January 5, 2010, Barrow, Alaska~

Greetings from the bitter-cold reaches of northernmost Alaska!  I pray this finds you well.  As for me, I am coping with life the best way I possibly can.  I still have my days where I feel Sikik's spirit about me, and I end up missing her more than ever.

It has been a little over two years now since Sikik went to the other side of the spirit world; she now dances among the northern lights, with her mother, father, and ancestors who went on before her.  I still miss her as much now as I did on the day she died; at times I still find it hard to believe that she has gone.  Some days I do fine; on others, I cry as I think about and remember her.

It is very cold here:  temps in the -20 degree range for highs, in the -30 to -40 degree range at night.  Too cold for most people to cope with, but hey, I'm Inuit:  I can handle it; I've lived in this cold environment all my life.  It's all I know.

It's also dark here most of the time:  we won't see the sun rise for at least another month, but the days will be getting longer before too long.  If it is light here, it's only for several hours; then it's back to pitch black all over again, with only the street lights or the lights from the aurora borealis lighting the way (or the moon).

We call this long period of darkness here "The Long Dark".  Aptly named.  Even when it is dark, life goes on.  We hunt, we work, we play.  Nothing unusual for us; it's how we live.  The Dog Children, on the other hand, have a very hard time adapting to it; they always have and probably always will, I guess.

I haven't been doing much:  just working part time at a factory, trying to pay the bills.  I am so far behind in debt it's not funny; I am lucky if I have twenty dollars to my name to last me until the next paycheck.  Thank God I get paid every week; I don't know how other people who get paid every two weeks or once a month do it!  Working keeps my mind busy; that way, I don't have to think about my dead sister so much.

Other than working or writing (I am doing a book about my sister's life), I don't do much.  I just usually stay home; I'm a homebody.  I prefer it that way; some days I'm just not emotionally ready to face the world, especially on those "I-miss-my-sister-Sikik" days.

I'm sorry if this isn't much, but my life isn't very exciting, as you can see.  Sorry about that.  I will write in here again; I just wanted to let you know I am still here and surviving this game called life as best as I possibly can.  Take care, and may the great spirit bless you!

~Mattaq Eegeesiak.  :)