Six international exchange students from far-off countries recently got a taste of Northern life during a four-day visit to Hay River and the surrounding area.
The cold definitely took some getting used to, but they all seemed to enjoy themselves, according to Diane Morrison, one of the chaperones for the group.
"They were told to dress warmly, but that can mean many things to different people," she said, laughing. "I think from time to time we were all cold. We didn't always have the right clothing, but they were so enthusiastic. They didn't let the cold stop them.
"They seemed to all have a great time."
The six students, aged 15-17, came from Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Denmark and Japan, but have all been living in communities around Alberta as part of a year-long exchange program.
They were in Hay River from Feb. 26 to March 2.
Their visit to the town of about 3,200 people was facilitated, in part, by the local rotary club. Club president Heather Love not only hosted one of the visitorsSA国际影视传媒� Germany's Luzie Verwohlt SA国际影视传媒� but also arranged the visitors' itinerary and tagged along for each activity on the agenda.
They were definitely kept busy. Over the course of their stay, they went dog-sledding and ice-fishing, checked out the frozen Alexandra Falls, learned the basics of traditional bead-working with Dene artist Elsie Canadien, and participated in a fire-feeding ceremony with local Dene Elders.
"During the feeding-of-the-fire ceremony, the Elder asked for volunteers," said Love. "The girl from Brazil (Barbara Martinez Perez Oliva) and Japanese boy (Tensei Ichikawa) immediately put up their hands, and they were the ones to go around and be part of that sacred ceremony. That really moved me, that they were so involved."
The visiting students also had a chance to stop by the local youth centre, attend K'atlSA国际影视传媒檕deeche First Nation's K'amba Carnival and mingle with students from the community's Chief Sunrise Education Centre.
"A couple of the guys took advantage of the night when they have the high school gym open, and they went and played basketball with some of the local kids," said Morrison. "The next day, they ran into them on the street. Those kinds of experiences SA国际影视传媒� meeting people up close and personal SA国际影视传媒� were great for them."
The students will return to their home countries on different dates, but all are expected to leave Canada by the end of July.
Morrison is certain they will have plenty of good things to say about their time in the country by the time they're back with their families.
"Absolutely they will," she said.
Love, who lived in London as part of a similar exchange program when she was younger, has already heard back from the family of Jan Nestler, the other German student on the trip, who called it "a great experience" for their son.
Oliva's father even got in touch during one of their activities.
"While we were out on Great Slave Lake pulling in those fishing nets, she got a picture of herself holding a lake whitefish, and immediately sent it to her dad in Brazil," she said. "Within a few minutes, she got a picture back from her dad, from when she was a little girl, when they went on a fishing trip in Brazil.
"He was so proud that she had been on Great Slave Lake and got a fish."
That kind of feedback brought a smile to the rotary club president's face, as did an opportunity to share her home territory with a group of adventurous youths from various parts of the world.
"I had the luxury of being on every event with them," Love said. "I was their guide, so I got to watch them with smiles on their faces as they left to go dog-sledding.
"I felt a lot of pride for sure," she added. "It was really rewarding for me, personally."
