One thing that was very noticeable in Iqaluit was large numbers of children everywhere. Nunavut has a very young population with 56% under age of 25. I saw many Inuit mothers wearing traditional Inuit parkas with large hoods in back where their babies are carried. The Inuit youth is one of Canadian Arctic's untapped resources and its future. They have access to satellite television and dress just like their counterparts in south. However, at present only about 25% of high school students graduate so a big challenge for Nunavut government is to encourage Inuit kids to stay in school. During my second trip, there was darkness for only a few hours each day so it was very strange to be walking around town at 10 pm in evening with daylight still present. Even at this hour, there were still quite a few young Inuit children playing outside. The locals, Inuit and non-Inuit alike were very friendly. I got impression of a tight community perhaps because of isolation of Canadian Arctic. However, local Inuit were also very open to visitors and willing to share a bit of their lives. During daytime, I went up to a few Inuit art carvers who were working outside their houses. Each turned off their power saws when I approached them and seemed happy to talk to me. I met most of them later during evenings when they showed me their finished works of Inuit art.

I had opportunity to walk about 30 minutes to outskirts of town past airport one day. I climbed up a hilltop with a satellite dish facility overlooking an expansive valley. There was nobody else around and it was incredible how silent area was. It was like a vacuum where I could hear only my own breathing. It was a very peaceful and even spiritual moment there. While sitting on this Arctic hilltop, I was suddenly startled at one point by a noise and it turned out to be flapping wings of a large raven flying by. There are tours offered by local outfitters to see northern wildlife and experience some of Arctic tundra further out. I hope to take one of these tours on a future visit. A trip to Nunavut is not cheap since everything, including flights are so expensive. However, I will definitely return not only for more Inuit art, but also to experience more of local Inuit culture and Arctic land.

America: Land of Theme parks

The most awe-inspiring park has got to be Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles, California. From a New Yorker’s perspective, Gordon Teoh says “It’s all going on, all time”.

This is not a theme park so much as it's an extreme park, and it's home to one jaw dropping rollercoaster – The Viper, otherwise known as largest looping rollercoaster in world. But wait, Viper is set to lose this title to an even taller and faster opponent with planned unveiling of The KingDa Ka. Towering at 456 feet and launching you screaming at over 127 MPH, America's theme parks just keep getting bigger, faster and meaner....almost out of control. So make sure your camp is based around Los Angeles area if you decide to take plunge.

The Grand Canyon

Few people have not heard of Grand Canyon, but not many have seen it. This is an American classic for film locations of every kind and for those who know, this was Airwolf's lair in famous TV series by same name. The Grand Canyon is an exceptionally deep, steep-walled canyon in northwestern Arizona area. “It is amazing - just like in movies!” comments Helen Anderson who worked at Camp Canonicus. River rafting in Colorado River, hiking and of course good old photography are things to do at Canyon. The Grand Canyon cannot be missed; it's big, it's wild and it's absolutely amazing.

These destinations represent only a small fraction of possibilities of post-summer camp gap year travel. The summer camp you work at could be anywhere in USA, so do some research or contact one of camp organizers for things to do after camp. Ten weeks of America's infinite possibilities await, so waste no time!