Hi, my name is Allie Cookie I am from Sanikiluaq Nunavut and I am an International Program Participant for NYA. Northern Youth Abroad is an organization that allows youth from Nunavut and the Northwest Territories to travel and gain experiences through three different programs. The Canadian phase is where participants get to gain work experience in Southern Canada for  a total of 6 weeks. The Next phase is where participants stay in Ottawa for 6 weeks at the Algonquin College campus and explore post-secondary options. They build dog houses and make picture frames during their stay. Lastly, the International Phase is where participants get to travel outside of Canada and gain travel experience. I have done all the phases of the NYA program.

My blog is about the hiking that we did for 6 days. My hiking experience was amazing, and we had two very good instructors who motivated us to try new things. They were very nice and welcoming people and I can’t put into words how thankful I am to have this experience. During the hike we stayed at three home stays. The homes that we stayed in were very nice and the people were very welcoming. They also gave us very good coffee. We also got to rappel down a waterfall and that was overwhelming for me because I have never done something like that. At first, I was scared to do it, but in the end it was worth it! We also got to climb a tree and that was very fun because I have never really climbed a tree before. During the activities we did, I told myself that I can do this, that this will be worth it, and that everything will be okay. I pushed myself to do things I have never done so I can cherish the memories I made with my fellow participants.

I saw so many interesting plants and animals that I have never seen before. Costa Rica is very beautiful and the most amazing land I have seen so far. In general, the hike was hard and challenging but definitely worth it. I am more and more grateful to have hiked the rain forest of Costa Rica. I highly recommend this program because you learn a lot and make memories with new people. I am excited to finish the International Program.

Allie