My name is Miak. I am ten years old. I live in Nunavut, in far northern Canada, in the Arctic Circle, with my younger brother, Suhe, who is eight, and our parents. We have a younger sister named Felicia (six) and our grandparents living with us as well, so it is a full house.
And that is not counting the dogs. We have at least fifteen of them, either Alaskan Malamutes or huskies. We need them to pull our sled across the snow and ice.
The dogs also help us to hunt.
I am a Native Alaskan, or an Inuit. I prefer to be called Inuit, not 'Eskimo.' Eskimo is an insult. It means "eaters-of-raw-meat" in our language; we prefer to be called Inuit, which means "The People", because that is exactly what we are.
Where we live is very harsh and cold. In the winter, we don't see the sun for three months (December through Febuary) and temperatures can get to below -70 degrees easily, with winds over 100 miles an hour and blinding snows. If one is not careful, they can die if lost or if they're out in the elements for too long. In the summer, the days are long and the sun never sets.
It can bother a lot of people, this extreme climate here, but as for us, we are used to it.
My favorite thing is playing baseball or soccer at midnight. I also love racing with the dogs and watching the northern lights; however, I don't like it when the lights turn red 'cause that means the spirits are angry with us or that something bad is about to happen.
The other day the auroras were an angry, vivid red and just yesterday I heard of an earthquake, a 7.2 mangitude quake, hitting Turkey.
My heart breaks for them. Over 1,000 people were killed at last count.
I don't like it when the auroras mess up with the radio or with the phones or computers. Then I cannot get online; this is how I keep up with the news. It also fouls up with the TV and it's a real pain. Yet I still like watching the northern lights (unless they are red).
I get along really well with Suhe, but our sister drives us crazy. She is very spoiled and acts like a brat! Sometimes I wish we could leave her on an iceberg and have a different family take her instead. I know that's mean, but Felicia is spoiled. Very much so!
I guess it's 'coz she has special needs. She was born with something called Down Syndrome, which means she's mentally disabled and learns slow. She has a bad heart and it worries Mother and Father to no end when she gets sick or if her heart beats too fast. When it does, she can end up in the hospital and that is never fun!
Well, I guess I will go. I am at school as I write this, and it's gonna be time for music soon; that's our next class. I will write in here again; until later, this is Miak saying so long! May the Good Spirits bless and protect you!
~Miak Johnathan Kiloogiaq.
