Coppermine (Mar 24/03) - When Reverend Malcolm Palmer and his wife, Ruth, arrived in Kugluktuk in 2001 they ordered food from Yellowknife, but it never arrived.

It's been a learning experience ever since, but the more he learns about the language and its people, the easier it is to live in North.

News/North: Where did you work before Kugluktuk?

Reverend Malcolm Palmer: I spent 12 years as a chaplain in a British prison. I was quite satisfied and thought I would work there for the rest of my life. Suddenly, I became dissatisfied because I couldn't be with my wife, Ruth, on Sunday mornings. She wasn't allowed to come into the prison.

N/N: Where did you live in England?

MP: We lived in Bromsgrove which is in the middle of England. The coldest it gets there is about -3 C or -4 C. No, I think I was there once when it reached -10 C.

N/N: So you left Bromsgrove for work?

MP: I started looking for work and nothing seemed to interest me. Then I saw an ad to work in Canada's Arctic. It jumped out at me. When I told Ruth the job I was interested in was near the Arctic Circle, she was taken by surprise. It took us about 15 months to get through the immigration process.

N/N: Where was your first stop in Canada?

MP: We arrived in Yellowknife and stayed with the Bishop of the Arctic. The next morning, I went to a conference in Kuujjuaq and Ruth stayed in Hay River. We then went to Inuvik for three months. This was in 2001. It was the middle of winter and it was -21 C. I thought it was the end of the world.

N/N: Did you know anything about Canada's Arctic before moving?

MP: I didn't know a great deal about it. But one of the ministers who was in Kugluktuk before me returned to Britain before I left. I spent a weekend with him and he showed me a homemade video.

N/N: Did you experience culture shock when you arrived in Kugluktuk in 2001?

MP: I think it was more of a culture shock for Ruth than it was for me. But she's adjusted very well. She's even joined the sewing clubs. She really enjoys that.

N/N: Where does Ruth work?

MP: She works for the Chamber of Commerce and looks after the arts and crafts produced in the community.

N/N: What was the hardest thing to get used to when you arrived?

MP: The biggest was learning that when things don't happen in the North, there's nothing you can do about it. When we first arrived in Kugluktuk we had ordered food from Yellowknife. It never arrived and that's when we realized that you are at everyone's mercy. We went to the local store and there was no selection, and what was there looked very rough. We're still getting used to that. We're used to going to the markets or just going out to get a magazine. You can't do that here but at least now we have the Internet.

N/N: How much did you have to do to get the church established here?

MP: It was already established and it's been established for more than 60 years. Everything was already set up. We have a regular congregation. The church services are in the translated into the traditional language of the Coppermine Inuit -- that's Inuinnaqtun.

N/N: Do you speak Inuinnaqtun?

MP: I have translators with me and I get by OK with their help. I can't speak the language but I would describe myself as nibbling away at it. I'm trying to figure out how the words come together.

N/N: How is the Inuit culture different from your own?

MP: It's a very different culture and we must come to terms with it. One thing is that it seems like the Inuit people don't need to write things down. They have terrific memories. It really astonishes me.

N/N: What do you mean?

MP: I'll give you a "for instance." The lad next to me had lost the key to his Honda bike. When I returned he had a piece of metal in the ignition and it was working.

He had made a replica of the key. I asked him where he got the pattern for the key and he said he remembered it. He made the key from memory.

N/N: Have you gone out much on the land?

MP: I've not been out on the land but Ruth and I just purchased a new snowmobile. I want to go out this spring and I want to follow the people who have lived here for years. Going out on the land is never without risk. Since I've been here, there have been two people that lost their lives on the land.

The Arctic is a beautiful place but it can turn. At the same time, there's a great sense of adventure and the land is absolutely beautiful.

N/N: What do you miss the most about England?

MP: I think the only thing that I miss about Britain is the growing season. Ruth and I are very passionate about flowers. We tried to grow tomatoes in Kugluktuk and it was a real disaster.

N/N: What do your friends and family back in England think about you living in the North?

MP: I don't think they really understand. Even people in Southern Canada don't know what it's like living in the Arctic. We tried to get information on Kugluktuk before we moved up here and there wasn't anything.

N/N: Are you planning on staying in Kugluktuk for a while?

MP: The more I put into it, the less I want to turn my back and abandon it. The more I learn the language, the easier it becomes.