Being an international student
Marie-Sophie Silan
On a
sunny morning one year ago I woke up with the idea in my mind of leaving my
country and going to live in America. Why? I didn’t know exactly. I wanted to
discover the world and to live the American dream, but also take time for
myself and engage in new experiences. The project seemed perfect to me and one
year later I was ready to go. I had my 23 kg’s of luggage in hand, and also a
new feeeling-a fear in my heart. After saying goodbye to my family and my
friends, it was time for me to go my own way. To be totally honest, it was one
of the hardest event I have ever done.
I live
in Belgium. It`s a little European country stuck between Germany, France,
Holland and another little and unrecognized country, Luxembourg. This name
maybe arouses in you some pictures: Belgian beer, the Belgian chocolate or
(worse than any other cliché), Belgian waffles. Except in Brussels, the
capital, nobody bakes waffles- I mean, probably no more than in the other
countries. Something else to know about Brussel: it is the capital of the
European Union, which manages all the laws and systems of European countries.
By the way, Belgium is one of the three founding members of the European Union,
which now has existed for more than 60 years. Belgian people are friendly. They
have a great sense of humor and they will laugh at themselves if it will
lighten the mood, thought they may not always get on very well. However, it is
a big deal when the country is divided into three parts, each with different
languages- French, Dutch or German. Belgium always stands on its own. Actually,
the first thing I realized when I left my life is what my country and its
people meant for me. I decided I wanted to represent it proudly in Canada. (And
I’ll keep doing it, even when people talk to me about Paris and French coffee,
I will never give up!).
When
walking through Carson Graham’s halls you can meet people coming from all over
the world. Mainly from Germany and Brazil, but also from Italy, Czech Republic,
Turkey, China, Korea, Japan, Greece… All are between fourteen and eighteen
years old. They came here to improve their English, take part in the life of a
Canadian family and are here for three, six or ten months-maybe longer, maybe
forever- who knows?
I’ve
been in Vancouver for exactly one month now and I’ve already had a lot of
experiences, both good and bad. To arrive in a foreign place where you don’t
know anybody is something that is really hard at the beginning. You doubt
yourself very often and you don’t remember why you left your life and all the
people who know and love you. Sometimes you feel very alone, above all because
you don’t speak the language correctly, and you can’t express yourself like you
want to. Someone who smiles at you can make your day- someone who ignores you
in the street (despite the fact that you have six classes in common) can simply
destroy it. It seems sad when said like this, but that is only the bad sides of
the experience. There are also alot of good things about being here. I get to
take part in the life of a new family, and discover new people. It’s like
giving Math up and take Foods or Jazz Band instead (unfortunately, we don’t
have that kind of option in the majority of european’s schools). It’s wearing a
tee-shirt with “Carson, Eagle Pride” written on it, it’s playing sports on huge
and beautiful fields, it’s learn to ice-skate for the first time, it’s follow
the TV shows in real time and not having to wait six months before a French
translation comes along (terrible, by the way). It’s living in a big city with skycrapers
(yeah, like in NY) and endless avenues, it’s going shopping with friends in
labyrinthic malls, it’s see the American life “like in the movies”… These are
normal experiences for a North American, but for an European girl like me they
amaze me more and more every day. All I learn here in Canada just by observing
and listening to people, just by understanding the way they think and behave-I
want to keep it and try to give you something in exchange. After all, with an International, or exchange student…that’s what it’s all about.
Some
questions to Mrs Kaufman, international student’s coordinator
Q : How many years has Carson hosted international
students?
A : I would
guess at least 10.
Q : Why
does Carson host international students?
A : As an International Baccaleureate
School and with an already diverse population, Carson is aiming to bridge any
cultural gaps that may still exist. We hope to learn from other students'
cultures and to share our own culture with them. Ideally, we hope both
our International students and our own student can become better global
citizens from sharing a common space.
Q : How many students do you usually host?
A : Carson has
between 60 and 75 students each year.
Q : What do you expect from an international
student?
We expect them to be ambassadors for their country - showing and sharing
the values and cultural mores which they bring with them. We also expect
them to embrace Canadian culture - both in and out of school - and to respect
the values and cultural mores that may be new and unfamiliar to them.
An
Interview With Caro, from Düsseldorf (Germany)
Q: Why did you come
here?
A: I wanted to see another country, see the Canadian
and American way of life and to find new friends and a second family.
Q: Why Vancouver?
A: Everbody thinks about USA but nobody speaks about
Canada, so I chose Vancouver because it’s on the coast and near to the USA’s
board so I have the chance to be a little bit between Canada AND USA.
Q: What is the cliché
you hear the most about Germany here?
A: People think German is an agressive language. But
it isn’t. I can speak really softly!
Q: Can you talk a little
bit about Düsseldorf, your city?
A: Düsseldorf has a infrastructure similar to
Vancouver, it’s great to be there because there’s an intersting city with a lot
of nature. But Vancouver is better because there’s the sea too!
Düsseldorf is a little bit the Paris of Germany, there
are many fashion shops, it has a great history and an old downtown when we can
celebrate parties. But to go to parties you have to be 18! Düsseldorf has also
a great soccer team called “Fortuna Düsseldorf” which plays in first league!
Q: What do you prefer in
your city?
A: We can go shopping and we are close to other big
cities and we are close to the boarder of Belgium and Holland, we have many
possibilities to do shopping there!
Q: What is the most
famous meal in Germany?
A: The most famous meal is Sausages with Sauerkraut or
thick pancakes. In the south, it is the beer and the Wiener Schnitzel (mainly
in Austria)
Q: What is the most
difficult thing about being an international student?
A: The most difficult thing was leaving and leaving my
family at the airport and going my own way, arriving here, and having to build a new life with a new
family. But I really like my family, so that is fine.
Q: What is the nicest
thing about being an international student?
A: To be a part of a Canadian family, to see other
friendly people different from in Germany, everybody is very helpful here, and
people are really nice.
Q: What is the nicest
thing you discovered since you’re here?
A: My new family, my host sister and my friends.
Q: What is the biggest
difference between Canada and Germany?
A: The people. Because the people here are frendly and
they trust each other. The doors in the street are open all the time for
example! In Germany, that is not like that. “It’s my house, not your
business!”, that is more the way of thinking.
We have a grand total of 70 International
students this year, 15 of whom are returning from last year and 55 who are
brand new. Our demographic spread this year is the following:
Italy - 5
Iran - 2
Germany - 12
Taiwan - 3
Turkey - 4
Korea - 11
Japan - 1
Belgium - 1
Greece - 1
Czech - 1
Switzerland - 1
Mexico - 2
Brazil - 21
China - 5
