What it’s really like going to an international school

Growing up in an international school was a completely unique experience. It brought happiness, excitement and occasional confusion. Now that you’re in uni, you can’t help but be grateful for the opportunity you had to learn in such a diverse environment. There are, however, a lot of things that you remember and stay with you.

You have no distinctive accent

You swear you entered school with a really thick accent from your home country, but you ended up with a hybrid between British and American. Now, when you go abroad to visit your family, you have to convince them you are still the same person.

Cringing at the question: ‘Where are you from?’

“Well, you see, I was born in Zimbabwe  but then I moved to Spain because of my dad’s work, but I’m moving to the UK for my degree.” You try to act like it’s the first time you’ve ever been asked this question, but in reality it’s probably the third time this week. Your answer usually starts with: “Do you want the long version or the short version?”

Feeling self-conscious about whether or not your answer made you sound like a show-off

I mean, they did ask.

You realise it’s a really, really small world

There’s nothing like finding the same person you went to kindergarten with in South Korea in your Greek high school. Spending Christmas vacation in New York, you say? Here, let me give you my friend’s Facebook and she can show you around town.

Getting your languages all mixed up

You can speak three different languages and can curse in five. But you suffer from occasional language amnesia. At least once a week, you find yourself pausing in conversation and having to explain to the other person, “Sorry, just a sec. Can’t remember the word for this in English.”

Trying to be polite when people assume you can’t speak English at all

Yes. Yes, I do.

Having classmates with really famous parents

You didn’t realise the son of World Cup winner Rivaldo was the boy that passed you a calculator during second period. Oh, and there were so, so many friends with diplomat parents.

The spelling and pronunciation drama

Is it colour or color? Is the letter “z” pronounced “zee” or “zed”? You’ve sat through many a heated argument of “you say tomato, I say tomato”. You find these things haunt you for the rest of your life, such as when you move to the UK and get abused for calling crisps “chips”. Can’t we all just get along?

The joy you felt when someone could spell/pronounce your first or last name

Polish kids never stood a chance.

MUN (Model United Nations)

While other schools were visiting their local zoo, you were busily trying to prevent the Cold War. You also feel shocked and slightly hurt when you tell people in uni about it and they think you’re hallucinating. The only people who maybe do know what you’re talking about are the ones studying Politics.

Falling in love with someone was tragic

It’s really hard to declare your love for someone when there’s the threat they may be moving back to Japan at the end of the year.

But you’re really good at goodbyes

Some might say international pupils have a heart of stone, but we’re just used to seeing people come and go. At the end of the day, you keep in touch with your friends no matter what; whether they live across town or across the Equator.

That one kid in your class that kept falling asleep because of jet lag

Yes, Sir, I know it’s only 2:30 pm right now, but in Perth it’s one am so I’m going to take a nap.

Your friendships extend across the globe

Russia, Greece, South Africa and America in one picture

You wouldn’t trade your friends for the world, and they come from all over the world.

Some of them have pretty expensive tastes

Oh, so you want me to come with you to Paris for the weekend? Just for kicks? Sure, let me just go and sell my left kidney.

But you’re still grateful for them

Everybody has their own story and their own little quirks. Growing up with people from different backgrounds makes you appreciate the beauty in every culture. It makes attending uni in another country even more enjoyable, because you get to learn from other people and their experiences. At the end of the day, we all share a common humanity despite our cultural differences, and growing up in an international school makes you realize that from early on.