The beginning of September marked the end of another successful Pacific Canada Experience (PACE) Roundtrip hosted by Rotaract 5040. This year’s five selected participants were from Brazil, Lebanon, New Zealand and two states in the United States of America – Wisconsin and North Carolina. We anticipated a sixth participant but unfortunately he was unable to make it. Needless to say, the international participants shared countless amusing cultural exchanges with their hosts and the local rotaractors.

 
From August 23 to September 1, the PACE participants visited seven cities in British Columbia: Victoria, Vancouver, Burnaby, Port Moody, Richmond, Squamish and Whistler. They learned about Canadian traditions and experienced the west coast culture through many exciting activities such as hiking the Grouse Grind, cycling the Stanley Park seawall, riding the Peak 2 Peak gondola and volunteering with the Burnaby Rotary Clubs at the RCMP Musical Ride. Through this 10-day journey, strong friendships were formed and unforgettable memories were made. Some of the participants even shed tears as they said goodbye to their new friends.
We want to give a big thank you to Mike Peabody of the Rotaract Club of Burnaby and Janice Froese of the Rotary Club of Burnaby Deer Lake for hosting the participants during their time in the Lower Mainland. For overnight stays in Victoria and Whistler, the Rotaract Club of Victoria and Margaret Pallot and her club, the Rotary Club of Whistler, kindly hosted the PACE participants and others who accompanied them.

This trip wouldn’t have been possible without the generous contributions from the Rotary clubs who supported us to make PACE an amazing experience for this year’s participants:

Rotary Club of Burnaby Deer Lake
Rotary Club of New Westminster
Rotary Club of North Vancouver Lionsgate
Rotary Club of Smithers
Rotary Club of Squamish
Rotary Club of Sunshine Coast Sechelt
Rotary Club of Vancouver
Rotary Club of Whistler

We would also like to thank all of the Rotarians and Rotaractors who came out to PACE activities to show the participants a great time. PACE wouldn’t have been successful without your attendance and support!

PACE is a 10-day roundtrip that fosters global ties, provides an authentic experience of Canada’s multiculturalism and promotes international friendship within the Rotary family. It provides participants with the opportunity to explore various cities in the Pacific Canada region and engage in activities that highlight out unique mix of nature, city and eco-friendly living.