Archive | Yk Life RSS feed for this section

Questions About Cost of Living

By on February 8, 2011 in Yk Life

Hi everyone, it has been a long time. I just received an email from a first-year journalism student at Loyalist College. He is doing a presentation on the cost of living in the north. I know this is a hot topic for many, I think we can all remember the Facebook page created by one concerned resident went viral locally.

In any case, this student is looking for some residents to answer some questions, and I though we could do it collectively. So below are the questions. If you feel up to it, please send me an email to info@ykonline.ca with your answers and I will pass them along.

  1. What are the challenges of bringing goods into Canada’s northern communities?
  2. What is being done to ease the problems?
  3. What do northern residents do to help deal with the high cost of living?
  4. What are some sample prices of everyday grocery items in northern communities?

If you would like to add anything to the email, please do so. If anyone is willing to do a quick phone interview with him, please also let me know, as that is something he is interested in. As well, we can keep the discussion going by commenting those thoughts/answers in the comments. Thanks for you help.

Comments { 0 }

A taste of Yellowknife winter

By on October 17, 2010 in Yk Life

Before I moved here with my family and just like any other newcomers, I was warned how extremely cold Yellowknife winter can be. Today I went out and had a taste of the Yellowknife winter. The road was cleaned up but it looked like the snow was about 2 to 5 inches deep. I was not feeling that cold except when the wind blew that I felt freezing cold
— just a bit. As I was walking, I thought to myself that the place looks like Barrie when it is hit by a strong snow storm, and so I felt that this winter is not that bad…this feels just like Toronto winter. And then it reminded me of how people back there would normally say, “terrible weather out there” on a day like this in which I would just nod to the person talking to me but would have this thought, “but it is winter—it is supposed to be cold and windy and freezing”. I thought to myself that what is terrible is if it feels like summer in winter. It is not winter if it is hot, is it?

Now that I am here in Yellowknife, I realized that I would be living this “terrible weather” as described by some. And this “terrible weather” is not even the true winter weather yet the fact that it is only October. This is just the taste of the winter which is the normal day to day Yellowknife winter weather— and I get it, it is not a snow storm. Oh my, don’t I feel chills in my spine right now just thinking about it! But you know what my fellow newcomers, I don’t feel it is that “terrible” because I am geared up for it so make sure you are too. So common, bring it on Arctic winter!

Comments { 3 }

Kickboxing at The Martial Centre

By on October 8, 2010 in Yk Life

Have you been in a position in your life where you feel that nothing excites you? You know, when someone asks you, “So what’s new and exciting?” and then you say, “Well, nothing much,” not because you don’t want to say anything but because there is really nothing to say.

Well, I have something new and exciting to share. One night as I was in the shower, this thought came out of boredom, “I want to kickbox!” Not knowing if there is a kickboxing class here in Yellowknife, I told my husband about my thought and he said sure and then asked, “How are you going to get there?” I said, “I’ll ride my bicycle.”

The next morning, he sent me an email with the website address and a personal message saying that two of his coworkers are already in the program and one is actually willing to give me a ride on the way and back. I said, “Perfect! I don’t have to ride in the cold.” So that’s what it is for me the past three weeks. I have been kick boxing.

The Martial Centre is located at Unit 106, 349 Old Airport Road. It has Adult Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Kids and Teen programs, Adult Kickboxing, and Women’s Fitness Kickboxing. There are several classes in a day which you can easily choose from to fit your schedule. I joined the Women’s Fitness Kickboxing class. The price is affordable and they offer a discount if you sign up for six months. I think that the program and the routines are appropriate for beginners in kickboxing like me. The pressure to learn the kickboxing techniques is up to the participant which works for everyone.

I invite you to visit this site www.themartialcentre.com for more information. I hope you check it out and come to join the fun.

I decided to do kickboxing so I can kick ass. No, not really. The truth is I wanted to challenge myself. I remember how sore and how much I have been swearing after the very first class. It was not funny. But after several classes the pain began to subside. I also realize that kickboxing has not only taught me techniques on how to kickbox and that it is keeping me fit, but it also gave me a validation that I can challenge myself and have fun at the same time. I also like that it is a friendly, no pressure way to meet with other women. As someone who is new here in Yellowknife and know nobody else but my own family, being a part of this group gives me a sense that I belong, that I am involved.

My favourite part in kickboxing is improving my stance and my balance. I never thought how hard it is to balance my own body. I find it tricky and I am still learning. Every time I throw a kick, I have to make sure that I put that foot down and still be in the right position, kinda like life itself. We have been doing combination of kicks and boxing. My upper body is so sore. For some reason the carpool could not go on so I now ride my bicycle to go there — in the cold. Riding my bicycle from downtown to taking the hilly trail and all the way to the airport road has made my thighs sore as well. But you know what, for the fun and excitement it gives me, kickboxing is worth it!

Comments { 4 }

Sun sunny day in Yellowknife

By on October 1, 2010 in Yk Life

Today was about “getting up and doing it!” Today I went out to the library and got me a library card, after that I went to mail my mother’s birthday card. Nothing special but you see, I bought the card way back in August because my mother’s birthday was in August! It is now end of September.

In life, we find a lot of excuses not to do something that we ought to do. There’s always a reason why we do not bother to say for example — exercise, eat healthy, go to church on Sunday, call a love one, visit the sick, take a vacation yadi yadi yada. And because of this, we do miss the opportunity to actually experience the experience.

I find that my day to day life is a repetition of everything. It is so mundane and I find it boring sometimes. But that is just what it is. Life is a repetition, a series of events that just go round and round in circles. It’s like the earth moving in its orbit really, but it is profoundly beautiful. Earth, life, the universe, it is all beautiful. Just like right now…the sun is shining brightly and is showing off it’s warmth to me as I am writing this. Yes, I am outside! A weather like this in Yellowknife is special indeed at this time of the year. The point is if I did not get up and decided that today I shall mail my mother’s birthday card, I would not be enjoying myself right now. I would be inside the house and doing what it is that I do at exactly this moment which is washing the lunch dishes and preparing what’s for dinner.

Oh and to top off this lovely day, I went, for the first time, to a French cafe called Le Stock Pot at 5012 – 53rd Street and got me an apple strudel and a slice of cranberry cheesecake. I will be coming back again for sure.

So my dear friends, as much as it is okay to not do things that we ought to do for reasons that we think are valid, let us say to ourselves that today, this time, as in now, at this moment, is actually the day that we are going to make our day a little different and special than yesterday.

Comments { 0 }

Ride Across the MacKenzie River

By on September 22, 2010 in Yk Life

Driving in or out of Yellowknife is a long uneventful trip, most of the time. One highlight is riding the Merv Hardie across the MacKenzie River at Fort Providence. It is a small ferry and the ride is short, but it is a nice little break from driving the long mundane highway.

If you want to know more about the Merv Hardie or Ferry crossing be sure to listen to the Yk Quick Tip all about the Merv Hardie Ferry.

Comments { 3 }