Student Blog

The first advice I would give to interact with people and have a good time, would be to come with an open mind. It is very important to know that you are going to spend months in another country where the people are very different.

Here you won’t find your old friends, but you will find new and different people. It is also good to know other perspectives of life and different habits. What I was very clear about, was that I wanted this year to be different. I wanted to be a more open person and meet new people. So my next advice would be, be yourself and let yourself go.

You can find very different cases in a situation like this. It may be that you go to a school where they never have international students and become the special student, or it may be that you go to a place where they are totally accustomed to international people and go more unnoticed. But the important thing is that you are happy with your new friends, and that you can enjoy the experience. In my case, I was in a school where many international students attended every year. And we were about thirty. We were many! Then, I passed more unnoticed by the Canadian people. They didn't ask me much where I was from, but I knew how to manage it well. I thought it was better to let myself go and spend a different year. So I was meeting different people, I also became friends with those of us who were international students, and I even have German friends! I think the important thing here is to enjoy yourself, meet different people, and be open-minded. This will help you discover new friends. And above all, do not compare yourself with others and make your experience special for you. 

Photo and blog post submitted by Clara from Spain, who is in Grade 10 at Golden Secondary School.