He has short black hair. A pair of oversized glasses with black frame keeps slipping off the bridge of his nose. A backpack sits on his left shoulder.
Steven Leung, 21, an international student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, majors in Computer Information Systems. He came to study in Canada in 2013 and since then, has started to explore his life in Canada.
“I still remembered the day I landed in Vancouver,” Leung said. “The sky was grey and it was raining; it was different than what I imagined.”
At age 18, he was ambitious. It is every student’s dream to get into a top university in China after 12 years of compulsory education. Every student has to pass a college entrance exam and get a good grade in order to get into a top university. The Chinese college entrance exam is called Gaokao. It has been claimed as the most difficult college entrance exam in the world. Leung was a good student in high school. Therefore, he underwent a lot of pressure at home and at school. He failed the exam.
“It was the darkest moment of my life,” he said with a frown. “I felt that I would not have a good future any more.”
His parents and teachers had high expectations for him. They hoped that he could pass Gaokao with good grade but things did not turn out the way they wanted.
“I locked myself in my room every day after Gaokao because I did not know how to face my parents. I knew I have disappointed them,” Leung said.
His cousin suggested that he should redo his senior year in an international high school. He could apply to study in Canada after graduation. Leung thought that study aboard could be his way out.
It was difficult at the beginning of the first semester in the school, because his English was not good and the school only offered classes in English.
“It was a very intensive year. I was slower than the other students because I was a transfer student,” Leung said. “However, I liked the study environment and methods compared with the traditional high school.”
Leung’s studies at an international high school helped him to adapt the study environment and methods in Canada.
Many students are upset because the image of Canada is different than what they imagined before they came to Canada.
“Many people think that Canada is a developed country. There should be many tall buildings in the street. Canadians are strict and serious. People love hamburger and fries. People have very lively nightlife and they do not sleep after midnight and so on.” Leung chuckled. “I used to think Canada should be like that before I came.
“Vancouver is a very peaceful city. People are actually very kind and friendly. Also, Canada is a multicultural country; the food adapts different people’s tastes. I can taste the savory from home,” Steven said.
Many students choose to study abroad after high school graduation. The problem is how to survive in a foreign environment and country and be independent as a newcomer. It is challenging to keep the intention of studying in mind because of all the new temptations in a strange environment.
“It is very important to follow your heart,” Leung said. “The word dream is a big word. Sometimes it is difficult to achieve but it is important to have one. I once thought that I may not have a life because I failed Gaokao, but now I have a different goal and I know that I am getting closer to my goal every single day.”
