The world has been getting smaller every passing day with the rapidly developing communication technology, allowing individuals to learn a lot about other places and cultures without leaving the comfort of their living room.
Yet, some people are never satisfied with the second hand information and they want to see and experience things for themselves.
Brenda Schroeder, who has recently settled in Stettler, is one such person.
After spending several years abroad, working and studying, including at far corners of the world such as Singapore, Schroeder is now putting into work the knowledge and experience she has accumulated over the time she was away.
“ Starting in high school, I had a lot of questions and concerns about the conflict and contradictions I saw in the world,” Schroeder said explaining why she was attracted to seeing the outside world for herself.
“This led me to studying international development in university and to joining AIESEC, an organization focused on providing a platform for university students to develop leadership and global citizenship.
“The kind of questions I was asking in my studies and the people from around the world and Canada that I was meeting made me want to get out and explore more of the world for myself,” she says.
Schroeder’s international journey began with working for the organization itself.
“I started out working abroad for AIESEC - as part of the National Office of AIESEC in Italy and then as part of the International office based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands,” she recalled.
Then came more professionally oriented assignments.
“I stayed in the Netherlands for just over four years, also working at ABN AMRO - a Dutch bank,” she explained.
“These roles were focussed on training and development of the leadership in these organizations as well as introducing topics related to environmental stewardship and overall sustainability.”
Then, expanding her horizons, Schroeder took on the challenge of learning and living in a completely different culture and moved to Singapore.
“I had two jobs while there. First, I was employed by Cadbury (yes - the chocolate company) to support the creation of their sustainability strategy,” she said.
“It was a lot of research into issues and understanding if and how they mattered in the different countries in Asia. I got to learn more about Japan, India, Australia and the different countries in South East Asia.”
“I also worked for Citibank in Singapore - managing the training and communications team for the business unit.”
Following the end of her contract in Singapore, Schroeder went to England to do course work for her Master’s degree and returned to Canada to write her master’s thesis.
“I moved back to Canada and to Stettler in June 2010,” Schroeder said.
“I was working on my Master’s thesis – studying the concept of ecological resilience and applying it to farming and rural community development.
I graduated in December and am now working freelance on projects related to rural community development and sustainability.”
For the moment, Schroeder is working closely with the Town of Viking on their Rural Sustainability Demonstration Town project and also with Waterlution, a Canada-wide organization focused on youth education and learning.
Asked what she gained from being exposed to various cultures and languages in the course of her journey around the world, Schroeder said she just became more grateful.
“I try not to take anything for granted or make assumptions and to not be afraid to ask lots of questions - even when they seem silly,” she said.
“There are a lot of generalizations we place on people because of their culture or education, but each one of us has our own story and experience.”
“Travelling and meeting new people as well as seeing new places has inspired in me a deeper sense of wonder and gratitude for the world I live in.”