Studying abroad

Times Reporter

 

Every year different schools throughout the town host international students to spend a few weeks, months, or a year with them. Holy Cross Collegiate, HCC, recently had three of their international students head home after spending a month studying with them. Irene Migueles and Sergio Martin Martinez both came from Spain and Carlos Teran Rivero was from Venezuela. 

The three became friends at HCC, banding together as people do when they are new to a situation.   

Migueles came here with an exchange program.

“I wanted to come to Canada for 2 years maybe more, I was very happy when I know I could come and now I’m really having a great time and I hope I can come back,” said Migueles. 

In Spain there are many programs to go abroad to learn English. She came here with a scholarship of the government. She can’t come again with the same program and scholarship but she can come again with any other program.  She said 72 students came from her province in Spain, and some of her friends were here in Alberta in different villages.  

Rivero came to Canada to visit his family and practice his English. Unlike Martinez and Migueles, he spent two months here.  

“I just came here to experience the school system here plus I’m just visiting my cousin. My aunt asked if I could start here and have the experience to learn English,” said Rivero. 

When he came here, he said he wanted to have a good experience. He talked to the Spartans football coach to see if he could try it out. The coach gave him a chance be a part of the team while he was here. 

“I can see the difference of the countries. When I come here you say hi, in Venezuela we say hi with a hug and kiss,” said Rivero.  

When he made his first friend he said hi like he would at home and got a shocked reaction. When he questioned what he had done, his cousin explained why it had happened. 

The biggest thing Rivero noticed was the security one feels in Canada. 

“In Canada it is so secure, walk in the streets.  We now in Venezuela have problems with our president and all of that and it is not secure. So it is like here it is very beautiful, it’s very secure all the house are open and it’s very different,” said Rivero. 

Martinez had heard Canada was beautiful and couldn’t wait to fly over. 

“I wanted to improve my English and its like well I never been studying in other country and I want to improve my English so where can I go and it was like oh yeah Canada,” said Martinez. 

Martinez agreed with many of the things his fellow students had to say about Canada and the town, but found there is not a lot to do in the town, since a car is needed to go anywhere.  

“I enjoy it a lot, you have a lot of fun and you meet a lot of people and its like yeah, it’s really cool,” said Martinez. Students with the best marks from his school had the chance to apply to come to Canada and he was one of the lucky ones chosen. 

“The culture, like the food you eat, and then Canada has been a country with people from every where in the world and Spain is like south American people and north of Africa. Its like here there is a lot of diverse, people from every year, its really nice because you are more open to the people,” said Martinez. He said if you go to Spain people wouldn’t really talk at first because you are different and new. 

“It was incredible because they introduced themselves to us and was really nice.” 

The food has been one of the biggest changes for him to adjust to. In Spain they eat a lot of fish, fruits, vegetables, and salads, and here we don’t eat a lot of fruits of vegetables. 

“I knew that it was more or like everything hamburgers, fast food, in Spain we have more like healthy food, more Mediterranean food.” 

Like Rivero, Martinez also joined a sports team while at HCC. He chose to join the volleyball and cross-country teams, though. One thing he didn’t get to do was practice cooking Canadian food, which was something he had been looking forward to. The option wasn’t given to him at the school but he did buy some cookbooks and plans to persue it at home. 

All three of the students said the education system here is about two years behind their countries. All of them agreed the country is beautiful and they all plan to come back the first chance they get.