Hello! My name is Kelsey, and I’m from Whale Cove, Nunavut. I’m 16 years old and will be turning 17 on the 21st of September! First of all, I’m truly thankful for my mom for being there for me throughout this program. Her unwavering support and encouragement have been my rock, guiding me through challenges and celebrating my successes. Having her in my corner has made all the difference, and I couldn’t be more grateful for her presence in my life.

I’m also very grateful for NYA, my mentor, and my host family. I really appreciate my host family for welcoming us into her house and making us feel at home. She has been the best and is a lot of fun to talk with. Her name is Catherine, and she’s one of the nicest person I’ve met. She’s also very pretty. Catherine deserves the best in this world, and I know she is an amazing mother. She has 6-year-old twins. The twins love doing crafts! Like making bracelets, necklaces, and other things. That is one of the things I like about them—they make nice bracelets, necklaces, and stuff. They even made a long rope with the little rubber bands.

By the way, the food here is really good too! I got to try Teriyaki, which I’ve always wanted to try, and it’s amazing. Same with the steak and fries at Montana’s. I went to Montana’s with Mahasi in Winnipeg, before going to Ottawa, and I told Catherine about how good the food is. She let us go there for dinner with Jordon and David. It was great meeting up with them. I really hope to keep in touch with everyone as long as possible after this summer. Anyways, I’m very thankful for NYA for allowing me to experience what it’s like here and letting me try new things. The same goes for Mahasi; they helped me and have been really fun!

NYA has helped me gain a lot of confidence and allowed me to experience new things. I even overcame challenges I thought I wouldn’t be able to conquer. Although I’ve been behind on some things and need to improve. I haven’t really felt homesick, but I do miss my family and friends. Besides that, I’ve really loved my time here. The only downside is the heat—it’s too hot for me, especially since I’m from the North. Meeting everyone has been the highlight of my summer. I was very nervous at first and thought nobody would talk to me, but everyone turned out to be so nice.

My first impression of everyone was that they were cool and awesome, and they truly are amazing. My buddy Hailey and I had a blast at the VR experience, which was one of the best moments, along with visiting Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls is very beautiful, especially when it’s lit up at night. I also went to Mississauga for a Jackalope event, and let me tell you, it was a blast! There was a skateboarding event, parachute jumping, break dance performances, motocross action, a thrilling bike competition, and so much more. It was an epic day filled with excitement! Another interesting thing is that the prices in the South are much better than back home. Everything is cheaper here, whereas back home, it’s really expensive.

This summer has been unforgettable, and I’m already looking forward to trying again next year. I’ll make sure to do even better and work harder next time. As for now, I’m still a little nervous, but I’m pretty sure I’ll overcome that by next year.