Hi, I’m Risith, a first-year Digital Marketing student at TRU. I moved to Canada from Sri Lanka. Before coming to Kamloops, I studied at Douglas College in Vancouver where I felt a strong sense of community and culture. Transitioning to Kamloops was a shock. Everything felt quieter, colder, and more isolating. As someone who has faced loneliness and cultural adjustment, I want to share my real experiences as an international student. This platform is a space where I hope others can relate, feel seen, and find ways to cope. This might mean getting hands on a familiar dish or just knowing there are others who understand.
Albert here, My name is Albert Omondi, currently staying in Kamloops and I am originally from Kenya. I am in my third year in Communication and Digital Journalism majoring in Public Relations. I do work at Shoppers Drug Mart as a merchandiser. I am very skilled soccer player and I was named best soccer player in my high school. I like playing and watching soccer during my free time. I am a Christian and I value honesty and Kindness. The challenges I faced when I first came to Kamloops were loneliness and difficulty to find foodstuffs that I am used to
Every year many students choose to further their education in Canada and TRU is one of the institutions that many students come to. According to Harman Kataria who I interviewed, moving to a new country to pursue your academic career can be both exciting and challenging. Additionally, adjusting to a new environment, people, and culture takes time and patience. A person’s ability to adjust and transition to a new place will determine whether they succeed or fail in their goals. It is therefore important that new international students are offered the support and services they need to adjust at TRU. In this podcast you will hear about some of the challenges international students face while studying at TRU. Home sickness, difficulty making friends, and high cost of living including high tuition fees for international students are some of the challenges discussed today.
Studies have found that providing support services to international students helps in their adjustments to the new environment. This ensures that they can adjust well and be successful in their academic careers. Our interviewee provides some suggested support that can be provided to these students to help them navigate the new environment and reduce the hardships they go through. Things like merit-based scholarships for international students can help reduce the cost of tuition thus reducing the financial hardship some students face.
Ultimately, supporting all students is important but providing targeted support for individual groups of students like international students ensures their smooth adjustment to the new environment and more success in their academics.
The flags outside international building.
References
Banit, O. L. G. A., Babushko, S. V. I. T. L. A. N. A., & Baranova, L. I. L. I. A. (2021). Academic, Social and Cultural Adaptation of International Students in Canada.
Bimpong, B. K. (2023). Challenges Facing African International Students at Research Universities in the United States. Journal of Education and Teaching Methods, 2(4), 1-16.
Anjiee here, I’m a Psychology Major and this is my 5th semester. When I first left Nigeria to study in Kamloops, I thought I was ready. I was excited about new opportunities, new people, and a new life. But nothing prepared me for the loneliness that hit me Suddenly, I was far from everything familiar, family, friends, even the food that gave me comfort back home. Walking into grocery stores and not finding ingredients I grew up with made me feel even more out of place. Something as simple as eating felt like a reminder that I wasn’t home anymore. I’ve realized that loneliness is one of the biggest struggles international students face, and it’s not just about missing home, it can deeply affect our mental health and our ability to thrive.
Hello! My name is Divine Lawson, and I’m currently a third-year English major at Thompson Rivers University. When I first arrived in Kamloops, I soon discovered how challenging it was to juggle both work and school life. The stress of balancing classes, assignments, and then long hours at work often left me feeling overwhelmed and discouraged—I even considered giving up. Thankfully, with the support of family and friends, I was able to regain focus and develop strategies that helped me manage my time and energy. This experience has inspired me to create a space where students who face problems like this can connect, share, and find encouragement. While connection is important, I believe it is also helpful to provide practical solutions. With this platform, I hope to share tips that worked for me, while also inviting others who have faced and overcome these challenges to share their own tips and guides.
Hello everyone! My name is Ilia Maliar. A 20-year-old, 2nd-year arts student at TRU. I came to Canada in December 2023 when I was 18. Since then, I have been actively noticing the peculiarities of life in Canada and how some details of Canadians’ lives and worldviews differ greatly from mine. The first few months were a serious challenge for me. Homesickness, the need to adapt not only to the peculiarities of the Canadian mentality but also to students from other countries, difficulties in understanding how various government systems work, and simple loneliness. These are just some of the many problems I encountered. Now, two and a half years later, when I have already gotten used to the new realities, I see many first-year students facing the same problems. This project has been a great opportunity for me to help international students better understand how things work here and adapt more quickly.
