I said yes.
450 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, on Baffin Island in Nunavut — directly across from Greenland — in a community of fewer than 850 people. Three years.
I know. I know.
For those of you who know me, you’re probably nodding. This is not wildly out of character. I’ve never been someone who needed a lot of convincing when life opens an interesting door — and if I’m being honest with you the way I try to be honest with myself, part of that is just who I am. I didn’t have a name for it at the time, but I know now that my brain runs on novelty and challenge the way other people’s run on routine and predictability. The unknown isn’t frightening to me. It’s magnetic.
I’ve always believed the most valuable experiences come from leaning in rather than watching from a safe distance — and this one qualifies as unknown in every possible sense.
I’m not going to pretend there are no nerves. There are. But they feel more like excitement than fear, and I’ve learned to tell the difference.
Friends and family have been asking me to document this one. In the past I’ve done newsletters, Facebook updates, the occasional long email nobody asked for. A blog feels right — longer than a post, shorter than a novel, and I can share it with everyone at once.
So here we go. Chapter one.