Our International Students

We interviewed some of our International students to get a glimpse of Scots life as they experience it…

Xiaoren Yan

House: Glasgow

Where are you from: China

Favourite thing about Scots:
The environment and sports, such as football

Most surprising aspect of NZ culture:
That sport is so important and that study is not very hard. In China we get money from our factories and in NZ you get money from your agriculture.

What do you miss most from home:
My family and the food.

What do you do on the weekends in NZ:
Play sports, stay at the boarding house and spend time with friends.

Camille Boudet

House: Aitken

Where are you from: France

Favourite thing about Scots:
The technology and sport after school

Most surprising aspect of NZ culture:
That Scots is not a co-ed school

What do you miss most from home:
The nature and the way of life

What do you do on the weekends in NZ:
Play sport and go to town.

Yosuke Kinoshita

House: Glasgow

Where are you from: Japan

Favourite thing about Scots:
Playing and talking with friends

Most surprising aspect of NZ culture:
We have morning tea and afternoon tea. Also we are allowed to use our phones in school, if I used my phone in Japan the teacher would take it off me!

What do you miss most from home:
I can’t see my friends and family from Japan

What do you do on the weekends in NZ:
I go to the beach, play with friends and eat good meals.

Koki Ichinose

House: Smith

Where are you from: Japan

Favourite thing about Scots:
Economics and being able to relax after school

Most surprising aspect of NZ culture:
They don’t rinse the soap of dishes

What do you miss most from home:
The food

What do you do on the weekends in NZ:
Staying at my friend’s house.

Mingi Lee

House: Glasgow

Where are you from: Korea

Favourite thing about Scots:
English

Most surprising aspect of NZ culture:
English

What do you miss most from home:
My Family

What do you do on the weekends in NZ:
Study

Min Cheol So

House: Glasgow

Where are you from: Japan

Favourite thing about Scots:
Football and English

Most surprising aspect of NZ culture:
English

What do you miss most from home:
My Family

What do you do on the weekends in NZ:
Study.

Bernardo Zertuche Esquivel

House: Mawson

Where are you from: Mexico

Favourite thing about Scots:
The very friendly people and football

Most surprising aspect of NZ culture:
That no matter how bad a person’s day is they are still very friendly and willing to help others.

What do you miss most from home:
My friends, family and places to visit

What do you do on the weekends in NZ:
I am usually at football training or going to town or out for lunch with my team mates.

Toon Phisitsak

House: Glasgow

Year: 11

Where are you from: Thailand

Favourite thing about Scots:
Activities and sports

Most surprising aspect of NZ culture:
Food and sports

What do you miss most from home:
Heat and Thai food

What do you do on the weekends in NZ:
Football training

Kazuhiro Kawashima Okura

House: McKenzie

Where are you from: Mexico-Japan

Favourite thing about Scots:
High level academically

Most surprising aspect of NZ culture:
Haka by the Maori

What do you miss most from home:
Food and family

What do you do on the weekends in NZ:
Go to the city or to the beach with friends.

Leo Igeta

Year: 12

House: Plimmer

Where are you from: Tokyo, Japan

Favourite thing about NZ:
Friends (especially the boarding house)

Most surprising aspect of NZ culture:
How people have dinner, sleep and shut the store early

What do you miss most from home:
Food and Karaoki

What do you do on the weekends in NZ:
Chill with friends, sports (soccer, rugby), shopping

Lothar Krumpen

Year: 13

House: Fergusson

Where are you from: Germany

Favourite thing about Scots:
Prospects for the future (IB)

Most surprising aspect of NZ culture:
Agriculture

What do you miss most from home:
Family and Friends

What do you do on the weekends in NZ:
Play heaps of Hockey

Michael Liu

Year: 13

House: MacKenzie

Where are you from: China

Favourite thing about Scots:
Friendly people

Most surprising aspect of NZ culture:
Friendly people

What do you miss most from home:
Food and friends

What do you do on the weekends in NZ:
Hang out with friends in town and taste different foods in Wellington

Rocky Fang

Year: 13

House: Smith

Where are you from: China

Favourite thing about Scots:
A beautiful school

Most surprising aspect of NZ culture:
Sometimes people don’t wear shoes

What do you miss most from home:
Different kinds of Chinese food

What do you do on the weekends in NZ: Just do what I do, no plans.

Ryosuke Shimizu

Year: 11

House: Fergusson

Where are you from: Japan

Favourite thing about Scots:
Everyone is kind, friendly and normal even though I am international

Most surprising aspect of NZ culture:
Actually a lot because it is so different from Japanese culture

What do you miss most from home:
Family, culture and food

What do you do on the weekends in NZ:
Hang out with friends (Japanese and NZ)