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REPULSE BAY/CALGARY - A group of cadets from Repulse Bay will be talking for some time about the trip they had to Calgary, Alta., this past month.

The Repulse 3055 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps members were in Calgary for the second phase of their cadet exchange program.

A group of Quebec cadets were welcomed to Repulse in 2008.

The exchange program is delivered through the National Youth Initiatives; InterProvincial Cadet Exchange.

The purpose of the exchange is to help strengthen national unity by exposing cadets to the multicultural composition of Canada, and to promote and encourage active living.

2nd Lieut. Jennifer Perry is the commanding officer for the Repulse Bay cadet corps.

Perry said when a corps is accepted into the Inter-provincial Cadet Exchange, it hosts a group of cadets during its first year before getting to travel to another province or territory in the second year.

She said the location they visit is selected by the national administrators of the program.

"Our cadets were excited when they first heard Calgary had been selected as our destination, mostly because former Tusarvik teachers Janey and Stan Meredyk live there and they really wanted to see them again," said Perry.

"Once they got there, however, they were really impressed by the city because there were so many things they had never seen before.

"Four of the cadets had never been outside of Repulse before, so it was a very big trip for them.

"The highlights of the trip were our stops at the Calgary Tower, Calgary Zoo, Royal Tyrrell Museum and a gondola ride to the top of a mountain."

The Repulse cadets also spent a good deal of time with the host corps, attending a banquet, the Calgary corps' parade night and a weapons demonstration facilitated by three soldiers who had just returned from Afghanistan.

Perry said the Repulse youth enjoyed each of the events they shared with the Calgary cadets.

She said the last night of the visit, however, was the Repulse cadets' turn to shine.

"The banquet was held during our final evening in Calgary and that really gave our cadets a chance to show their culture and community.

"We did a PowerPoint presentation on Repulse Bay and Inuit culture, and then our cadets demonstrated throatsinging, drum dancing and a number of Inuit games and sports.

"While the cadets were demonstrating the games, some of the Calgary cadets were remarking how easy it looked and wanted to give them a try.

"We let them try but they couldn't do them, and that made our cadets feel pretty good about themselves because they're really good at things others may not be."

Perry said the Repulse youth were somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer size of the city.

She said they took great pleasure from many things southern kids take for granted.

"They were impressed by driving around in a bus because there's really nowhere to drive in Repulse.

"So, being able to drive for an hour was a big thing for our kids.

"At the Tyrrell dinosaur museum, we had to stop the bus and let them out to take pictures of cows because they were so amazed by them."

Perry said if she had to pick one element of the trip that impacted the Repulse cadets the most, it would be the visit to the Calgary Zoo.

She said the cadets were just "blown away" by the animals they saw there.

"When they called home to talk to their parents that night they'd be talking in Inuktitut, but I'd hear them say giraffe, elephant, monkeys or hippopotamus all through their conversations.

"So I understood they were telling their parents about the zoo and they were so excited to see those animals.

"We didn't get to see the whole zoo, but the part they wanted to see the most was the African Safari, so I made sure they got there.

"To see these animals in real life is amazing for anyone, but for our kids - who are used to polar bear and caribou - it was a spectacular experience."

Perry said the parents were a little nervous when the cadets were leaving, and very happy when they returned.

She said a special meeting was held with them before the cadets left for Calgary to help alleviate some of their concerns.

"They were very nervous about them going to such a big city, but that was perfectly understandable.

"Our school principal told the girls to put their hair up if they went in a whirlpool (bath) because it might get stuck and they'd drown.

"That bit of advice led to three of them cutting their hair very short before we left so they wouldn't get caught in a whirlpool and drown."