By Perle Badohu – Contributor

Going to college is one of the most stressful and scary experiences a young adult can have, but going to college in another country is scarier. Like most new experiences, being an international student allows me to meet new people from different backgrounds and learn about different customs and traditions. Each interaction is an opportunity to grow, both personally and academically. 

Sometimes when you don’t really expect it, it is on the other side of the world that you find a semblance of family, an environment that reminds you of home. 

This is the case of a small group of French people including first and second year students. They eat together, party together and share their experiences together. Today I ask some of them to share with us their feelings about Bishops and their lives on campus. 

To keep anonymity, I will refer to the students as (B1, B2 for boy 1 or 2 and G1,G2 for girl 1 or 2). 

Interviewer : What role do extracurricular activities play in your campus experience ? 

G1 : Personally, I am on the dance team and it helps me meet new people and occupies a lot of my time, and it genuinely makes me happy. 

Interviewer : What advice would you give to an incoming international student ? 

B1 : Make sure you connect with at least one person from your home country, so you don’t feel completely homesick. 

Interviewer : If you could create a time capsule about your experience here as an international student, what would you put it ?

B1 : A bottle of wine (laughing) and a snowball.

G1 : An O-week t-shirt, because it was the best week of the year. 

B2 : Something from my residence and a rugby ball.  

G2 : My dance team shirt. 

Interviewer : What does having a French friend group bring you?

B1 : Makes me feel more comfortable, and sometimes at home in some kind of way. 

G2 : Gives me the opportunity to connect with people who are going through the same things as me. 

Interviewer : What do you think of life on campus in general ? 

B2 : Honestly, it’s fun. The fact that we see the same people all the time reinforces a sense of community, and makes us feel like we are part of something. 

G1 : I’ll say it’s comfortable with a lot of proximity, but sometimes this is what you need to not feel alone. 

After asking general questions to all of them, I decided to focus on the second year students. Asking them about how they adapt and more. 

Interviewer : Do you feel like this year is better than your first year ? 

G2 : Definitely. Knowing everyone and knowing what is waiting for me, puts me in a better place, and the stress coming with the novelty of the first year doesn’t exist anymore. I just feel at home. 

Interviewer : What do you think of the first years in your group, do they share the same spirit that you had lastyear ?

B1 : I feel closer to them than the international students from last year. Firstly, because we are from the same country, but also because I feel like a mentor to them. I feel like it’s my duty to help them feel at home even if we are so far from France. 

After this short interview, I asked them a little bit more about themselves so that I could understand the relationships between them and something obvious came to my eyes: they care for each other. These students have each other’s backs and they see one another as a substitute family.