As I write this, I’ve completed week three in almost all of my courses. I see myself settling in with my new environment. I’ve had various interactions in class with the professors and my classmates, and I’m really enjoying learning in this new atmosphere.
I’m having various open-minded dialogues in the classroom and enjoying interactive learning with my peers. International exposure broadens the mind of a person, for sure. I was able to make three friends from class—they’re from South Korea, Nigeria, and England.
In the beginning, it was difficult to catch up with the shift from online to in-person classes. I was even starting to think that online classes were more smooth than in-person classes, but it’s getting better day by day.
I’m able to grasp a lot in class; the team activities especially help. For one of my classes, we were being taught about teamwork, as we will be doing a big team project. We were formed into teams of four and were sent to a breakout room with a few newspapers, one wooden stick just to roll the newspaper, and tape.
We had to build a house that at least one of the group members could fit into. It was fun and challenging because we had a time limit. We all managed to complete the task; we just used our brains properly and discussed the possibilities of our task together.
In another class we were provided with real-life clients for our projects. We got to meet them and interact with them online. Some of them are start-ups and some are established businesses in Victoria. I see this as a great opportunity because we are getting closer to understanding the future we might have here during our co-op term and if we work in firms here.
So far, I can balance my life at school, where I’m able to submit all assignments on time, and work part-time during the weekends.
It’s generally true that students are struggling to survive here; that’s what I do, too. So, recently, the Camosun College Student Society hosted a free-produce market where we could register and get free fruits and vegetables. I signed up and got one week’s worth of vegetables and fruits for no charge.
I was quite overwhelmed when I first came here: I was freezing when everyone around me was wearing summer clothes. Now my body has started to adjust to the temperature here, plus the heating in the bus, and everywhere else, really helps.
There was one time after a class when our professor took the whole class for a walk on the trail behind our school, which I didn’t know even existed. The day was warm with nice sunshine; it felt amazing to get to talk and walk around nature with my classmates.
This is how we all are learning here; I am grateful to be a part of this education system. I like how we have different fun and exciting ways in which we can educate ourselves and gain knowledge.
The debate of in-class learning versus online during an ongoing pandemic will always be something to think about. If COVID cases rise and we shift back to online learning, I still wouldn’t mind because our safety comes before anything else.
However, I still think that if we follow protocols—which most of us at school are following—we will be able to really go back to normal soon. I’m waiting for the day when we all can smile at each other without face masks on in the classroom.