Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Friday, June 1, 2007

FORT SIMPSON - A group of students from Fort Simpson and Vancouver have gotten a glimpse of how the other half lives.

As part of a YMCA Youth Exchange program, a group of 20 students aged 15-18 from City school in Vancouver came to Fort Simpson from April 28 to May 3. The exchange was reversed when 17 students from Thomas Simpson school went to Vancouver from May 10-18.

The purpose of the exchange is to get students from different areas of Canada to learn about each other, said Nathalie Lavoie, a teacher who accompanied the students. During the exchange students were encouraged to try new experiences.

"I think it was a great success," said Lavoie.

Few of the Fort Simpson students have lived in such a big city for a week. Because the trip involved a home stay arrangement, where they lived with a Vancouver student and their family, the Simpson students really got a sense of city life, said Lavoie.

One of the challenges was figuring out public transport, the main mode of travel during the trip.

"They kind of got some street sense out of it," she said.

"It's a different way of living."

Staying with a host family was a great experience, said Jenny Thompson.

"They were fun," Thompson said.

She said her host family made her feel comfortable and took her to different activities including Indian and Greek restaurants.

Trying new foods was also part of Charlene Gargan's experience. Her host family made her a dish of organic spaghetti, shrimp and feta cheese that was delicious, she said.

Finding out about the way students learn at City school was also interesting, said Gargan.

As part of being an alternative school, students also learn music, art and drama.

"It was pretty awesome. I didn't want to leave," Gargan said.

Students also took in many of the city's highlights including the Vancouver Aquarium, the Queen Elizabeth Gardens, the Vancouver Centennial Police Museum and the University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology.

The aquarium was high on the list of people's favourite stops. Thompson said the best part was getting to touch an anemone. Daphne Squirrel liked the sea otters while Sasha Simms was captivated by a large sea lion.

"It was huge," said Simms.

Students and teachers from City school in Vancouver found life in Fort Simpson equally as captivating.

"It's just been a really amazing thing," said Gary Davis, a teacher from City school who accompanied the students.

None of the students had been North of 60 before so this was a new experience for them, said Davis.

"I had no idea what really to expect," said Jason McGovern, 17.

McGovern said he enjoyed the helicopter ride that students took over the village and the camping trip.

"It was just an overall good experience," he said.

Heather Hamilton, 17, said she particularly enjoyed the Northern lights and the river break-up.

"It was pretty amazing. I haven't seen anything like that before," said Hamilton.