Hey my name is Arthur Tootoo Angootealuk. I live in Coral Harbour, Nunavut, Canada.
My International group has travelled overseas to Africa to exchange culture and we have been on flights, buses, taxis, for many hours trying to reach northern Botswana, Africa, which is Maun and Shakawe. As we arrived to the Capital city we had an orientation for two days in the WUSC office of what we should be aware of and being cautious of the bad habits around Botswana.
My life in the host community has been pretty comfortable adjusting with the culture in Maun. For the first week we’ve been having huge introductions to the area, like the workplace we will be working in: Botswana Family Welfare Association, and Women Against Rape. For the President Holiday, we as a group, had planned to travel down to Ghanzi to meet the San people, and experience sleeping in huts, and what medication they use to heal the pain, and how they hunt and attend dancing, as well as watching them dance around the fire pit. We also played the games that San people’s kids play almost every day. Our placement home is well protected, and it’s not dangerous. There is an Island safari lodge restaurant & bar just across the bridge just about 400 meters. Our house placement is a brick house and has couple of washrooms, one with shower and the other one with just a toilet and a sink, 8 beds in 3 bed rooms, kitchen, living room, backyard, no washing machine (hand wash clothes only). It also has a huge front yard to play soccer, hacky sack, and play catch with baseball gloves, etc.
Well we got to meet many Canadian people in the country of Botswana, Africa, and many local people, plus teenagers that are working with us at Botswana Family welfare Association, and they say most of the volunteers say they have neither boyfriends nor girlfriends. Some of the International participants got to chat with them in separate mornings when were at the work placement. We exchanged our traditional games, dances, and our culture. We asked many questions such as how many people live in our country, how many years have you lived in your country, how many siblings and relatives we have, what sports are played, what mall is the best store to shop, how our animals are hunted, do any local people own businesses, who owns or runs our country, and what politics are there and many more.
Oh how to get to Botswana, Africa from Southampton Island, Coral Harbour, Nunavut, Canada. Here it goes: you have to fly through Calm Air, Kivalliq Air, or First Air to Rankin Inlet or straight to Iqaluit,
transfer flight to Ottawa, Ontario, take the bus to Montreal terminal, go to the Air France counter.
Next: book a flight to Paris, France to Johanesburg, to Gaborone by Air Botswana. Take a bus to Maun or fly there. It should take you nearly nine hours to get to Maun. Pick a cheap pricy hotel, for our home placement has been selected by the volunteers that are working in the WUSC office in Gaborone.
I just want to say big hello to my mom and dad and all of my nephews and nieces, brother and sisters, and especially to my nephew Benny Angootealuk (Happy Birthday!) & family and to the people who knows Arthur tootoo Angootealuk from coral harbour Nunavut, Canada.
Take the NYA Program seriously it’s a big apportunity to get out of all trouble, and you are free from all bad habits and substances in your community. You can learn to become a more independent person and stronger in travelling by your own with no escort from other relatives.
Thanks
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