A Day In The Life Of Aasiaat

I am walking on snow and ice covered pathways to the hardware store. Wooden walkways and stairs connect different levels. Many people are out walking. A woman carrying groceries, an old man pulling a sled with a seal on it, a mom pushing a sled with two kids bundled up in fur. Everyone is friendly and gives some form of greeting as I pass. I get a little lost and end-up on one of the side streets. I see many dogs tied down in the snow covered areas between houses. My attention is drawn to a group of dogs that are barking and whining with incessant anticipation. A man with a sled is going around to each one putting a harness on them. I watch for a few minutes fascinated by the process. Each dog can barely stand the wait, straining at its tether. A neighbor has invited our group ice fishing; it is windy on the ice today so we layer-up. We follow him to where land meets sea and he cautions us to watch our step. The ice moves slowly up and down with the tide, which makes the ice near the shore constantly break and re-freeze. Walking out on the frozen sea is a little surreal. The white expanse stretches out before me. The top of the ice is a little slushy because the salt is being forced out of the ice sheet as it freezes. After about half a mile our guide stops and draws a circle on the ice. One of my associated is handed a pole with a sharp metal end. Ten minutes later we have a one foot diameter hole in the ice. The process is repeated three more times fifty feet apart. On my turn it seems to take forever and I am defiantly not cold for the moment. The ice is about a foot thick and looking into the hole is foreboding; staring into the inky blackness below. Fairly quickly we have three very ugly fish. In the evening we have been invited to a kaffemik (our second). It is a gathering of friends and family in a host’s home. In the past, people would socialize around everyday work; seal skinning, clothes making, … Modern living has replaced those social interactions. So people have a kaffemik to socialize. Basically, the host waits on you hand and foot feeding you as much cake, candy, coffee, tea, and whale fat as you can eat.