Hi everyone I’m Wally Issigaitok from Hall Beach Nunavut.  The first couple of weeks of Next were kind of hard for me, but then it got better. It is a really unique experience to have! You get to travel to Ottawa for orientation for one week, go to your placement to meet your host family, and volunteer for high school credits. During NYA, you are having new experiences, building new friendships, and a new family. After 4 weeks, we go back to re-orientation in Ottawa. By the time you get to Ottawa, you feel like you don’t want to go home because you want to stay with the new friends you made. You will want to come back to Northern Youth Abroad. I had a great experience in my Canadian phase last year. I got to go to Chilliwack British Columbia. While I was in Chilliwack BC, I volunteered with Salvation Army and the YMCA.  Both were so great and I made a lot of new friends. My experience in Chilliwack BC was awesome! 

During my time with the Next program, I have also had a great time. First, I was with all my friends at Macskimming Camp for orientation for one week. There was nothing to bother you except the mosquitoes! After orientation I got to Ottawa where I will be spending 5 weeks at Algonquin College. It is the best! During the Next program, you get to spend time with your roommate, learn how to budget, and attend construction classes together. Soon, we will be going to Montreal for less then a week which is exciting because I’ve never been there before. I am so proud of myself that I applied for Northern Youth Abroad. I have had the greatest experiences with this program, and am so thankful for them because they so much for the youth from the Nunavut and NWT.  

Thank you so much for reading my blog!