preparation and arrival

PREPARATION: two days before leaving and mostly everything was packed. last minute. obviously, as mostly everything in my life is crammed into the last most minutes. good friday fights on the phone to rogers, turns out they don't provide service up north of the provinces so not only will i be living in seclusion but i will be without a phone for the first time in a very long time. this is the first moment that made me realize how tied i am to city life and as much as i crave being the adventurous one the thought of being disconnected makes me freak out. the past week i have gotten all of my affairs in order as well as consumed every type of food i have ever craved in fear that they won't have it up north. i've probably gained 500 pounds but not to fear as apparently food is sparse up north.
FLIGHT: had to wake up at 5:30am to get to the airport and fly to edmonton. for the first time ever i sat beside someone who didn't take up half of my seat and smell like old cheese or rotten fart. thank goodness. flight was extremely delayed but they held our connection flight for us to yellowknife. i had to run like a madman to get to it though without any breaks for food and bathroom. the plane to yellowknife was as small as my bedroom only i didn't have a bed and they didn't even have peanuts. the flight to yellowknife was terrifying and beautiful all in one and by the time i arrived i was so exhausted i could barely see straight.
NIGHT IN YELLOWKNIFE: took a cab to the b&b in which my cabbie made me homesick for the maple leafs and front street brewed amsterdam blonde. luckily the b&b couldn't have been sweeter. it was a family run business in the home with the most comfortable bed EVER. took a brief stroll down through old town yellowknife and then hit up shoppers drug mart to buy a hair dryer (i always forget something). there i was in line at shopppers with my clearance hair dryer near tears do to fatigue and homesickness. yes, thats right, shoppers reminds me of home, because besides that the only familiar thing is a dingy a&w across the street. once i return to the b&b i pass out at 8pm watching the big bang easter weekend marathon. wake up at 11pm in panic as it's bright out and i fear i've missed my plane but thats just the north for you. sleep til 4am then more big bang and a beautiful breakfast served with "special" coffee, apparently making "special" drinks is quite popular up here. i guess it warms the bones although it hasn't been that cold. after some bonding time with the 2yr old in footy pajamas at the b&b im off on my final flight to norman wells.
FLIGHT TO NORMAN WELLS: this flight was really short yet we seemed to pass over acres of nothing. it's enough nothingness to make you feel like you are nowhere and you are nothing. suddenly i feel like i may have a heart attack as i am venturing off to such seclusion i can't even picture what life will be like. lets just say you cant even point out norman wells in the arctic until you've actually landed here. the weather is a bit colder than yellowknife but not terrible and ben is there waiting for me! you walk off the plane onto the gravel like the beatles or JFK did back in the good ol' days. basically a rock star of the north. although i am still in EXTREME culture shock i think eventually i'll come around. can't quite get over the trailer life style and the fact that i have maybe seen 5 other people since i got here. the thought that keeps continuing in my mind "where the hell am i?!" day one and still alive. missing my city life and the blood is pumping as i think of my new found arctic adventure. still polar bear free.