International Students Start a New Chapter at Hamber
Previous international students enjoy the Sea to Sky Gondola | Photo Credit: Ms. D. Gomes (ELL)
Starting at a new school can be daunting. Every year, international students from outside of Eric Hamber have to adapt to a different environment, a different schedule, and hundreds of different people.
“The majority of our international students are from China, with the next most popular countries of origin being Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam. This year, students in our program have come from 15 different countries,” said Ms. D. Gomes (ELL), the Vancouver School District International Student Advisor.
“At this time, we have approximately 150 international students for semester one,” Ms. M. Jensen (Administration) said. “It will be around the same number for semester two, as some of our international students might go home at the end of the first semester and we’ll welcome in new students for semester two.”
For many international students, it was a challenge deciding where they wanted to study. They had to consider the distinct cultures of each area and decide which would suit their personal needs and values the best.
“In grade 9 I was interested in studying abroad, and I looked up some places. My cousins studied here before, so I had a foundation to come,” Michael Dinh (10) said. “In August, I moved here. My plan is to go to university in Canada and see from there”.
“I am from Italy and I wanted to do an exchange year to have some new experiences. I picked Canada because I wanted to travel to other places besides Europe,” said Silvia Zenobio Di Fusco (12). “At first, I was thinking about the US, but I decided on Canada because it’s safer and they have a good school system.”
Students have had to instantly adjust to a school system that is entirely unique from their home countries.
“In Italy, you have one class for all five years. You have one room with the same classmates and then the teachers are different for each class. During the week, we end the day earlier, but we have to go to school on Saturdays,” said Zenobio Di Fusco. “There are different schools you can choose to go to. You can choose classical high school, scientific, artistic and so on. I went to a scientific high school so the focus was on subjects like math, chemistry and physics.”
“In Vietnam, my home country, we study in one class for the whole year so it’s easier to connect with people,” shared Dinh. “I’m used to having teachers and friends that can help me with everything. Now I have to take the time to really get to know my teachers.”
“At my old school, we started the day at 7:00 AM and finished at 9:30 PM, so the school day feels like it goes by very quickly now,” shared Sabrina Yu (10). “Hamber is also smaller than my other school. My old school was kindergarten to grade 12 which I liked because I could be in the same school as my sister.”
Photo Credit: Ms. D. Gomes (ELL)
Speaking English in school has been a persistent struggle for many. “Communicating with others using English has been the hardest part. Mandarin is my main language and what I spoke in Shanghai, so English is still new to me,” said Yu.
On the other hand, Josephine Lu (10) learned English at school before moving to Canada. “Sometimes in class, I need to use my phone to translate, but then my teachers tell me I can’t have my phone out, so that’s hard. In China, my English was thought of as really good, but now that I’m here, I don’t think it’s considered as good.”
Others shared different challenges when being so far away from home. “It’s hard to stay in touch with my friends who are still in China,” said Yonina Wang (11). “When I am awake they are still sleeping because of the time change.”
“The hardest part was making new friends and finding my way around the school. It was not a fun experience!” said Eric Chen (11).
Luckily, Hamber has many services set up for international students. These services help students adjust and connect people who have had similar experiences.
“There’s an orientation that’s provided by the district's International Education program and facilitated by Ms. Gomes,” shared Ms. Jensen. “We also have Ms. J. Polukoshko (English) who helps as a counsellor with our international student program.”
“[Both teachers] also collaborate with international students at other schools. They’ll do things like Fright Nights at the PNE and students from across the district might decide to go all together around Halloween,” Ms. Jensen said. “It’s a good way to experience both the city of Vancouver and also some of the highlights of BC!”