Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Feb 27/02) - The silent beauty of the North may never have been as deeply appreciated as it was this past week in Rankin Inlet.

A group of 16 exchange students and six chaperons visited Rankin as part of a Cross-Cultural Youth Exchange program with local youth.

The visiting group was from the Ernest C. Drury school in Milton, Ont.

Even more curious about these Southern adventurers was that the students were all hearing impaired.

Jacintha Howard of the Rankin Inlet Drop-In Centre says 18 Rankin youth, two chaperons and an interpreter visited Milton earlier this year.

The Ontario group arrived in Rankin on Feb. 15 and stayed for a week.

Howard says the exchange was arranged by a director with the YMCA.

"Joanne Bosley called and asked if we'd be interested in doing an exchange with the Milton group after I sent in our application for a youth exchange with a larger group," says Howard.

"I felt this would be a real challenge, so we went for it and things turned out really well."

Howard says she was impressed by how the Southern youth took to Rankin and the uniqueness of its culture and the climate.

Some students had the opportunity to go on a caribou hunt and others on a snowmachine trip to Thompson Island.

"The ski-doo trip was a bit too cold for a number of them."

"I actually got the worst of it because I picked up a bit of frostbite making six trips back and forth taking in the ones who got cold."

The students were also treated to a couple of potluck suppers, spent some time with elder Mariano Aupilardjuk and were treated to an evening of traditional Inuit games.

They also enjoyed their time just hanging out with local youth their own age.

"The kids from away get a chance to experience Inuit culture and the Arctic environment and our local youth get to taste life in the South.

It's a real learning experience for everyone."