Upon asking if another chance arose to go to University, “would you choose TRU again?”, Wang’s answer is “yes!”. Wang, who was born and raised in China, is a fourth-year student in Tourism Management program offered at TRU.

We were both sitting in the Brown Family House of Learning, just outside of the Tim Hortons. We met here because Wang had explained to me at a prior meeting, that the House of Learning was her favourite building on campus. It was a quiet Wednesday morning, and we began a conversation about what Wang admired about TRU. She explained to me how she thought that TRU was a university that belonged in the set of a movie. Further, she told me how she felt free and casual during her studies and that the classroom setting was comfortable.

When I talked to her about her first arrival, she said that she had thought about cancelling her tickets at the airport in China. However; she felt like she hadn’t even left home, as the first sign witnessed at Vancouver airport was written in mandarin. Upon arriving in Kamloops, Wang had been impressed by the friendly and exotic atmosphere. A new feeling of homesickness had also emerged with the arrival into Canada. Wang dealt with these emotions through the discovery of familiar tasting foods.

Since food is another big concern for parents sending children to study abroad, the first question Wang’s parents asked was of course about the food. There are many Chinese restaurants around campus, and also various kinds of other international foods such as Indian, Greek, Japanese and Italian. When referring to Chinese food,  Wang came up with interesting flavour differences between Canadian Chinese food and authentic Chinese food. Delicacies such as general tso’s chicken quickly became a new favourite dish. Wang does not mind the differences and enjoys trying something different. Chinese food brings her comfort when she is feeling homesick.

TRU has an organisation called LEAP, which caters to international students and brings them on trips, to experience something new, for only a small fee. Wang’s first experience at a hockey game occurred through a LEAP trip to a local Kamloops Blazers hockey game. Since that experience, Wang has found pleasure in watching hockey games with friends. Hockey is a real and new experience for her since hockey is not a popular sport in China. She enjoys the excitement that game provides, and how passionate the fans are. The most impressive game that Wang has witnessed so far, was the IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal game between Canada and the USA. 

TRU provides all students with the opportunity to apply their studies in real and practical situations. As part of the ADVG 4040 (Programming in Eco and Adventure Tourism) class, Wang and four classmates got the chance to plan and execute a trail build day in conjunction with the local mountain bike community. The group worked on a legendary trail named Stubby, found within the Pineview Trail Network. It is events like this that connect TRU to volunteer run NPO’s within the Kamloops community. TRU is a smaller university that fosters these relationships and allows them to flourish. Initiatives like this are what international students like Wang crave in TRU’s tourism programming.

During four years of study and life at TRU, Wang realized her passion in festivals and events and also gained valuable experiences at events. When comparing herself to what she used to be when she first came in TRU, she now is an enthusiastic and confident university student with expectations of a future career. TRU fosters a learning environment that is excellent for all students, particularly international students.