My name is Randy Angilirq and I am from Igloolik Nunavut. During the summer with the NYA, I am staying in Chilliwack, British Columbia. I was told about the NYA program by a teacher from the Igloolik high school. When I applied, I was working at the high school as a substitute teacher. I applied to the program thinking I wouldn’t get accepted, after a few months, I got word that I got accepted. The binder came in late, so I had to rush through the workbook. It was hard to do because I had 2 jobs and a bad sleep schedule, but I managed to be fairly on time with the projects.

My volunteer job during the summer is at Kirkpatrick Auto, it is a place where they work on vehicles that need to be fixed. The first few weeks were hard, I didn’t like working with vehicles because they were dirty and I don’t like getting my hands dirty, I also didn’t like just watching the other workers doing the work. After a few days I got to help around the shop more, I learned how to change tires on a car and do oil changes. My favorite part of the job was either watering the plants or doing paperwork.

Everyone at work always greets me every time I come in which is nice. My daily schedule while working is simple, I have to water the plants every day, I have to keep the garbage bins clean, and help the mechanics if they every require assistance.

My host family is nice, I am staying with Sheldon. He works as special constable, and he makes us lunch every day. He has 3 daughters, and I went to the park with them a few times. He works late shifts so he comes home later than my buddy and I. My sleep schedule has changed a lot while in British Columbia due to the time change, it is 3 hours behind from my town. I go to work by taking a bike, I ride about 14 Km a day to and from my host place, so my legs are always sore, it is at least a 30 min bike ride, I am careful on the streets and with the traffic.

Chilliwack is home to the indigenous people called the Sto: lo people. I watched some of them perform during the Canada Day festival, their beliefs are interconnectedness between people and the natural world. They also believe that all life forces are connected to the earth, as well as connecting the present with the generations past and the future.

My challenges during my time in BC were minimal, I only missed my family a little bit, but I missed my friends a lot. I mostly missed playing video games with my friends, I am missing out on new game content and feel like I am behind my friends in the game challenges. I also couldn’t go to sleep some nights because of the heat, the temperature at night is usually between 15 to 20 degrees Celsius, which is super warm compared to my hometown. When I couldn’t sleep, I wrote in my journal. I also miss the midnight sun; I wasn’t used to the darkness during the night.

When I am not working, I play games on my Nintendo Switch, I like playing The Legend of Zelda and sometimes Fortnite Festival. I went to the Cheam Leisure Center and I worked out while I was there, there is also a public pool, sports center, a sauna and a hot tub. I also liked to bike the Vedder trail, it’s a trail along the Vedder River. It’s about 16 km and a lot of other people always walk or bike the trail too. There are other places to do some stuff while having free time. I went to a place where they played card games and other things, such as a videogames. Most of the time, I hang around the house and go for short walks. Robert and I went to watch movies on the weekends – we watched Inside Out 2, Despicable Me 4, and we will watch Deadpool 3 later this month.

I am thankful for everyone who helped me get into the program, I am lucky to get into the program and very thankful for the staff for everything. I have met a lot of nice people such as all the other participants, and I have made lots of new memories with everyone. I am thankful for Sheldon for keeping me at his house and feeding me. I hope everyone also had a nice summer and never forget all the memories with all the other participants.

Thank you for reading my blog.