My name is Layla Pewatualuk and I am from Pond Inlet. I was placed in Campbell River, BC for the summer. It was very different to arrive in Campbell River. The major differences were the weather and the people. People were very friendly in Campbell River.

I stayed with Debbie and her nephew Josh. He’s a really smart kid and we got along well. I could relate to him a lot. I loved their dog Buddy as well. I gave him lots of scratches on his tummy and his head, and he would be so happy to see me. He would plop on the floor and let me give him belly scratches.

I worked at Perk’s Donuts. They make donuts, sandwiches, soups, breakfast, burgers, hot dogs,  bread, and bagels. Debbie would drop me off at work and pick me up. A few times I walked home for 2 hours because I didn’t want to take the bus by myself. It was nice to walk and get used to Campbell River. My coworkers were really nice. Even though I had a rough start, I started enjoying it and warming up more as I got used to it. I decorated donuts, served the customers, rinsed and dried the dishes, cleaned the washrooms, cleared the tables and took the dishes to the dishwasher, and swept the floors. My supervisor, Dwayne, showed me how to make donut base and bread base and lemon icing. And I made muffins.  I got to use a large stand mixer, which was really cool. I wanted to bake donuts with Dwayne but he makes them at 4am and I didn’t want to get up that early!

I loved going to the mall in Victoria. I enjoyed going by myself and being able to buy whatever I wanted. I bought clothing, gifts, snacks. Going swimming in the lake was really fun and I really enjoyed it. I also went to the movie theatres a couple of times. Our host mom Debbie drove us around Vancouver island. We got to go to Tofino, Long Beach, and I visited my mentor Aileen on Salt Spring Island. I was there for one night and I had a really good time with her, her parents and her nieces and nephews. She took me around Salt Spring Island. We went to a few stores and an art gallery. I bought stuff made from local artists.

I’m glad that I came on Northern Youth Abroad. I really liked the different experiences I had away from home. I learned that there are more options in Canada. The workers said that if I ever stop by Campbell River in the future, to go to Perk’s and say hi!