The new school that Ístak is building in the suburb of Qinngorput, Nuuk was made weather tight in the middle of March and roof wetting happily celebrated by employees, the client and other guests. Much has been achieved since then: external walls are almost ready for cladding, doors and windows have been installed and roof felt complete. The external doors are rather colourful in yellow, orange and red to contrast with the untreated spruce cladding that will go gray with age.

Internal walls are being completed and insulation and closing of ceilings started. Subcontractors are currently numerous in the building: electricians, plumbers, painters and metal workers. About 36 Ístak employees are now at work along with a number of local electricians.
In addition Ístak is building a new kindergarten next to the school. Foundations have been cast and fill is complete.

The weather has been nice and dry this summer, often cold morning mist that disappears by mid day, followed by sunshine that can make the afternoon rather warm. Due to the nearby marsh, flies are common, both mosquito and midge. These can be bothersome, especially to those working on the roof or on the kindergarten foundations.

These days the Ístak employees are enjoying what Greenland has to offer in summer. Various hiking trails are nearby and some employees have climbed Store Malene; a 800 metre high mountain above Qinngorput, a sort of “Esja” for Nuuk. The country is a fisherman’s paradise, with lakes and rivers full of trout and fishing permits are free. A manned boat must however be hired to get to good fishing spots, as roads are scarce. Still, it is not necessary to go far and a few employees dropped a line off some nearby cliffs and caught abundant cod and one halibut.

The soccer world cup competition was enthusiastically followed by employees. A sizeable betting pool was built and it may be stated that the top three winners had little knowledge of soccer.

Quite a number of tourists are now in town. At the beginning of July a lot of people arrived in connection with a conference and cultural event of the Inuit that arrived from all over: Canada, Russia, Alaska and elsewhere. Last weekend a national kayaking and cross-country running competition was held. Not to be forgotten is the first Greenland Gay pride festival that was held in spring with attendance exceeding highest hopes.

Inussiarnersumik inuulluaqqusillunga – best regards from Nuuk.