My name is Emily Hardisty-Marcellais and I am from Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories. I am a participant in the 2019 Northern Youth Abroad Canadian Program. I’d like to thank everyone who supports NYA, because without it I wouldn’t be able to attend this amazing program. And thank you to the NYA staff for taking care of all us, and making this program fun and educational.
My host community is in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. There are a lot of things to do here, such as going on hikes on trails, going shopping, checking out festivals, and joining a yoga/fitness group on the weekends. I like that there’s a lot of things to do here, while in Fort Simpson activities are limited, so I like the options. Dartmouth has some flaws though, I’m not used to the heat, and I’m not used to travelling so far to get to a store, the nearest store from me is twenty minutes away. Other than that, Dartmouth is great.
Throughout the summer I have volunteered at Selby’s Bunker. Selby’s Bunker is a café and gift shop; working there was really fun, I got to make drinks, take orders, serve people food, and the staff there were so nice, they made my summer great. At my work place I learned that it’s okay to ask questions, and that it’s okay when you mess up, and being responsible with money and food, being more patient.
I liked the family I stayed with over the summer. My host mom Leticia, host sisters Fatiko and Kayla, and their six cats. They were very welcoming, which I liked. We did have a few challenges, but we sorted it out. I’m happy they opened their home to us and gave me this amazing opportunity.
Some fun things I did this summer was go shopping, exploring trails, going to the movies, going to festivals, going to carnivals, and checking out the beach and boardwalk.
Being a participant for NYA has been a lot of fun and a great experience. The program allowed me to see more of Canada, gave me a great opportunity, and a chance to meet other youth from the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This program has helped me with my confidence, asking more questions, learning about post-secondary school, other cultures, and what it’s like to live abroad.
What I’ll be doing with my experience with NYA when I get home is try to encourage other youth to join this program, the youth in Fort Simpson need to see what the world can offer them and the great opportunities they can have. I believe it’s important for the youth in my community to see different parts of Canada/the world, I want them to see that there’s more for them outside of Fort Simpson, like I said so many opportunities for education, jobs, travel, etc. I know every young individual in my community is capable of doing great things, and I think NYA is a great way for them to see that.
I’d like to thank Kristen Morrison, Jackie Whelly, Val Gendron, and my family and friends, and the rest of my community for supporting me, without you I couldn’t have had this amazing experience.
Thank you for reading my blog!
Sincerely,
Emily Hardisty-Marcellais
