Why Travel?

Shecana International has changed my life!

When I first started working in this student exchange industry, I expected that I would enjoy meeting students from around the world, and I certainly have. I did not expect to learn so much about Canada by seeing my country through the eyes of people from different cultures. As a Canadian I took many things for granted, like how friendly we are, how for example it is normal for a stranger at your school to smile and speak to you. How hundreds of families a year welcome students from around the world into their home and help our students through real life situations and somehow over the course of the year truly do become part of an international family. How sad everyone is when it is time to say good bye, but a part of their heart will always belong to their new international family and Canada. I learned how proud we should be of Canada, because we are nice people, that in many countries people consider Canada as one of the best places in the world.

I also learned how people can be humble as I watched over and over again my students sit back and let us Canadians brag about how we are so good at things like hockey and soccer, education and our life style when really in many situations their country was just as good or better. I see how hard it is to work though normal every day situations when every thing is different, language, school, food, friends but when you do there is no experience like it. I learned that the best answer sometimes is not my way or their way but a combination of both.

I experienced that when given a chance that it is OK to be different and that being an exchange student in another country gives you a wonderful chance to be whom ever you want to be to recreate yourself so to speak. Many many times students tell me I would never do this at home because it was not who I was and my friends would have thought I was weird. Those same students when it is time to go home don't care what the friends think.

Why do you want to travel or why do you travel?
For me the reason I travel is I love meeting new people and learning about different life styles. I also love beaches warm weather and sunshine; not really something we experience in Canada during our winter months. I did have a boy from Australia who told me years ago that he felt he was born in the wrong country because he could not ice skate or snow board as much as he would like in Australia...I would trade him his beaches for our snow..anytime.

What are you reasons to travel? What have you learned from travel? I would love to hear your stories.


Sheila Hoeg
Director Shecana International
Canada