Hey y’all!!
My name is Kayden Mercer, I am 17 years old and have lived in my community of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut my whole life. I will be going into grade 12, but have taken some grade 12 courses during grade 11. My territory of Nunavut is the territory found furthest east. It was established as of April 1, 1999 through negotiation, and negotiation alone. I personally found it pretty remarkable when I heard that my elders fought for, and won the right to own the worlds largest jurisdiction against the Canadian government, and did it without shedding a single ounce of blood throughout the process of negotiation! I decided to participate in Northern Youth Abroad because I feel this program will help me gain the attributes and traits that will guide me to become a better, more well-rounded human being, such as being more verbally and socially involved/engaged, as well as being more persistent and morally motivated when I am faced with a difficult task or duty that I do not want to do or feel reluctant to complete.
This summer, I have been placed in New Hamburg, Ontario with my placement buddy Preston. Preston is a really great, lovable character who is always filled with joy and enthusiasm. He is the type of guy you want around when you are in a bad mood as he always finds ways to lighten up your day. All good reviews in terms of my placement buddy!
When Preston and I first got onto the train leaving Ottawa, we both came to the conclusion that this was going to be our first time travelling on a train. We were both pretty nervous the whole ride through and a little (really!!) sad about leaving the other participants behind but I think we did a pretty good job comforting each other. When we got on our second train going from Toronto to Kitchener (our first time travelling alone on train), one of the conductors welcomed us with open arms and made us feel a lot more comfortable about the situation we were in. He was a really nice man and was really interested in where we were from.
When we arrived in Kitchener, we had no trouble locating Barb, Alan and William. They took us under their wing and made us feel like one of their blood related sons. It was honestly one of the most comfortable feelings when they gave us a bike tour around the town of New Hamburg, that was the exact moment I knew I was going to have one of the best summers I possibly could have; not to mention, if their house was a hotel, I would also give 5 stars!! I can’t say enough great things about my host family, they will always hold a special place in my heart long after I wrap up this program.
Overall, I am very happy with my stay in New Hamburg, and I am really enjoying my work placement as well. All the people I’ve met so far at my work placement have been really curious and have been asking a lot of questions about my culture and background, which I really enjoy. In terms of culture, I would say that I haven’t felt too much of a culture shock yet, everything’s been a little different but the same concept applies as in if you get what you give to other people.
Everything is going great for me this summer! I am really thankful I have had the chance to participate in this program. See y’all soon
