Closure

My flight to Ottawa is booked for Tuesday, June 23, and I plan to arrive in Edmonton on Wednesday morning. I've lived in Iqaluit for just over 8 months, and preparing to leave has been bittersweet. This past year was one of my best years- I moved out and gained independence and confidence. I gained life and work experience, and I made new friends. I found a wonderful church and got close with the pastor's family.

It has also been one of my worst years in some ways. I quit my fantastic job because of a bad manager who made work unbearable, and I was sometimes lonely by myself up here. I struggled for months afterward with my decision to quit my job. But in the end, I came out better. God was always with me, and I am confident that He guided my path. Quitting my job opened up a chance for me to spend time with my pastor's family and have important conversations with them. My faith is stronger than possibly ever before, and I've been challenged in ways I never considered.

Altogether, my time in Iqaluit was beautiful and beneficial, and, while I'm delighted to travel back to Alberta for a time, I am sad to give up what I have here. I've been using my last few weeks and now days to complete my final 'bucket list' items: buying a handmade parka, walking the Apex trail in the summer, and visiting the river in the summer, namely. 

My new parka! It has such lovely fur!

On my way to Sylvia Grinnel to see the river. This is the turnoff to the park- it's marked only by a nondescript brown sign.

This park entrance sign is further down that road.

I had only just made it into the park when Marcus (my old facility operator) pulled up beside me in his Razer (I think it's a razer...) and asked if I wanted to go for a ride, so I hopped in with him and we went upriver with a few of his friends.

The dark circle near the middle of this photo is a whirlpool. They would appear occasionally for a few seconds, suck water and ice down, and then disappear again, only in this part of the river.

A view upriver at the half open water. Moments after I took this picture, a large section of the ice sheet on the left side cracked off and drifted downriver.

It was really good to talk to Marcus again before leaving (I hadn't seen him since I quit my job at the end of February). It felt like a bit of closure, and better than the sudden way we had left off before. While we rode back to town, I asked him if things had improved at the Aquatic Centre. He said that they hadn't really, but seemed confident that they would eventually. I think that's a good note for me to finally leave this job on- I've questioned my decision countless times (should I have stuck it out? Would things have improved if I waited?), but today reminded me that I had to go, and if things improve I'll look at returning. Hopefully now I can put that piece of my life to rest and be at peace with how things ended. That conversation seems like a fitting note to leave Iqaluit on. 

Perhaps someday I'll return. Marcus said that I would, because "Everyone comes back". We'll see where God leads me, and I'll look forward to the next chapter. I'm prepared to explore to the farthest reaches, and I'm excited to see what the next one is.

- Aliya