for (naming his daughter)" and the voice on the other end said "what?" so I repeated my request that it was just routine immunization and the voice said "wrong person" and then asked to speak to his wife. It was the clerk's husband who had taken a charter to Fairbanks Alaska for meetings and was calling to advise he'd safely arrived. No wonder he gave me grief about signing a consent for a local teenager (no relation). I gave the NIC the gears about the mistake and she sheepishly said "couldn't hear it was a poor connection on the cell".
We're getting an 'on demand' immersion water heater for under the sink in the apartments as we have been heating water on the stove as if we're camping and not impressed with that. The local DPW person came to measure under the sink in our apartment and then asked if my apartment was the same size. There are two other large empty apartments over the clinic so it surprises folks that we share - we happen to like each other - but he must've wondered how I manage to live in one of those apartments without leaving a trace or wisp of evidence of my habitation.
The caretaker was kept busy baking buns for the local elders (and us) this week and they were well received. Inuit are NOT impressed with insects of any kind and are known to run, jump out of vehicles and generally freak out when spotting house flies or any kind of winged insect. This is getting to be more of a problem with global warming and the northerly movement of various bugs. I had to rescue the caretaker from a minuscule moth like insect on the window this week and while I was at it saved the life of a big stupid fly - I'm afraid to think what would have happened when she saw that. arrghh.
Had a FB chat with our clerk as she forwarded the video of our morning karaoke yesterday - you know when you do those quizzes which tell you the title of your 60s song. The clerk (a woman of few words - in keeping with her culture - was given The Sounds of Silence) captured me dancing/singing to my anthem - I'm a Believer by the Monkees while my coworker hides behind her hand. Sure hope that doesn't escape to the internets! It was extremely therapeutic and released many endorphins though. Today the clerk tells me that she's watching a Sean Connery movie and I say "I've never cheated on my husband but Sean Connery has never been in the same room with me" and she agrees saying "aliee" which is an Inuktituit word roughly translated as 'danger' or 'look out'.
My roommate and I purchased a MacBook pro from the RCMP Cpl moving out - the screen is broken but we hooked it up to our TV to play the USB loaded with twelve episodes of A Place to Call Home (thank you to the first son-in-law) for downloading season 4, which is the Australian series we've been following. It did not disappoint! We stayed up until 1:30 am and our eyes were scratchy before giving in and heading to bed. Not having been up at that hour lately we were surprised to find that it was dusky as it apparently is now from 11 pm to 6 am so we'll soon be noticing it during our waking hours. Tonight we are binge finishing the collection.
Only one full work week, then a four day plus a couple of final days remaining before I head off for a Greek adventure. My roommate is heading home for a brief (conjugal) visit and I will meet her in the airport as I exit. Might be a bit before we connect again as my permanent position here has been filled and I think the replacement will be working more than 50%. This may lead to complications with my scheme to replace the NIC for five weeks in the spring and fall and is disappointing because the opportunity to leave uniforms, winter gear etc is very freeing. If I have to pack up all my crap then bring it back and this particular piece of paradise is not available...I may just head back to Nunavut and do short term contracts as TB nurse. No, not the nurse with TB, one who does contract tracing, directly observed therapy etc. Lots of options - as I told the nurse daughter who is contemplating travel nursing - so not concerned, just don't love packing and dragging. That knapsack is spoiling me!
Before heading up to make supper, I'm taking a few minutes to work on the free Future Learn course I'm doing called Improve Your Intercultural Competence from Purdue University. Maybe I'll use the comment about the fear of house flies....
