Iceland to Kalaallit Nunaat Expedition 2025 – Youth Blog Collection 4
July 17, 2025
Darius des Vignes
Today we visited the town of Qaqortoq and went on a short tour of the town. I was excited to finally visit a town and meet the people of Greenland. We visited a pottery studio, where we all received some gifts from the owners, and others purchased from a variety of handmade art arranged on the shelves. Soon after, we played a game of soccer with the locals. Our Adventure Canada team lost 5-3, but this friendly matchup was highlighted by the 3 SOI goal scorers. Though our lifestyles are so far apart, playing together made me realize we have more in common than I thought. Just before departure, some of us rushed through the grocery store and ran down to the dock for the last zodiacs. The bit of soccer was refreshing after being on the ship for days, and made it one of my favourite moments.
July 21, 2025
Héloïse Soyer
Today was an exciting day, because I got to help Charlotte, a young explorer from the Explorers Club, with her project on a space suit. So when we went on land in Paamiut, Greenland, I got to wear a white space suit with a big astronaut helmet so I could help with testing the communication system in the helmet. With Charlotte, we got in contact with the Mission Control center in the Netherlands, and I got some exercises like counting numbers, describing the landscape and walking around the site, to verify if the contact was stable. The connections with the Netherlands lasted for a good 20 minutes, and Charlotte was really happy about it. I felt excited and safe inside the suit and delighted to participate in this interesting project.
July 22, 2025
Fredi Anne Inuktalik
Today we made it to Nuuk, Q’s Greenland met with us after we got off the ship. Us SOI team got to make a video with her, then we got to go on a bus tour and see parts of Nuuk. We also sat and ate inuksuit with Nanna’s family, which was spectacular. The view from their home is amazing. I am thankful to have seen Nuuk, and I am ready to go back to Canada, where everything is in Canadian dollars(lol). Mahsi cho, quyanaq, quana, nakuurmiik, matna, quyanainni! (Thank you in various languages).
July 23, 2025
Héloïse Soyer
One of the events that I was most excited about was the polar plunge, and we just came back from it! The exercise is to jump into the Arctic Ocean, and to congratulate us, we receive a cup of hot chocolate. I love swimming and diving in cold water, as it feels so good. Some of the other youth were a bit stressed, but mostly everybody had an uplifting energy and was encouraging towards everybody. We had such a blast, and we are so proud of ourselves to have done it. It was a beautiful moment, jumping in such calm and turquoise water with a view on glaciers and mountains, it was a surreal experience. I’m so grateful to be able to create memories like that, with my new friends on top of that 🙂
Fredi Anne Inuktalik
3:03 pm – Today is the last full day on the ship. We have had a good expedition. It has been such an amazing experience, and I’m thankful to have had the opportunity. Today we went on a zodiac cruise, and then I got to watch the other youth do the polar plunge. Afterwards, we had lunch with very beautiful views out on the decks. I am leaving the ship; blessed, thankful, full of knowledge about Greenland, and very, very homesick. But as they say, home will always be home. I’m grateful to have met a bunch of new friends, who have made a great impact on my life, and I hope to continue to stay connected. Both SOI participants and non-participants.
