Eric LillowThe following is part of a series detailing the experiences of international students at the University of Alberta. Given that these students face separation from family, paying more than $20,000 in tuition per year, and uncertainty when it comes to rising tuition costs, we are sitting down with some of these individuals to talk about their experiences at the university.
Skating, snowboarding, and going out with friends are Roxanne Mai’s favourite ways to cure homesickness.
“Before I knew about snowboarding, I thought winter was horrible and you had to stay inside,” she said. “I didn’t know how to drive, I just had to stay in my basement.”
Born and raised in southern China, Mai first saw snow when she came to Canada to attend high school in Calgary six years ago. She’s now a fourth-year chemical engineering student, and has since fallen in love with Alberta.
“When I first moved to Canada it actually changed my values a lot, like how I look at the world and how I feel about my life,” she said. “I think that’s why I like traveling, and especially living in a different country.”
Her family still lives in Guangzhou, the capital of China’s Guangdong province. With a population of more than 13 million people, Guangzhou is the third-largest city in China, and is more than 16 times the size of Edmonton. She misses the food the most.
“It’s fast-paced (in Guangzhou),” Mai said. “Everyone just minds their own business, no one’s smiling or friendly.”
The Faculty of Engineering’s co-op program is what attracted Mai to the University of Alberta, but she was also drawn to the historical, red brick buildings on campus. In 2013, she moved to Lister to start university. She was surprised by how much the dorms seemed like something out of a movie.
“Every ridiculous thing would happen, but I had so much fun,” she said.
Like many students who are far from home, Mai often felt lonely in university. Now that she’s left home, she doesn’t like showing negative emotions when she Skypes her parents.
“Once you leave home, you don’t want to say a lot of negative things to your parents because they will worry about you,” she said. “If I’m really down, I will want to talk to them, but it’s so hard.”
Now, Mai lives near Stadium LRT Station, which is more affordable for her. Her student visa limits her to working 20 hours per week, so she has a budget of $800 every month. After paying rent, she’s left with about $200 — just enough for groceries. And while last year she was able to visit home, earlier in her degree she wasn’t able to go home for two years.
Mai’s tuition is paid for by her parents and scholarships, but given that international student tuition rises yearly without notice, she said it puts a financial strain on her family.
As a vice-president for the International Students Association (ISA), Mai plans events such as ski trips to get international students involved on campus, and to help them enjoy winter. Her work with the ISA has also expanded to include advocacy because of the tuition increases on international students.
Mai said the kindness she experiences in Canada is something she misses when she goes home.
“When I’m back to my town, if I say ‘Thank you,’ they’d think I’m weird,” she said.
Awesome! As a former intl student I can fully relate to this series.