For most students, moving to a different city would be difficult, much less a different country. But a large population of international students at UTSC regularly face challenges associated with relocating.
Over 12 per cent of UTSC’s student body is made up of international students. Common challenges that students face are leaving behind their hometown and a familiar support network.
The International Student Centre (ISC), a division of the Department of Student Life, aims to help with the big move. The ISC offers services for students, ranging from pre-departure checklists to welcome orientations where they meet students on campus or even at the airport.
But for Lanre Akinwale, a third-year international student studying international development studies, the toughest experience had nothing to do with leaving his home in Nigeria or settling in at UTSC. Instead, Akinwale’s most difficult adjustment occurred when he came face-to-face with blatant racial stereotypes in Toronto.
“I was walking down the stairs into the subway and I accidentally bumped into a woman. She literally stopped and opened her bag to check that everything was in there,” recounted Akinwale.
Emily Yu Feng, a third-year political science student, came to Canada from China in 2007 and faced a language barrier.
“I didn’t know how to say simple math and science terms like add or divide,” she said. “I knew how to do the problems, but language prevented me from communicating [my knowledge].”
ISC provides resources such as the English Conversation Partners program for students who encounter similar experiences. Betty Liu, program assistant at the ISC, said that the goal of these programs is to “help students build confidence.”
In spite of his challenges, Akinwale is comforted by the knowledge that he will return to Nigeria after graduation. On the day of his departure, Akinwale’s father simply put his allowance on his bed, bid him farewell, and said “see you soon.”
Akinwale also enjoys the freedom that Toronto offers of “walking around at 4 a.m.”
But despite a few bumps, both Feng and Akinwale have felt more accepted since moving to Toronto.
Before coming to Toronto, Feng also studied in Victoria, British Columbia. “Toronto is more socially accepting, people just have different attitudes,” she said. “In China, I felt that I was restricted, [here] I have space to be who I am.”
Akinwale also gained a new experience when he attended an LGBTQ event at UTSC. “Over here you are accepted, people go out of their way to do [accept you], and it’s not like back home. I have learned to accept [many new things].”
Erika Loney, manager at the ISC, describes the presence of international students on campus as a “spread[ing] of internationalization.” This is reflected through the ISC’s International Café events, which bring together local and international students to learn about each other’s cultures.
Although they are leagues away from home, both Feng and Akinwale have made close friends and they attribute it to the close-knit environment at UTSC.
“Everyone knows each other here, unlike [other campuses] where everyone is scattered. It’s a small community [at UTSC],” said Akinwale.
Although faced with challenges, it seems as though international students have found a home away from home right here on campus.
For more, check out:
The Underground: http://www.the-underground.ca/author/leigh-cavanaugh/
The Messenger: http://theutscmessenger.com/?tag=writer-leigh-cavanaugh
Photo courtesy//utsc-isc.ca
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