Hi, my name is Danielle Mantla and I am from Gameti, Northwest Territories which is a small town, with only about 300 people. I am very thankful to have been accepted to participate in the NYA Canadian program. Before I started my placement we had an orientation with everyone involved with the program and I got to meet some really amazing people. People that I can finally say are my friends.
After orientation my buddy and I travelled to our host community which is the beautiful town of Port Alberni, BC on Vancouver Island. Living here for the summer and learning how things are here has been challenging. Seeing the mountains and how close they are is pretty fascinating.
Since being on my placement I have gotten the chance to go to Nanaimo which is also on Vancouver Island as well as Ucluelet, Parksville, camping at Mussel Beach, and visiting Tiger Lilly’s Farm. While at Tiger Lilly’s farm I got the chance to go horseback riding which was really exciting. I loved it and it was probably the highlight of my summer so far.
I wouldn’t have done these things without my host family providing the opportunities which I am grateful for. My host parent and their 2 daughters have lived in Northern Canada before which is pretty cool. They also have 5 pets including a dog, 3 cats, and a fish. I also have a dog back home so it’s nice to have a dog around to make it feel like home.
At my work placement, I work at a Daycare with older and younger kids. I like working at the daycare even though the kids can get a little wild sometimes. The people I work with are pretty nice once you get to know them.
Being part of this program has been such an amazing opportunity and I am so glad that I went for it. I’ll definitely be telling everyone back home who is interested in gaining work experience and having an amazing time to apply for NYA!
