2 minute read
Worlds Apart
Worlds apart: A long way from home
Year 12 international students Jack Lu and Will Wang arrived at RGS wanting to improve their English skills. Little did they realise that years later they would both have to work on much broader skill-sets after COVID restrictions put their resilience to the test.
RGS students are rushing out the school gates at the end of term, ready for another school holiday break with family and friends. Watching on are two Year 12 international students from China, Jack Lu and Will Wang. Due to COVID restrictions, they have not been home since January 2020. Now just relying on technology to keep them connected. Jack and Will both admit they are envious of watching the other students seeing their families over the school holidays. School holidays for Jack is spent catching up with a local friend and playing tennis and badminton while Will is keeping busy trying to prepare for his external exams. Helping guide the boys through their final year of school is Mr Tim Bourne, Head of the Rockhampton English Language Academy. Mr Bourne said Jack and Will are certainly two young men who can teach us a thing or two about resilience, perseverance and optimism in the face of adversity. “To say that the boys have merely overcome some challenges is an understatement,’’ Mr Bourne said. “In spite of the persistently dashed hope of being able to visit home “soon”, the commitment Jack and Will have mustered for their studies in their second language has gone into hyperdrive as they focus on doing well on their upcoming external assessments. “With completing senior schooling in a foreign language effectively doubling their workload, the two both take advantage of the many supplementary tutorials that the dedicated staff at RGS run for all students after school and on weekends.” Jack arrived at RGS in May 2017 and Will in July 2018. They are both shocked that they will be leaving RGS at the end of their Year 12 studies. “It has been four years since I started here. I was 14-years-old,’’ said Jack, who was this term appointed a Boarder Senior. “This experience is very challenging for me. When I first came to RGS, I did not have good English skills, and my classmates and teachers took good care of me, which made my life in RGS very interesting and wonderful. “At first everyone would ask me a question and I would answer “yes” or “no”. I was stressed. It was challenging learning another language and also talking to other international students, not just in my mother language.” Will said he has found the experience worthy. “I enjoy the freedom of this environment and the relatively relaxed study pressure,’’ Will said. Both students hope to pursue university studies next year.
