Blizzard-Ish (but fully cold)
Fun fact about Iqaluit: We do not have 911 services. For fire or ambulance we call (867) 979-4422, for police (867) 979-1111, and for blizzard updates (867) 979-5300. Makes me wonder, with the spotty service up here, if my phone would make the call when set to 'emergency calls only'.
Swimming lessons have started here, and I am working on making lesson plans for the week and a half that I will be gone, so that the covering instructor has an easy job. This session I am teaching a great range of classes, from Preschool 2, all the way to Swimmer 9, Adult 2, and Bronze Cross. I was asked today how I can teach Bronze Cross as a young instructor 'isn't it kind of weird teaching people the same age as you?'. I've never thought of it as weird- I have the knowledge and training, and I can teach adults with no problem, so why would seventeen years olds be any different? And besides that, my students don't know my age.
During my first adult class of the session this Wednesday, I laughed at myself for telling a bunch of 40+ people to 'blow their bubbles'. I told them "It sounds silly. I tell my four year olds that", meaning the four year olds that's I teach to swim.
One lady, probably mid-fifties, gasped, "You look like you're 12! And you have a four year old?"
Dear old people: I don't look like I'm 12. Why do so many old people think 'they look twelve' is a funny joke? Maybe I look young, but at least I know how to swim 🤷♀️. And if I look 12, you look 104. Now THAT'S a funny joke.
I did not tell her that. I said "for the record, I'm not twelve. But I do not have children; I meant the four year olds that I teach."
Kids never care how old I am. They say "how old are you?", they guess something ridiculous or closer than expected, then they say "oh, you're younger than my dad." And then they swim away. Some adults seem to care a little more, which is why I avoid telling people my age up here. If people ask, I tell them, but if they don't ask, I don't volunteer the information. I think all of the lifeguards know my age, and most of the management knows. I'm not sure if the new manager knows quite how young I am.
I was supposed to teach swimming lessons tonight, but the weather outside was frightful, and at 4:30 (halfway through public swim), I was notified that the city was closing- that every city-operated business was closed for the night. So we quickly cleared the pool, ran closing tasks, called staff to tell them not to come, and went home. It was around -53 with wind and blizzard-ish conditions when I arrived home (I say blizzard-ish because I could still see most of the city from my door. It was mostly just windy with blowing snow. I heard a very white man complain that it was a 'white man's blizzard', and the city was soft. Sir. You are also white. This is a 'southern blizzard'). We are scheduled to reopen tomorrow morning. When this kind of thing happens ('this kind of thing' including power outages, blizzards, extreme cold) and the city as a business closes, I still get paid for the full day as long as I remain available to come in if we reopen, which is a bit nice- it's a bonus half day (or bonus 3/4 day) for me. I spent this bonus 3/4 day plus two hours planning lessons for the next week and a half, so realistically I earned my pay for today anyway.
Tommorow is my last work day before flying to Lac La Biche. Two sleeps! I'm pretty sure counting things by 'sleeps' was actually designed to convince excited children to go to bed. "See, if you go to sleep now, you'll pass one whole unit of measurement quickly! And then it's only one more sleep!" It's almost still working on me.
- Aliya
Swimming lessons have started here, and I am working on making lesson plans for the week and a half that I will be gone, so that the covering instructor has an easy job. This session I am teaching a great range of classes, from Preschool 2, all the way to Swimmer 9, Adult 2, and Bronze Cross. I was asked today how I can teach Bronze Cross as a young instructor 'isn't it kind of weird teaching people the same age as you?'. I've never thought of it as weird- I have the knowledge and training, and I can teach adults with no problem, so why would seventeen years olds be any different? And besides that, my students don't know my age.
During my first adult class of the session this Wednesday, I laughed at myself for telling a bunch of 40+ people to 'blow their bubbles'. I told them "It sounds silly. I tell my four year olds that", meaning the four year olds that's I teach to swim.
One lady, probably mid-fifties, gasped, "You look like you're 12! And you have a four year old?"
Dear old people: I don't look like I'm 12. Why do so many old people think 'they look twelve' is a funny joke? Maybe I look young, but at least I know how to swim 🤷♀️. And if I look 12, you look 104. Now THAT'S a funny joke.
I did not tell her that. I said "for the record, I'm not twelve. But I do not have children; I meant the four year olds that I teach."
Kids never care how old I am. They say "how old are you?", they guess something ridiculous or closer than expected, then they say "oh, you're younger than my dad." And then they swim away. Some adults seem to care a little more, which is why I avoid telling people my age up here. If people ask, I tell them, but if they don't ask, I don't volunteer the information. I think all of the lifeguards know my age, and most of the management knows. I'm not sure if the new manager knows quite how young I am.
I was supposed to teach swimming lessons tonight, but the weather outside was frightful, and at 4:30 (halfway through public swim), I was notified that the city was closing- that every city-operated business was closed for the night. So we quickly cleared the pool, ran closing tasks, called staff to tell them not to come, and went home. It was around -53 with wind and blizzard-ish conditions when I arrived home (I say blizzard-ish because I could still see most of the city from my door. It was mostly just windy with blowing snow. I heard a very white man complain that it was a 'white man's blizzard', and the city was soft. Sir. You are also white. This is a 'southern blizzard'). We are scheduled to reopen tomorrow morning. When this kind of thing happens ('this kind of thing' including power outages, blizzards, extreme cold) and the city as a business closes, I still get paid for the full day as long as I remain available to come in if we reopen, which is a bit nice- it's a bonus half day (or bonus 3/4 day) for me. I spent this bonus 3/4 day plus two hours planning lessons for the next week and a half, so realistically I earned my pay for today anyway.
Tommorow is my last work day before flying to Lac La Biche. Two sleeps! I'm pretty sure counting things by 'sleeps' was actually designed to convince excited children to go to bed. "See, if you go to sleep now, you'll pass one whole unit of measurement quickly! And then it's only one more sleep!" It's almost still working on me.
- Aliya
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