Armed with anticipation and excitement, I arrived open and sincere to learning at a new country and way of life different from my own. And, every year, thousands of sharp-minded international students come to Canada to do the same thing. When you arrive in Canada, you may find that things are very different than they were in your home country and it may take some time for you to adjust. Except instead of spending couple of years in Canada “just for fun,” international students dedicate themselves into pursuing a post-secondary education, in some cases a second language, and ultimately a new way of life. For international students, there are many common questions they may have to face and solve include: There are some negatives of being alone here. Can you tell us the negative things about yourself? Would you like to share your single biggest obstacle with us? And describe why?

“For me,Canada is an unfamiliar environment, and you often feel lonely because there is no parent company. You have to do everything on your own. You don’t have anyone to rely on.” Explains Karen Gao who came from Beijing, the capital of China and study at Riverside Secondary School, Grade 12. Karen has been study at Riverside since 2015, she is getting used to Canadian Culture proved trying. “For now, my biggest obstacle is not knowing how to improve my English. Because it’s important for college, but I don’t have enough English and the most difficult aspect for me of being a new student to Canada is definitely learning English.”

How do you connect yourself to Canadian Culture? “I have been staying in Canada for three years,I do not understand all Canadian history,but in my opinion for sure,Canadian has very strong technology because there are lots of interesting events happened before,such as Columbus found Asia and Far east.”

For another international student Kristina Liu, who came from Shanghai, a big financial modern city in China. She only has been studying at Riverside Secondary School for six months. “Coming to Canada definitely has made me more independent, more confident and more open-minded,” she shares. “I have learned so much from the people I have met, I have learned to manage my life, and for all that I have become a stronger person.”

Her advice for international students is simple: Don’t give up. “It’s well worth it in the end when you have your degree.”