NAUJAAT
Terance Mapsalak returned to Naujaat after becoming the first Nunavut cadet to ever take part in an international army cadet exchange program during the school year in Chile this past month.

Naujaat cadet Master Warrant Officer Terance Mapsalak enjoys the breath-taking scenery while participating in an international exchange program in Chile this past month. - photo courtesy of Terance Mapsalak

There have been Nunavut cadets selected for the army cadet program's summer expeditions, but Mapsalak became the first to participate during Canada's winter months.

The master warrant officer was selected along with 17 other cadets from across the country to participate in the prestigious annual expedition.

The expedition program is a big part of the overall army cadet program.

Cadets have to complete a regional expedition during their third and fourth years in the program as part of their training.

The Naujaat cadets conduct the vast majority of their regional expeditions in Manitoba, and they also take part in two or three field-training exercises each year learning land-and-survival skills while out on the land near Naujaat.

For army cadets, the expeditions are the equivalent of flying for air cadets and sailing for sea cadets.

Mapsalak, 17, originally applied and was accepted to participate in a six-week course in Whitehorse, Yukon, to become an expedition instructor in 2014.

After completing the program to become an expedition instructor, Mapsalak then passed a basic parachutist course and went on to complete the Yukon Paddle regional expedition.

Upon completing his Yukon regional expedition, Mapsalak applied for the international exchange and was accepted.

Mapsalak said the expedition was nothing short of amazing.

He said he struggled a bit with the food served to the group in Chile, but, other than that, it was one spectacle after another in the foreign land.

"I was, kind of, hungry a lot because the food was very, very different compared to what we eat in Canada and the portions we got were very small compared to what I'm normally used to," said Mapsalak.

"I made a lot of new friends on the expedition, the scenery was pretty awesome everywhere we went, and it was cool to experience a country that's less modern than Canada..

"The best part of the whole trip for me was when we went through this bridge that was very high and really long.

"It's hard to put into words, but going through that bridge was just incredible."

Mapsalak said it was very cool to learn about, and interact with, a new culture.

He said his group of Canadians learned a lot about local culture during their visit, and everyone they met on the expedition were quite accommodating in explaining things to the visitors.

"Our guides really talked about their culture and traditions a lot.

"They were very, very proud of their country.

"We took part in a number of different activities on the expedition, including being taken on a really great tour of the parts of Chile where we were.

"During our own time we were taken to some different restaurants and things like that, which was also pretty memorable."

Mapsalak said the group was exposed to both the urban side of Chile and it's incredible countryside.

He said Spanish is the primary language in Chile, and not too many people among those he met during his stay spoke any English at all. And then, again, there was the food.

"The food was more on the downside of the whole experience for me," Mapsalak said, the slight nervousness in his voice giving away the fact he feels a little guilty saying it, even though that was how he truly felt.

"It was very different than Canadian food and, to me, not in a good way at all.

"Like I said earlier, the food was also pretty small, so I didn't eat very much while I was there, but I'm still glad I had the experience of trying the different foods there and everything."

Mapsalak said the expedition, itself, was quite physically challenging.

He said he didn't really struggle on the expedition, but it was definitely not easy.

"We did a lot of hiking and kayaking, and the countryside there is pretty cool.

"We saw a lot of mountains and we actually went up to one summit.

"We didn't go all the way to the very top of the mountain we were on, but we reached its summit, which was an amazing experience with a breathtaking view.

"My biggest surprise of the trip was the penguins we saw, because I really wasn't expecting that, and my favourite parts were the bridge we went through, the hiking we did and standing on that summit."

Mapsalak joined the army cadet program at the age of 11, two months shy of the normal minimum starting age of 12.

He said he would recommend giving the cadet program a try to any Nunavut youth.

"What I can say about it, is that army cadets is a really great program," said Mapsalak.

"It really helped me a lot to grow as a person."

Naujaat's 3055 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps commanding officer Capt. Lloyd Francis said Mapsalak's accomplishment is a big feather in the corps' hat.

He said the corps leaders are always proud anytime Naujaat cadets can get out and experience something new.

"My goal as the commanding officer is to try and give the Naujaat cadets as many opportunities as possible to experience new parts of our own country and new parts of the world, in general," said Francis.

"The big thing about cadets is that it's free, so the cadets can do all this traveling to experience new places and cultures at no cost to them.

"Terance (Mapsalak) was really excited to share some of his stories when he came back to Naujaat, but, unfortunately, he was sick our first cadet night after his return and the next one was canceled due to weather, but he has been sharing a few of his stories with some cadets at school.

"When we return from our current exchange program in British Columbia, he's going to talk to the entire cadet corps about his trip, which really should spark interest in other cadets to work a little harder and try to get accepted into a program like this in the future."

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