International Students >> Student Faces >>

Student Stories

So Young Moon

I was born in 1977 in Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea (South Korea). I moved with my family in 1995 from Korea to Christchurch, New Zealand and started a new life as a Year 12 student at Papanui High School.

Immigration to a new country at the age of 17 was extremely challenging in many ways. The biggest challenge was learning the English language and learning "in" English. My native language was Korean. Back in that time, English lessons in Korean schools were primarily based on reading comprehension. I had to overcome limited English verbal skills as well as enhance my writing aptitude. Coping with the isolation I felt after moving away from friends and relatives in Korea, and establishing new friendships were also not easy due to my shy nature. Participation in the ESOL classes was an integral part of my two years at Papanui High School along with fulfilling the requisite course work. My primary focus and elective courses moving towards graduation included science, mathematics, and music.

Upon graduation from Papanui High School in December 1996, my honors included receiving 1st Prize in Music. To carry on my great interests in music, I enrolled at the Canterbury University Music School in 1997. After one year, however, I decided to pursue an alternative career aspiration in science, specifically cancer research.

In 1998, I enrolled at the University of Otago and completed a Bachelor's of Science degree in 2000 majoring in Human Physiology. I then earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Science (PGDipSci) with distinction. This one-year programme encompassed both papers and a research to augment my undergraduate science degree while providing preparation for my PhD studies. For my PhD study, I joined the Cancer Genetics Research Group at the Christchurch School of Medicine, University of Otago and worked on a project that aimed to identify novel genetic changes in leukemia. During my PhD studies, I was awarded the Ken & Lucia PhD scholarship from the Cancer Society of New Zealand and I was awarded a PhD degree in August 2008.

Upon completing my PhD studies, I decided to gain research experiences overseas. I began applying for postdoctoral positions and visited research groups in the US to discuss potential research projects. I was offered a position at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the National Institute of Health (NIH), which is one of the most prestigious and largest biomedical research centers in the world. I am currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Molecular Genetics Section of NCI. My current research has a primary focus on osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and entails identifying aberrant gene expression patterns in tumor cells and relating this pattern to specific genomic alterations that occur during development of the cancer.

Constantin Haupt Jan - July 2010

Hi! I’m Constantin from Germany. I came to New Zealand at the beginning of February 2010. Three days after my arrival was my first school day at Papanui High School. I was really excited, how is school going at the other end of the world? How is the kiwi lifestyle? And is it difficult to make friends? I had so many questions in my head, but I thought: ‘just wait, we will see how it comes’. At the first day just the international students met and the international office explained a lot about the school and gave us many useful tips that were really helpful. Than we had our English and Math tests. First I thought ‘OMG I don’t want to have Esol!’ In the end I came to Esol 301 and it was, to be honest, the best thing that could happen to me! Because first we learned the basics again and later more, new stuff.

Esol was the most important subject for me because I learned a lot and it helped me to improve my English.

I changed my host family after 4 weeks, because my first one wasn’t the perfect one for me. so I went to Ms Kinzett, told her about my problems and she found a new family for me. I had two families to choose from, after visiting both I had to decide and I think I made the best decision in my exchange. My new host family was so kind, friendly and helpful and I could ask them about every kind of problem.

Two weeks after my change the first term was over and the holidays began. I went with an organisation on a trip during the Easter weekend. Up to Kaikoura and Nelson, which was a lot of fun and I saw more of the beautiful country. In the second week I went camping and fishing with my host family. This was one of my best weeks in New Zealand. We caught a lot of fish, saw dolphins and played cards all night long.

But I was also happy when the school started again; it was great to see all the friends again and to talk about the holiday experience.

The second term is the beginning of the winter sport season and I looked forward to playing rugby. I went the stadium many times to watch the Crusaders playing in the ‘super 14’ competition, but my dream was to play myself. So I signed up for the Papanui under 70kg. We played some practice games before the season began and it was so much fun, many new friends and a lot of experience that I remember the time smiling. Another positive point was, that my host brother played in the same team. That made the new sport for me easier and more fun.

Another highlight for me were the outdoor education camps. Outdoor education was one of my six subjects, we had three tramping trips (between 4 and 6 days long). The first two were in the second term; we walked together in a big group with 25 students and 3 teachers and slept in tents or huts. But the last trip in the second half of the second term was different. We were a group of just four students and we were the whole 5 days on our own, except for one day where we met the teachers. On this trip we were lucky with the weather, snow on the first day and sun on the other. It was so much fun to be with the other 3 guys in the bush that it was an amazing time. And of course I enjoyed the shower after it too.

All in all it was an exciting half year for me, which I will never forget!

I had so many unbelievable experiences and I’m really happy that I did this exchange.

It was sometimes hard, especially at the beginning, to understand everyone because my English was very bad. Now after half a year practising and help from Esol it is way better.

Luo Mengchu from China

Our Year in New Zealand

Hi, it’s Fabian and Lukas, two international students from Germany. We arrived in July 2007 in Christchurch, after a 26 hour flight. We are from two completely different parts of Germany. Fabian comes from the very South and Lukas is from the Western part. We both decided to spend a year in New Zealand. Our time here has passed very fast and it is very interesting to look back on what we did, what we have experienced and what we have achieved.

The beginning was quite hard for us. There is a huge difference between the English which we used to study in school and the actual English spoken here. So a couple of communication problems appeared, but during the first weeks we began to manage those.

We also had to experience a lot of cultural differences in school, in our host families and in general. For example school in Germany starts usually at 8am and ends no later than 2pm, and school at Papanui begins at 8.45am and ends at 3.10pm. We were also able to choose subjects which do not exist as those in German schools; for example Outdoor Education, Catering or Drama.

Furthermore, it was not always straightforward to live with a homestay family, as there were different meanings about a variety of things. Even things we took for granted were not always common here. But that is half the fun of living in another culture.

What we really liked about our time in New Zealand was especially the travelling through the country. We really enjoyed the beautiful nature of New Zealand, especially in the South Island ( Queenstown and Milford Sound ). We also met heaps of students from different countries with different cultural backgrounds and it was great and very interesting talking to them at school.

We really enjoyed ski and snowboarding at Mount Hutt during Term 3 in 2007.

Another new experience for us was the 3-day tramp with our Outdoor Education class in Term 4, as we have both never did anything similar like that before.

We both really liked and enjoyed our time in New Zealand and we hope to keep this year in memory for a long time.

Karo from Italy

Hello,

I´m Karo from Italy and I studied at Papanui High School for one year.

I would like to talk about my year in New Zealand and really, all I can say is that I had a great – if not even the best- time in my life!

I can still remember the day I arrived in NZ. I was so worried and scared, because I just didn´t know what would be expected of me and what life was like, far away from home. I was worried to death because I knew that I had to find my own way and start a new life.

When I first met my host mum I felt more comfortable straight away. Then Dianne, my host mum, showed me my room and I started unpacking my baggage. I still remember how I put all my clothing in the drawers...I had tears in my eyes- and a year later I had to take my clothes out of the drawers again...and I had tears in my eyes, again...!

I had a great host family that took great care of meand made my year in NZ enjoyable and unforgettable. I didn´t expect so much love from a host family, but they certainly made me feel just like at home-if not even better!

Another worry of mine was, if I would ever find close friends during my stay in NZ. Again, the answer to this question is that I've found some great friends, who made my year here even better! They are friends I have for life and I have seen them all since I have been home.

You should know that living in a foreign country, far away from home, is not always easy. Every now and then there are moments, when life is not what you expect and can be difficult to understand.

School was great; great teachers, great subjects, lots of opportunities.

During my year in NZ, I travelled quite a bit and I saw a lot of this gorgeous country. I had a wonderful year, full of excitement, with good friends and without any worries. I wish I could stayed for longer...but who knows, one day I might go back...

Guten Tag!

How would it be to live on the other side of the world, talking in English all the time, and staying with another family? I wanted answers for those questions.

In October 2006, I finally went on the airplane, heading towards this beautiful country, called New Zealand.

I loved Christchurch right from the beginning. The people were friendly, the school was relaxing and I found many great friends. My host family was just perfect and I had no doubts that the nine months were going to be great.

It was true, I had a dream of a life. Especially when my host family took me on holidays with them. We spend more than three weeks in Totaranui in Abel Tasman National Park, which was such an awesome time. Yes, the summer holiday will always be one of my best memories about New Zealand.

But also the life at school was nice. In Term four of 2006, I enjoyed being a Year 12 student and wearing a school uniform, as we don’t have one in Germany. My half a year in Year 13 (February – June 2007) started really exciting with my role as a peer support leader of one of the new Year 9 students.

All my subjects were very interesting and my English improved from week to week, so that in the end, I could even understand complicated Maths expressions.

As a member of Stage Challenge 2007, I had the pleasure to perform for Papanui High School on stage. That was a great night and we won!!

During the Easter holidays, my friend Samantha and I spent ten days in Central Otago and Dunedin, which was amazing. The landscape down there is so different from the middle and north of the South Island, I realized. We had trips to Wanaka, Queenstown, Cromwell and Alexandra and I enjoyed every single day.

The Formal was the last big event I could share with the Papanui students. I loved dressing up and dancing, the decoration was lovely and I can proudly add this school ball to all the other fabulous things that happened to me in New Zealand.

Now, after nine wonderful months in New Zealand, I look back at all the fun I had with my friends and family, all the laughter, the photos we took, the advice I got. It has probably been the best time of my life and I am going to take so many great experiences and memories with me.

Auf Wiedersehen and feel free to contact me on elbenjenny@web.de if you have any questions

Jenny Klug.

Min Hwa Kang, Korea

Kia Ora!

I can still remember, quite vividly, my first day at Papanui High School. As anyone could imagine, I was both excited and nervous(and to be honest, a little afraid) when I passed the gate and stepped into the school where I was to spend two successful and self-fulfilling years, mingling with Kiwis and other Interntional students from all over the world. Of course, I never knew then that my time at Papanui would change and even improve myself in vaious aspects. Looking back, on that sunny day in November - with bright blue sky and clean, crisp air that I can still recall - a new chapter of my life began, even though I wasn't aware of what was happening, not in the least.

Quite literally everything I saw and went through was new and different, especially compared to my experience in Korean high school. However soon I found myself enjoying each day at the school; My classmates and teachers were all very friendly and ready to help me adapt myself to the new environment.

It was at Papanui High that I learned studying could actually be interesting. Every class, whether it be a science or humanity class, was basically discussion-based; Students were free to ask questions and express their opinions to teachers and other students. Active class participation was considered very important and students were encouraged to debate on different issues and share their opinions. 'To think myself', rather than to merely accept what teachers taught us, was what I learned. Sometimes assignments and exams were challenging, but then they were challenges that I gladly accepted. I worked hard, and teachers never once hesitated to help and encourage me. I could feel my English was getting better day by day and so was my confidence. My favorite subject was Classical studies, a subject about Greek and Roman culture and history, and I was thrilled when I got my first 'Excellence(A+)' on one of my internal assignments in this subject.

I must mention how I was surprised at diverse extra-curricular activities that students went through. There were simply a huge number of various clubs involving music, sports, drama, art, and so on. Almost every student engaged in at least one or two of these activities. It was also somewhat a pleasant shock for me to see how students organize school events and performance by themselves, growing and expanding on their leadership skills. I couldn't help but admire my Kiwi friends when I saw their fantastic performance in the Stage Challenge contest, the Soiree, and speech contest. Obviously students had both more freedom and responsibilities compared to students at schools in Korea. Every week there were one or two events - however small - that students could participate and with them the life at Papanui could never be boring. Opportunites were always open to everyone.

The two years that I spent at Papanui High School went fast like a roller-coaster ride, but not without invaluable lessons and great memories that I still appreciate and cherish today. Personally my major highlights were The 2007 School Ball - an amazing evening when we all got dressed up and danced tlll midnight - and Prize Giving ceremony in which I got the award called Proximme, which placed me as the second best scholar of the year. Now, as the proud alumni of Papanui High School, I would happily recommend this school to prospective International students who crave to gain exciting, valuable experience in New Zealand, one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

Kia Ora( 환영합니다 !)

저는 2007 년 Papanui High School 을 졸업한 한국 학생입니다 . 비록 Yr 12, Yr 13 - 한국 학제로 계산하면 고 2, 고 3 - 두 해라는 길다면 길고 , 짧다면 짧은 시간을 보낸 곳이지만 , 제게 이 학교는 자랑스러운 모교이자 또 지금도 기쁜 마음으로 기억하는 , 많은 것들을 배우고 소중한 시간을 보낸 곳이기도 합니다 .

아직도 저는 이 학교에 처음 등교하던 첫 날을 선명하게 기억합니다 . 맑고 상쾌한 공기에 햇빛이 비치는 전형적인 뉴질랜드의 11 월 어느 날 , 교문을 지나 학교로 들어가면서 설레기도 하고 조금은 두렵기도 했습니다 . 모든 것이 낯설어 보였고 , 또 과연 잘 적응할 수 있을까 , 하는 걱정도 들었습니다 . 물론 그 때는 이 날이 저의 많은 것을 바꾸어놓을 , Papanui High School 에서 보람찬 두 해의 시작이라는 것은 깨닫지 못했습니다 .

뉴질랜드 고등학교 생활은 한국의 그것과는 여러 면에서 굉장한 차이가 있습니다 . 처음에는 당황스럽고 낯선 환경에서 제 자신이 좀 어색하기도 했지만 , 친구들과 선생님들 모두 언제든 도움을 줄 준비가 되어 있었기에 , 학교 생활에 비교적 쉽게 적응할 수 있었습니다 . 또 작은 지구촌이라고 불러도 손색이 없을 정도로 세계 각국에서 온 학생들이 늘 가득한 학교의 분위기도 저의 적응을 도와주었습니다 .

우선 제가 체험한 가장 큰 변화 중 하나는 바로 공부하는 것을 재미있다고 생각하게 된 것입니다 . ( 믿기지 않으시겠지만 , 어쨌든 한국에서의 수업보다는 훨씬 재미있다고 장담합니다 !) 어느 수업이든 학생들은 적극적으로 자기 의견을 표현하고 서로 의견을 나누며 , 선생님께 자유롭게 질문하고 때로는 선생님과도 토론을 할 수 있고 , 스스로 생각하고 능동적으로 수업에 참여하는 것이 권장됩니다 . 또 한국처럼 지식의 암기위주가 아니라 이해와 응용이 먼저이기도 합니다 . 저는 한국에서 공부할 때 수학이나 과학에는 전혀 흥미를 느끼지 못했지만 이 곳에서는 실제로 실험도 자주 하고 또 원리를 먼저 익히면서 이런 과목들을 지루하다고 여기지 않게 되었습니다 . 한국의 고등학교 1 학년인 11 학년부터는 한 두 개의 필수 과목을 제외하고 자신이 공부하고 싶은 과목을 선택할 수 있는 것도 큰 장점이구요 . 제가 가장 좋아했던 과목은 그리스와 로마의 문화 , 사회 , 역사에 대해 폭 넓게 배우는 과목이었는데 비록 영어로 읽고 쓰는 양이 많아 힘들긴 했지만 한국에서 쉽게 접할 수 없는 분야여서 매우 즐거웠습니다 . 선생님들의 격려를 받으면서 제가 발전해나가고 있음을 느낄 때는 무척 뿌듯했구요 .

또 한 가지 , 이 곳에서 공부하며 놀랐던 점은 바로 학생들이 활발하고 적극적으로 각종 교과 외 활동에 참여한다는 점입니다 . 스포츠 , 미술 , 음악 , 연극을 비롯해 다양한 분야에 관련된 셀 수 없는 클럽이 있고 , 대부분의 학생이 한 두 개 이상 참여합니다 . 학생회를 비롯해 Arts Council, Sports Council 등 학생들로 이루어진 위원회에서 자율적으로 학교 행사나 공연을 기획하고 실행하는 모습을 보면서 , 또 제 또래 학생들이 거의 선생님들 도움 없이 올렸다기엔 정말로 근사하고 수준 높은 뮤지컬이나 콘서트를 보면서 감탄할 수 밖에 없었던기억이 납니다 . 입시 때문에 학업에만 치중해야하는 한국 고등학생들과 달리 이 곳의 학생들은 이미 리더십과 책임감을 키우고 , 동시에 자유롭게 즐거운 학창생활을 보내고 있다고 느낄 수 밖에 없었답니다 .

때로 힘들기도 했지만 , Papanui High School 에서 보낸 두 해는 지금의 제가 있게 해준 - 좀 더 독립적이고 성숙하고 또 넓은 시야를 갖게된 - 시간이었습니다 . 마지막 해 모두 근사한 드레스와 턱시도를 갖추어 입고 춤을 추었던 School Ball, 꿈 꿔왔던 대로 차석 졸업으로 상을 받았던 학년 말 시상식 , 그 외 수많은 자잘한 기억들 .... 지금도 회상하면 미소가 지어지는 추억들입니다 . 이제 자랑스러운 2007 년도 졸업생으로서 , 한국 학생들이 Papanui High School 에서 저와 같이 잊지 못할 멋진 경험과 추억을 쌓을 수 있기를 , 온 마음으로 기원합니다 .

Susanne Laager, Switzerland

Having spent half a year at Papanui High School as an exchange student, I can tell you that you won't leave that school without lots and lots of new experiences.

Coming from Switzerland the school was quite easy for me and there were lots of interesting subjects I didn't know about. Most of all I loved outdoor education. It gave me countless new impressions and wonderful days and nights out in the southern alps.

You also shouldn't miss the school sports and other activities you can do. I made use of a very cheap surfing course in summer and some cool games of water polo on Wednesday afternoons.

Take your chance, have a good time and make the most of it! There is so much to do and experience.

If you want to contact me write me an E-Mail: laagersusanne@hotmail.com and have a look at my homepage. There are some cool pics of our outdoor education tramps: http://susu-down-under.de.tl/OED-Camp.htm (unfortunately most text is in Swiss-german)

Enjoy your time as I enjoyed mine. =)
Sue