I am fascinated by human stories and by intercultural connections. The immigrant experience combines both these elements. On the continuum of intercultural experiences from tourist to traveller to long-term visitor / expatriate to becoming a permanent resident in a new country, the immigrant experience involves the most extreme and intense form of cultural interchange, and often confrontation. As an immigrant myself, I have experienced first-hand the effects of culture shock and it took me about 4 years to really settle emotionally in my new home country of Canada.

Along these lines, here is an interview with Maria McGowan, Communications Manager for Pier 21, Canada's immigration museum, a national historic site in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

1. Pier 21 is Canada