The first week in November means one thing - International Week! This week celebrates the rich culture within our school, and is organised by the International Committee. We have had the opportunity to sample a wide variety of food - from paella to bratwurst. To mark the occasion, during assembly, Year 11 pupils Kosi and Nicki, shared their experience as international students at Worksop College.
"Hi, my name is Kosi and I am from Abuja , Nigeria. There are a lot of differences between British culture and Nigerian culture, like food, school system, weather, and most importantly the community. On coming to worksop college in Year 8, I had a very naive impression of what boarding school abroad will look or feel like. Worksop College completely changed my perspective, this school has guided me to growth by giving us first-hand experience of what the real world will feel like. Things like telling us to look and dress smart will help us in career searching, giving us the opportunities to join groups like the choir, the orchestra, debate club, CCF, sports teams etcetera, allows us to explore ourselves in different ways.
Being an international student at worksop college has been both an insightful and learning experience for me. I have had support as a boarder from both the staff and the student boarding community. During exeats when some of us can't fly back home or take the train home, the school makes sure to create a safe environment for us, we go on fun trips, play fun games and most importantly we create healthy bonds between ourselves. Being an international student of this great college is everything to me," - Kosi, Abuja.
"I’m Nicki, I’m in year 11 in Talbot and I’m from Hamburg, Germany. As you might know, there are a few major differences when comparing German and English culture, may it be the food, a very different school system or people in general. So, my life in Germany is very different from what it is here. But as soon as I got to England, the one major thing I noticed right at the start of my exchange year, is people genuinely being nice and polite, and caring about you. It didn’t really matter which year group they were in, people came up to me and just talked and asked how I was. All of this made my life as an international student much easier. Managing school, activities, new subjects and socialising, all not in your native language can be stressful sometimes, but people around me are constantly helping me in any way they can to make sure I manage to keep up with everything.
Personally, I am grateful to have the chance to get involved in a lot of new stuff such as rugby, which I’ve never played before, as well as the multiple music options. In both of these, and in school, you feel like a part of a community. I think that is a very important aspect for a school like this to make everyone feel part of something," - Nicki, Hamburg.