A March Break Malaysian in Yellowknife

4 April 2014Karli S, Hope '15

Spring break: just over two weeks of no Brentwood. No assignments due, no late night test cramming, no caf food, no early mornings. For most of us, this meant going home to our families, maybe taking a vacation to somewhere warm, like Hawaii for example. But for Garey G, Whittall ’15, a Malaysian used to the tropical heat, this meant travelling to Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories. His roommate, Cole P, Whittall ’15, and his family hosted Garey at their home for five days. When Garey stepped off the plane, a seal and polar bear statue greeted him as he said to himself, ‘I know I’m in the North now.’ The first full day he was there he went to see an ice castle that is only built during the month of March. “I was lucky to have gone at that time,” he said. Inside the castle were tunnels, framed local works of art, and even a small café that served hot chocolate and cookies. On the way to the castle, Garey walked atop a frozen lake which served as the ice route to the castle. The next day, Garey and Cole’s family went on a hike where they saw frozen waterfalls and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows on a campfire. Garey, silly boy, let his marshmallow catch on fire and got made fun of as it burst into flames. But don’t worry, he was laughing right alongside everybody else as he reached into the bag and pulled out a fresh one for a second attempt. On the third day, Garey was given the chance to go tobogganing for the first time ever! He said he had a super fun time, even though he fell off quite a lot and ended up rolling down the hill a number of times. He enjoyed himself, though, and said he’d love to go sledding again. Garey also went dogsledding, something else that was completely new and foreign to him. He described the feeling as though he was “enveloped by a sea of white” while cruising through the snow behind the dogs. And last but not least, Garey experienced what he said was his favourite part of the trip – seeing aurora borealis, the Northern Lights. He was entranced by the beautiful colours that danced across the night sky, saying, “I felt alive.” At one point he even lay down atop the snow, listening to music from his phone, and said to himself, ‘There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.’ The fact that Brentwood is filled with so many students from all around the world is just amazing, and the many opportunities that are presented, even over spring break, are endless. Garey is incredibly thankful for Cole and his family for having him: “Thank you for treating me as part of your family.” Karli S, Hope ‘15

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