My name is Madison Migwi-Mantla and I am spending my summer in Kentville, Nova Scotia. I came from a community called Behchoko and I live in Rae, about an hour’s drive away from Yellowknife. Behchoko’s population is almost 2000 now.
My host-parents are living in a duplex with my host mom’s family, and I am sharing a room with my placement buddy Anikan. My host family’s house is somewhat in the countryside. The neighborhood is surrounded by trees and fields. Me and my placement buddy have to get a ride from our host parents if we want to go somewhere as there’s no nearby buses we could take.
For my work placement I am working at Evergreen for Special Care. My co-workers were so nice to me while I was working there. My supervisor would introduce me to anyone that was in the area and would mention that I live in the Northwest Territories which was very nice of him to do.
During my first day Sheila, my co-worker, gave me a tour of the whole place and introduced me to her family member who lives at the residence. The best part of working there was meeting the residents who live there. They are all so sweet and kind. Most of the residents are polite and sometimes would compliment my outfits. Sometimes they would give me nicknames like “my darling” or “my dear.”
During our first days here, we went to see Inside Out 2 at the movies. At some point we went to Chester to have a spa day. It was the most relaxing place I’ve ever been to. When we went to Cape Breton for two days, we hiked at tourist spots in the rain, which kind of sucked but it had beautiful scenery and a great view of the ocean. It was my first time seeing the ocean. We went to Hall’s Harbour where I tried a lobster for the first time, and we gazed into the abyss of the ocean. I learned that lobster is not as expensive in Nova Scotia as it is in Yellowknife.
My host parent Marisa took us to Halifax for the weekend where we watched the Pride Parade. It was a cool experience to see everyone being supportive. When we made plans, we had to plan out our schedule and stick to it. I have had to wake up early and get to our destination on time, such as work and timed out activities. It was hard to adjust to the time difference for the first few days.
My placement buddy Anikan respects my privacy and is nice. My host parents are nice too. Ryan talks to me which I appreciate. Thanks to Northern Youth Abroad for this experience, and my mentor for his help to get here. Thank you to my host family for hosting me during my summer placement, and to my buddy. Thank you to the NYA staff for offering this program. I would definitely recommend NYA to other teens in the North!
