Saturday, June 30 . . . Arriving in Blanc Sablon

I wake up at 4:30 a.m. and call a taxi. The airport is completely deserted. I sit, dozing, until a janitor tells me my airline doesn’t fly out on Saturdays. I wait until 7:30 a.m. and then call a taxi. As I’m getting into the taxi, another passenger informs me that the flight is leaving at 9 a.m. Somehow the airline had informed everyone except me. Exhausted, I walk onto the plane; I’m awake for our arrival in Chevry.

As I look down I can’t figure out if I am looking at lots of little islands or lots of little lakes right next to the ocean. As we take off again I nod off, sleeping through the next stop and waking up as we land in Blanc Sablon. My final destination.

My boss is in the hospital so Sophia, the intern with whom I’m living, is waiting to pick me up. As I walk off the plane, I see lots of different shades of green and rocky hills, very different from what I had seen in Sept Iles and Chevry. Sophia picks me out immediately, since I am the only one who has no family running to greet me. She helps me grab my bags and gives me a quick tour of the town as we drive to the house.

I am in a coastal village. When I landed I had not seen any water and was very confused. But with one turn we are driving along the shoreline all the way to the house. Sophia gives me a quick tour of the house but I don’t soak anything in; I see my bed and fall asleep for another six hours.

Sophia wakes me up for dinner. Later we head down to the dark shore in hopes we’ll see the Capelin, a small fish, roll into shore. Folks actually scoop them up by the bucket—or net—full. Tonight, we are unlucky so we head back home and fall asleep.