In celebration of part two of Western’s International Week, I wanted to write about my one-of-a-kind experience of living on an international floor in the Saugeen-Maitland residence. When applying for residence, I asked for a leadership and volunteer floor in order to connect with like-minded individuals who enjoy helping in the community. Although leadership and volunteering are important components of our floor’s community, when arriving at Western I discovered that I was living on an international floor as many of my floormates were students from around the globe.
Even though I am from a multicultural city like Vancouver, I am still amazed that I live with students from all around the world including China, India, Pakistan, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. In these last three months, my perspective on multiculturalism and cultural diversity has been drastically impacted as I have learned so many things about different world cultures. Whether they are cultural differences in languages, television shows and movies, food, celebrations, school, lifestyle or weather patterns, having floormates from other countries has given me a new outlook on life. For example, many students on my floor who were born and raised in humid countries are now seeing snow for the first time in their lives. Likewise, this is the first time that most of my floormates have dressed up in a costume for Halloween and decorated a tree for Christmas.
Above all these incredible cultural differences though, what amazes me most about my floormates are the enormous sacrifices they have made in order to attend Western. Although some of these people got their high school diplomas in Canada, many of my floormates traveled by themselves from their home country in September just to get an education at Western. Many of these international students have risked everything by leaving their family and country behind to move to a country with different customs and cultures. Even though many Canadian students at Western complain about the high prices of tuition, many of my floormates have had to make big sacrifices (i.e. selling their stuff, selling their start-up companies, etc.) in order to afford tuition, which is three times more for international students.
Having a roommate who moved to London after spending her whole life in China has been an extraordinary experience as it has allowed us to share stories and ideas about our countries and cultures. As I have explained to my roommate what the purpose of things like prom, dodgeball, and Thanksgiving are, she has revealed the importance of music, food, schooling, and festivities in traditional Chinese culture.
From different languages to different lifestyles, being on an international floor for the last three months has taught me so much about world cultures. I appreciate learning more about new cultures and the sacrifices of international students as their stories truly strengthen the international diversity in Saugeen and at Western. Even though I did not choose to be on an international floor, I am honoured to be on a floor with such determined and courageous people from different countries around the globe.
Related articles:
- Celebrate Diversity with Western’s International Week
- Western Students Prepare to Celebrate the Festival of Light
- Sydney D’Souza Takes Singapore: What Western’s Exchange Program Has To Offer
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