Thursday, November 13, 2008

It's time (almost)

I moved from the North back to Vancouver almost four months ago, and yet, I've still not updated my Blogger profile. I'm beginning to feel settled here again, although there are still many factors to consider soon, after my semester is done.

On the list of things to think about:
1) Should I go to grad school?
2) Do I really want to become a speech-language pathologist?
3) Am I sure I want to abandon teaching?
4) Where should I live? Should I move to Edmonton?
5) Should I return to Inuvik?
6) Should I even think about returning up north?

A couple of days ago, a friend from Inuvik came here for a little visit. We went to the aquarium for the afternoon. It's normally so easy to be immersed in the daily grind and forget what wonders there are on the planet. The aquarium certainly put me back in touch with a magical side of life. However, I have conflicting views on aquariums and zoos. I must admit, I could watch the pulsating jellyfish for hours and marvel at how such a simple creature could fascinate me so much. I could stare unblinkingly at the giant turtle, who looked as though he was flying, gliding, so free and so beautiful. The irony that he was in captivity did not elude me though. And, there were the belugas, with the grey baby in the tank with her mama and grandma. There was something both soothing and disturbing in their movements. The large white bodies swirled by, just mere feet from where we were standing. Their sheer mass and their brilliant white were startling. I've always found a fetal, unfinished quality to these whales, as though they were mounds of clay still waiting to be moulded. I watched in awe as the three whales spun round and round. The silence was finally broken when my friend let out a chortle and said, "We must remember not to harpoon these whales!" I laughed heartily. Those coddled majestic whales were indeed the same as those up north who represent something quite different. Up north, whaling is still a way of life. I had muktuk, squares of beluga, in my freezer just months ago. In that moment, I knew then that I had indeed completed my transition back to being a city-folk once more, when I could watch those belugas with city-eyes.

So yes, it's almost time to change my Blogger profile....






2 comments:

  1. Incredible photos! I really like the one of the jelly fish...

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  2. Me too! I love the jellyfish!

    ReplyDelete