You just never know who you might connect with on social media! As we’ve previously mentioned, we’re very active on Facebook and Twitter and we try to engage our followers as often as possible. Last month, we were lucky enough to hear from former international volunteer Heike Liebertz.

Heike volunteered at Jewison House for six months in 1997 and Rorison House in 1998.

“A professor at my university knew somebody at the University of B.C. and he sent us the name and addresses of some social service institutions in Canada. Because I wanted to work with kids, I chose to apply at Ranch Ehrlo for a six month internship,” she explained. “Then, when I had the chance to come back after I finished my master’s thesis, I didn’t have to think about it twice.”

Heike’s experiences at the Ranch are something that she still cherishes today, but she acknowledges that being an international volunteer came with its own set of challenges. Homesickness was something she dealt with, but meeting new friends helped ease the loneliness of being in a new place so far from home.

“I started my internship in February and had no idea how cold your winters are! Nothing I bought in Germany would keep me warm in your freezing prairie winters,” she recalled. “I remember we went ice fishing one weekend. Never before, and never after, have I been that cold!”

The language barrier was another difficulty that Heike had to overcome.

“Working in another country, speaking a foreign language, but still having to react quickly and interact, choosing the right words was hard and a huge challenge for me,” she said. “But I got a lot of support from the people I worked with.”

“For most of the kids it was interesting, and they tried to be patient with me and they helped me out when I didn’t know the words. Sometimes they took advantage of it but all in all I think both sides learned out of this situation.”

“Fortunately, my English improved quickly,” she added.

Heike considers the camping trip to Norbert Lake to be one of the best memories of her life.

“Thinking of this time, I get a little ‘Canadasick’,” she joked. “Flying in from La Ronge and spending time in such a beautiful, untouched part of nature was amazing. Fishing and canoeing, listening to the sounds of the loons at dawn, eating bannock from a campfire – I still tell my kids about this special and wonderful experience! Fishing and canoeing are not the same here in Germany.”

She went back to Germany in 1998 and was well equipped from her time at Ranch Ehrlo to find a job in her home country.

“After my second time working at the Ranch it was easy for me to find a job here in Germany. I had quite a few offers and could choose what I wanted. Three weeks after my return to Germany, I started my new job as a project manager for job-related education. I still do that, 15 years later.”

“Thank you for making me dig out all the memories,” she said. “Writing this made me think of my time at the Ranch and your beautiful country. One day I’ll take my kids there to show them the land where I left a piece of my heart.”