For 3 weeks now, we are able to walk to the village on the sea ice, so we are back to our routine back and forth from the boat as well as having visitors on board. Some of them met France and Eric in Grise Fiord, where they left their mark during their stay. People are often asking about them, and girls at school are waiting for Leonie to come back!

We have a dog since yesterday. Putsch, rather small and very friendly, lent by Jayputee.

At the beginning of December, everyone got ready for the winter : checking the skidoos, preparing the seal nets, doing the first trip away fishing on the ice, looking for « agluus » (holes maintained by the seals to breath) and building a new qamutik (wooden sled)! It is a great pleasure to discover those activities and it is amazing to participate.

We also spent time at the school to do talks about some of our expedition trips and to answer kids’ questions. In the end, the students participated in a project organised by Valentine: describe their day-to-day life to the kids « down south », what they like, which game they play, what they do after school or just what they feel like sharing with them by drawing, writing, filming, etc. An amazing adventure!

Big surprise one morning, a friend came to pick us up… by car! « As soon as the sea ice is solid enough (more than 35 cm) and not too covered by snow, the inuk uses his car » he said looking at our astonished faces! Few days later, 4 big pick-ups arrived next to the boat! Maybe we should start organising a parking lot!!! People of the village are still nevertheless mainly travelling by skidoos and very nicely often give us a lift back. Watch out for that offer: you will need to cover every square cm of your skin.. The outside temperature is now -30 degrees, so the one behind a full-speed skidoo is… quite refreshing!

Here like everywhere else, Christmas is on its way: each house has now its lights and (plastic) tree, everyone talks about the games organised during a week between Christmas and New Year’s and the school concert yesterday was the start of all festivities!