I would like to study architecture at university. My marks are all "A"s- the teachers are great and I am receiving an excellent education for the future. I would recommend Comox Valley School District to everyone. It has been easy for me to meet other students from many diverse cultures. The opportunity to experience Canadian nature has also been very special.

I want to graduate from my new school in Courtenay. I am very happy here- I have made many friends from different countries and had so many exciting new experiences. My teachers are so helpful and friendly and my host family is wonderful.

Hello I am Jonas and I have lived 5 months in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island.
I like sports and adventures and here is for sure the right place.
Way back in Germany my exchange program told me about this wonderful place, where you have nice weather in summer and cold weather in winter. So I arrived in the beginning of August, to take part in the preparation program.
First, I wasn’t sure If I should take part, I thought going to school even earlier was not what I wanted. But the summer program ended up being one of the best things I have done here.
You learn a lot about Canada, Canadian habits, about the school system and the whole exchange is easier, because your english is better when have to go to school.
But the best part about the summer program is, that we traveled all over Comox Courtenay and Cumberland, so we knew where everything was and we got to see wonderful places.
I took about 900 photos in these 3 weeks, on kayaking trips, hiking trips, whale watching trips and so much more. But then school started, the program was over and the real adventure started.
School is, in a positive way, so different, and even if it is learning, everything is so exciting. There is no time for feeling homesick, and none of my friends here got homesick. Also, making friends is not a problem.
Everybody here is so nice, that you find your friends right away.
But now to Vancouver Island:
The ocean is always close to you and in summertime there is so much to do:
You can go hiking, swimming, tubing, biking and lots of other interesting stuff.
Time is passing by so fast, that you don’t even notice the rainy autumn.
But then the winter comes, and everything is getting more and more exciting again.
You can go skiing and snowboarding on Mount Washington, a nice mountain close to Comox and Courtenay.
Sometimes it also snows down here in town and with the colourful Christmas lights on the houses it gives you a really nice Christmas feeling.

I have been in Comox Valley School District for a grade 9. I just won third place in my grade nine Science Fair and have been on first class honor roll twice this year. I received two "student of the month" athlete and technology awards. I participated in lots of activities for example fishing,kayaking and mountain biking. I enjoyed all the activities and they are one of my favorite things to do. I really like school because you get more freedom and I feel more comfortable studying. There is no pressure about studying. I have joined every single school sport teams. I love to be on school teams. There is a really good environment everywhere. There are big rivers, lots of forest and natures parks. Also there are mountains and oceans near here. Comox Valley has the best environment and it the best place I have ever been to in my entire life.

My Canadian Dream

The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.

I lived the life of my dreams during the past 10 month in Canada and every single day was a special adventure. The beautiful landscape, the friendliness and hospitality of the Canadians and the proud feeling to stand on my own two feet put a spell on me since the first day.

When I met my host-family at the airport I already knew that I wasn’t just holding them in my arms but also close in my heart. I can say that I felt home, in a foreign country and surrounded by a new language and different people since that moment. My host-family is probably the most loveable family I could ever have wished for, and my little host brother (9 years old) and my Mexican host sister (14 years old) made it even easier for me to feel as a part of the family.

The school spirit at Mark R. Isfeld Secondary carried me away immediately and I felt comfortable very quickly. The teachers are unbelievable open-minded and cooperative not only in class, but also on field trips and as coaches of the school teams. And also my classmates were incredibly nice, what made it easy to make a lot of acquaintances during the first couple days. But to let those loose contacts grow into a friendship, it was often my turn to take courage and ask them if they want to get together sometime. But it was definitely worthwhile to swallow the pride and make this step, because it was amazing to see how quickly and deep those friendships grew.

Even if Courtenay is a little town, there is so much to do and to discover; it did not matter if I strolled down the dreamy shopping street with my host-family and my friends, or if we had a Canadian BBQ at the beach, if we went swimming in the river close to the waterfalls, or if we just enjoyed the sun in the park, we had so much fun. But a special highlight was the skiing at Mount Washington. The feeling to stand on the mountain and to look down at the ocean is just inestimable. And because I joined the ski team of my school I had the chance to ski in Whistler, the home of the Olympics 2010, and fall in love with the idyllic village.

Canada has so many breath-taking features to offer. I saw the most beautiful mountain sceneries, the most beautiful beaches and sunsets, cities like Vancouver and Victoria, the most beautiful forests and the cutest bears.

And at the end I was able to graduate from High school and to throw my cap like I have seen it in all the typical American movies and like I have always dreamed of.

I could go on for hours telling you about my experiences and adventures and enthuse over Canada, and I know that I will never forget all those things I experienced during the last 10 month. The time went by too fast and saying goodbye was so incredibly hard, but I was just as excited to see my family and friends in Germany again. Canada has become a second home for me and my Canadian family and friends will always have a special place in my heart!

I hope that you also take the chance and live the life of your dreams, because all the experiences and memories you will make will always be a part of you!

Going into the Wild...a surreal outdoor adventure trip in Canada

4:45 am. It’s pitch-black outside. I check my backpack one last time: tent, sleeping bag, camp-stove and groceries for four days, warm waterproof clothes, a Swiss knife. I signed a form to state that I’m aware there is a reasonable possibility of encountering wolves, cougars, maybe bears and that accidents have happened before.

Hiking along a trail through the rainforest on mossy boardwalks over decayed tree trunks we suddenly step out of the green humid ‘jungle’ and we stand on one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen, lined with grey trunks of driftwood. The tide is in and we spend the next four hours walking the trail along many different beaches over slippery rocks and through the lush rainforest. We set up our camp on the beach; some guys just brought hammocks; we carefully store all the food in the provided metal food cache. When we walk over to the mussel covered cliffs, sit down to watch the sunset, we see fountains of whale mist sprinkling up out on the sea. The next thing beyond the horizon is Japan, just the Pacific Ocean between us. At night we sit on driftwood logs in a circle around the sparkling bonfire, some girls roast marshmallows make S’mores, we sing and tell stories. A group of eighteen teenagers who may not all have known each other before are together with the same predilection for nature, outdoor enthusiasts. The following two days we spend exploring the surrounding area seeing some whale tails out in the ocean, watching powerful waves splashing against the cliffs and discovering even more fascinating beaches, so remote that you wonder where the blue fishing float lying under a log might come from. I run along the edge where icy water is shallow. The waves pulling back in the ocean wash fine sand through my toes. Some guys are playing Frisbee, drawing pictures in the wet sand, carving pieces of driftwood. Later on we go scratch some gooseneck barnacles from the rocky cliffs to cook and eat them at the bonfire. As we are sitting around the fire the last night, looking at the sky for shooting stars, everyone gets a moment to share his/her thoughts, favourite moments of the trip. ‘How little does it take to be happy’. Two guys brought their guitars and we sing and listen to songs trying to capture, hold on to this moment.

It rains heavily throughout the night. Raindrops crackle onto the tent fly and it doesn’t stop in the morning when we strike the camp and after a group call start our hike back. It’s pouring down like crazy and everybody is getting soaked to the skin, beaches sparkling like a mirror of water even though the tide is out, fog hanging over the ocean turning the sky grey, the backpacks are pulling us down on the slippery rocks, sand is everywhere and water dripping down from my hair onto my face. But no one seems to be in a bad mood at all: quite the opposite; everybody looks cheerful although exhausted, walking through mud, fern and sand chatting away easily.

And all of a sudden I start whistling the theme song of ‘The Jungle Book’ feeling just happy in the middle of this incredibly stunning nature walking will all these great people.

A Day in the Life...of an exchange student in Canada

7:30. Alarm goes, get up, into the bathroom, fast shower, brush teeth, go to the kitchen where I have a brief chat with my host family and with the second exchange student in the family, a boy from Hong Kong.

That’s how a usual school day starts for me. After breakfast, which can be varying from bread with peanut butter to cereal to leftovers from last day’s supper, I walk to school.

Warning bell goes at 8:35. The teachers in school are very strict here about being on time. And if it’s regular that something’s not alright like not being on time or not coming to classes, there will actually be consequences, a thing not seen too often and Austria… (In Canada every student must choose four different courses from a list of about 50, ranging from maths to cooking, to photography only. You have these four courses every day for an entire semester.) First block starts at 8:40, English, my least liked class. After 15 minutes of silent reading, we’ll work on short stories for about 60 minutes, until the block is over and we go to AG, which is comparable to a KV-Viertelstunde. There are people of all ages, you can have food and your AG-teacher will tell you the daily announcements. After that you go to your second block, which is PE in my case. PE, like every block is 75 minutes, which really makes sense because you have a whole hour left after getting changed to actually do some sport. Tuesday and Friday are ‘run days’, that means we go outside and run two to three kilometres.

At 11:30 we finally have lunch. Most people bring their lunch, but school also sells Sandwiches and Pizza, though I think nothing compares to a good old Helli & Willi tomato-mozzarella ciabatta! The next 50 minutes are spent basically eating, talking to friends and having fun, before you have to go to your next block. I chose a course called ‘Rhythm and Blues’. It’s kinda like an orchestra, we practice famous Rhythm and Blues songs and then play them in front of people. It’s a lot of work but the more songs we get done, the more fun it gets.

Finally, last block, for me biology. My very favourite block, we cut rats open and look at their insides. Besides that, we learn theory. Just like in Austria. Just like in a lot of movies, everybody has his/her own locker to store the heavy textbooks in, which the library gives to everybody at the beginning of the semester, so nobody has to pay for them. At about four a regular school day is over and if there’s no homework, there are thousands of possibilities to spend the afternoon: going biking on one of the thousands of trails, hanging out with friends, going to the beach, doing any other sports….

It’s really great here in the Comox Valley. I’m so glad I cam here. It is an amazing time.

My name is Natalie Tien. I have been studying in Comox Valley for three years and I enjoyed being here for my high school life. Comox Valley is an amazing place that is full of art and music. Besides the great music education from the school, I also enjoyed going to the youth symphony, and a local group called "Fiddle Jam". Through these community groups, I have met a lot of neat musicians. I played my fiddle for the Maple Sugar Festival. I went to a great program called CYMC in the summer and I did a gig with a North-America fiddle champion-Patti Lamoureux. Now I am planning to go to Capilano University in Vancouver after my high school. It's been a great adventure and experience for me to study in this Valley. I have no regrets. I am full of happiness that I made my choice to come here.

I’ll Never Forget My Canadian Friends

I came to Comox because I met Ms. Edmonds. I met her in Korea at my house when I was in grade 1. She told me to read a book but I was too shy and I wasn’t confident with my English. Now I am confident with my English.

I was in grade 2 when I came here. I was worried and nervous about going to school but after one day I wasn’t worried or nervous because the teachers and kids were so nice. It’s been a little less than 2 years since I came here. At first my friends used to teach me how to spell or say things but now they ask me how to spell things. Also there are a lot of international students so I can meet kids from all over the world.

I really like it here because there are rivers, oceans and skiing resorts not far from where I live. I learned how to sail and snowboard. In fall, salmon come up to lay eggs at Puntledge River and it’s really cool to watch the salmon jump to up stream. Also the water is clean and in the summer the weather is great so I really like the Comox Valley.

I’m going back to Korea in February. I’ll really miss my friends and teachers and I’ll never forget them. Even when I go back to Korea my mom wants me to come here and go to the same school every winter and I would really like that because I’ll see my friends and teachers. I would also like to thank Ms. Edmonds for helping me come to this great place.

2011 Public Speaking Contest – Sid Williams Theatre

Good evening, my name is Ian Chen.

I am an international student from Taiwan and this is my 5th year in Canada. I would like to acknowledge the K’omox first nation on whose traditional territory we are gathered today

Being an international student is not just going to another country to learn English. It is also to feel the different cultures and face the reality by itself in the earlier age. Sometimes it is tough and lonely, but the experience stays with you forever whenever you need it. Although I am strongly promoting international exchange, I also want to share my experience with others, so the students who are interested can know what they may face.

Before I came here, I used to go to private school in Taiwan. In that school, all we focus about is the marks. We have a scale and the top leader board for every grades so every students can know where they are and where they at. The competition was huge; everyone wants to be the best in their grades. The lower the marks you have the lower the respect you get in that school.

When I first heard that I was going to another country to study I was excited, sad and scared but I knew it was going to change my life. Initially, I did not realize go to another country to study was such a heavy task of responsibility and pressure but I was looking forward to this adventure. This is a gift, from the parents who are willing to put big money on their own kids in order to have different educations than other people. This opportunity doesn’t come very often. I still remember after 5 years my mom crying when I am leaving. I only get to see my parents face to face once every year. I will always be thankful for the opportunity they gave me and the sacrifice they have gone through. I love my parents and I miss them everyday.

Language was a huge problem when I first came to Canada. I still remember my first day in school, I had absolutely no idea what was going on in the classroom. The teacher asked me where was I from, I said my name is Ian with the horrible pronunciation. Everyone laughed but a lot of classmates were more than happy to help me out, which is something that wouldn’t happen to me if I was in Taiwan.

I lived with a Taiwanese family when I was in Vancouver. In that house, not only I had to do everything myself on this new journey, I also had to help out with the chores around the house. My roommates and I had to clean the 3 floor house together every Sunday morning, and yes I was sharing a room with other students. There were 4 kids in the house taking turns to wash the dishes and doing the yard work every Friday after school. We shared everything in that house. So many times I thought I joined the Canadian armed forces. My roommates and I became really close friends, but the competition between the 4 of us was extremely high - from English to science, from basketball to report cards, we compared every little thing. It was cruel for me but my knowledge was everything. We are still really close friends and I learned so much about this world, you will always need somebody to support you and need to support them as well. Just like a table, always need 4 legs in order to put the pressure on top of it. That’s why a table has 4 legs.

I still face the reality of being different even until this day. One of the typical situations I have had to face is racism - I expected this before I came to Canada. Differences in culture are always present. My new friends in Vancouver used to call me Jackie instead of Ian because I have the same last name as Jackie Chen. This doesn’t bother me as much as others, but it is odd to be treated differently because of my culture.

After a year, I moved to this little place called the Comox Valley, it was much quieter than any place I had lived before. I lived with a lovely Canadian lady. It was my first time to have mashed potatoes. In that house I learned how to be independent, how to push myself with no competitions. I had so much freedom but so much responsibility at the same time. I had to know what am I supposed to do at this moment and make sure I don’t get distracted.

I also learned a lot about Canadian cultures, like wearing deodorant and showering in the morning. My host mom used to tell me that the only way to attract girls is to smell nice. And to do that I had to start having shower in the morning and wear deodorant. I couldn’t get used to it in the first couple weeks, but now I am and I feel like a Canadian.

Being an international student is competitive. Every summer I go back to Taiwan and my parents put me into “cram” school. Everyone was comparing who had a higher GPA when I was there. This is the dark side of being an international student - nonstop competition

International students do have a greater chance to be successful in the future. It creates a broader vision and we shouldn’t get too cocky of a little success we have right now. After 5 years of travelling, I realized I have so much stuff I still want to do and to complete in this world. I do believe it is a much harder path I had been through than any other students in Taiwan. But, I have become much more mature and got rid of the habit of always relying on somebody. I have become much smarter when there are new situations to deal with. I now have straight thinking in order to know how to solve the problem.

Although I do have to sacrifice certain stuff, like Chinese food, this is my experience of being an international student.

Thanks for listening to my speech.

Hello everyone!

My name is Oskar and I live in Poland. I'm into Kung Fu (Wing Chun style) and working out. I train Wing Chun 4 hours a week in Poland. I like spending my time actively.

This is my 3rd time I've come to the Comox Valley to be a part of the Summer Program. I've really enjoyed all the activities and things we've done so far. If you want to improve your English language, the Comox Valley is for sure the right place for that - unless you speak your own native language to other students... which isn't clever at all. Push yourself to the limits to get to know the English Language better. I did that. I even changed language into English on my electronic devices. Back in Poland I'm not watching TV in my native language; I'm always changing into English. Programs such as Discovery, National Geographic, Animal Planet etc.

You get to travel a lot around the Comox Valley and there's a lot interesting stuff to do. Here are some examples:

• Tofino - known for its gorgeous sandy beaches and for surfing and whale watching
• Victoria - known for having an enormous National Geographic Museum
• Fossil hunting at the local river. They are incredible, indeed they are... because you might find an ammonite a shell or a dinosaur bone and you can take it home with you unless it's really rare. Then the Comox Valley museum will ask you to donate that fossil. This is a must for every student to take part in.
• There are many more fascinating towns/places but you'll find out when you get here.

The weather changes rapidly - sometimes it's sunny and it suddenly starts to rain, then in no time it stops. So be prepared for that.

As a student I recommend you take part in this program. You will improve your English and experience wonderful places. When you're doing something, do it right. That's what I've been going with so far. It's worth that and it’s working out for me just fine – I enjoy everything. I don't complain and every day is a great day. If you treat people in Canada the same way you want to be treated and be polite, it goes both ways. Plus, the people of the Comox Valley are friendly and kind.

I hope you go to the Comox Valley. You will have a great time!