Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Mar 04/02) - Lessa Sowdluapik has worked as a flight attendant and telephone operator. She now works for the government.

The former Panniqtuuq resident has nearly done it all, including locking herself in the back of a plane and having to call a passenger to come to her rescue.

News/North: You left home at 18. Was that a good time to leave or do you feel like you left too early?

Leesa Sowdluapik: It was a good time for me. I had been travelling since I was 15, going on conferences throughout Canada. That's how I saw most of the provinces and territories.

N/N: Did all that travel help prepare you for when you left home?

LS: I think so. When I left home I went to Yellowknife to go to the nursing program. I only stayed there briefly because when my aunt came over to visit, I got homesick. My great-grandpa was sick at the time so I came back with her. From there, I found odd jobs in (Panniqtuuq) at the health centre and the school.

I applied to NorthwesTel when they put out an ad for operators. I was one of the first 10 telephone operators from Iqaluit sent to Whitehorse for training. It was an exciting time. We spent a whole month training in Whitehorse for that.

N/N: Was that the first time Inuktitut was spoken by a telephone operator?

LS: Yes, it was an exciting time for all 10 of us. When we came back they had a first-time Inuit operator celebration.

N/N: What was it like being a telephone operator?

LS: It was a lot of fun, but it was a lot of sitting at the computer.

N/N: Were people nice or rude to you?

LS: It depends. My first shift I used to do was 4:30 p.m. to midnight. That wasn't so bad. But my co-workers said you get rude people at night from 11ish to midnight.

N/N: How come?

LS: I don't know. Especially people calling 411.

N/N: Did strange things happen or did you get weird phone calls?

LS: There were a few. People wanting to get together with me or telling me I have a sexy voice.

I was with them for a year and four months. From there, I went to Yellowknife for six months and worked odd jobs and spent time with friends. Then I went back to (Panniqtuuq) and worked odd jobs again.

In 1998, I got a job with First Air as a flight attendant. At the time, I was the only Inuktitut-speaking flight attendant.

They needed an Inuktitut-version of the safety message. Since I was the only Inuk, I had to do all the translations and then go to the studio in Yellowknife where I was based and record the procedures in Inuktitut.

A year later, I was on a plane going up to Panniqtuuq and they put the procedures on. I said holy mack, that's my voice. They finally put it on. A few people approached me and said I did a pretty good job.

When I did the translation, I phoned my grandmother a lot to get everything right. It was between me and my grandmother. I would say how do you say this and that. She had a big part in that.

N/N: How long were you a flight attendant?

LS: One year. My first route was from Ottawa to Montreal to Kuujjuaq to Iqaluit. On the Hawker, I went from Iqaluit to Panniqtuuq to Qikiqtarjuaq. Then I was transferred to Yellowknife and went to Kugluktuk, Holman, Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven, Kugaaruk and Taloyoak. And then down to Edmonton and the Rankin Inlet-Winnipeg flight.

N/N: Did you ever have scary things happen on the planes?

LS: It wasn't scary, but funny looking back on it. When we do our meals we have to wait for the captain to give you the signal that it's OK to proceed. We were on a flight from Yellowknife to Kugluktuk. We had two passengers.

I went into the back and we were still climbing, but the captain gave me the signal. On that aircraft, the door shut on me at the back where the meals are and I couldn't get out. That was scary because there were two passengers out there and the flight was one hour and 38 minutes. I was locked in. I had to knock on the door. They didn't hear me. I had to yell, 'excuse me, excuse me.' I got louder and louder until about the fourth time, the lady finally heard me. She asked me what happened and I said, 'I got stuck and can't get back out. You have to help me.' When I got out, I was completely red.

N/N: Do you ever miss being a flight attendant?

LS: Lots of times I think I wouldn't mind going back. But First Air didn't have a flight attendant base here back then. It's either Yellowknife or Ottawa and if you want to work the Northern route, you have to work two weeks in, two weeks out in Ottawa. If they had a base here, I would have loved it. I want to be here in Iqaluit.

N/N:: What keeps you in Iqaluit?

LS: I'm working here in Iqaluit with the Department of Health and it's close to home. I like to be close to home. The last time I went home was Christmas time. I go to Panniqtuuq every time I get a chance.