'Never Look a Polar Bear in the Eye': 5 stories from a family's time near the Arctic

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3. A tough place to live

Unger wrote that his family's destination, Churchill, is a difficult place to survive day-to-day. "By January, the Arctic night is endless and the temperatures are so low that just walking around outside is dangerous," he wrote. "Churchill isn't a bad place, but it is unremittingly harsh. Whether it's the summer bugs, the pitch-dark winter, or the epic bouts of unemployment, only a very special kind of person chooses to make this place home. Even the mayor doesn't live in town full-time; his family all moved to Winnipeg years ago. If Churchill had a flag it would be gray on a gray background, with gray trim. Just as Ireland is associated with green and Arizona with rusty red, things in Churchill are notable mostly for their lack of any color whatsoever."