For a 24-year-old rural exchange student from southern Brazil, Canadian winters can achieve legendary status.
In fact, Edilson Kranz has trouble convincing others back home that his weather stories are true.
“It’s terrible, some days,” he said.
“Sometimes when I call to talk to my parents, I tell them its – 30, and they don’t believe me.”
Kranz is part of the International Rural Exchange program (IRE), which gives young people a chance to expand their agricultural horizons.
IRE is an independent, nonprofit organization designed to help young people travel and experience the agricultural practices of different countries. It was started in 1985 and is open to Canadian citizens ages 19 to 29.
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Kranz arrived in Canada as part of the program last April. A trained welder, he was born on a farm but moved to a city when he was young.
He heard about the program through an English class.
“When I was in school, the English class, some younger students went to the United States for the exchange program, and I heard about this, but I really, really don’t like the American politician,” said Kranz, referring to U.S. president George Bush and the war in Iraq.
“When I had the class, I was told I could go to Canada, New Zealand or Australia, so I go to see what happened in winter in Canada.”
Kranz started out on a farm, but is now a welder with a machine shop in Goodwater, Sask.
And despite the harsh winters, he is finding lots to like about Canada and hopes to make it his new home.
“At the farm I worked at before, I had a visa for seven months, and I liked it here, and I extended my visa for four months more.”
He is in the process of extending his visa for another year, and hopes to stay in Canada indefinitely. He said the people are friendly and have helped him improve his English.
“I can see a big change, to improve my life here,” Kranz said. “Stay working here, just (spend) the holidays in Brazil.”
Program co-ordinator Sarah Mclaughlin, who helps run IRE from her home in Manitoba, said most people coming into Canada with the program study at some type of agricultural school in their home country.
“The outbound people, most of them actually just grew up on a farm and have future plans of taking over the family farm, but want to do some travelling and stuff before they do that.”
Inbound exchange students arrive around April 1 and stay until November, while outbound Canadians leave throughout the year and stay in their host country for four months to a year.
Canadian host families pay $300 a year per placement. Inbound participants pay $675 to the IRE and outbound participants pay $300. A fee is also paid to the host country’s corresponding exchange program, and participants pay for their airline tickets, medical insurance and work permits.
It would cost $3,800 to $4,000 for a Canadian exchange student to go to Australia and slightly less to go to Europe because airfare is less expensive.
“They all have to pay that, so they pay for their way over and the costs and everything, and then they’re paid a wage for working on their host family’s farm,” Mclaughlin said.
Wages vary and depend on whether the participant is paying room and board, which is usually the case.
“Basically they try to make it competitive with what the average wage is for farm work in the country,” she said.
The Canadian wage is roughly $9 an hour, and host families charge $225 a month for room and board.
“It’s not a program you’d go on to make lots of money,” Mclaughlin said. “It’s more for the experience and to travel and to meet some people.”
For more information, contact International Rural Exchange program, at 780-715-1499 or visit www.irecanada.ca.
