An international student's confession about 'life is not all roses'

(Baonghean) - In recent years, studying abroad is no longer a strange thing for many students. However, through the sharing of Nghe An students studying in European countries, their lives are not all rosy.

Studying in France for nearly 2 years, Thao Trang (born in 1998) - a former student majoring in French at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted has gradually become familiar with and adapted to the pace of life in a foreign country. Thao Trang shared that, while still in high school, Thao wanted to study abroad, especially in France.

Although she had a good command of French and had learned from her seniors, in the first days of arriving in France, Trang was overwhelmed by the culture and lifestyle of a foreign country. Trang said that at first, she could not understand what people around her were saying or keep up with the lectures in class. After each class, Trang had to borrow books from her classmates to copy.

The first few times I took the test, my scores were a nightmare as I barely passed, and I even had to retake some subjects. It was quite a shock because before I went to France to study, I had quite high grades in class. Communicating with native students also encountered many difficulties due to cultural and lifestyle differences. For example, some questions that are considered normal in Vietnam are considered impolite when asked to foreigners. After stumbling a few times, Trang learned many lessons for herself.

The 12 m² attic room of student Nguyen Phan Linh in Munich (Germany). Photo: NVCC

Money management is also a difficult problem for international students. Another former Phan student, Nguyen Phan Linh (born in 1995) - an international student in Munich (Germany) recalled: "When I first came here, I spent more than 2,000 euros in the first month. Admission procedures, renting a house, getting a library card... consumed nearly 1,500 euros in just 1 week. With the remaining 500 euros, I had to spend frugally until the end of the month before my parents gave me more money."

Linh said that usually international students will choose to rent a house with the owner or 2 or 3 friends will rent together. As for Linh, she is currently living in a 12 m² room for 30 euros/m², not including monthly electricity, water, and internet bills. Although it is called a room, in fact, the place where Linh lives is the attic, which the owner has renovated and rented out to students.

Linh said that although living with the landlord is a bit inconvenient, she does not need to register for internet, electricity, and water by herself like other people who rent a whole house to live together. After spending too much, Linh was able to balance her income and expenses in life.

In foreign countries, international students also have to get used to using public transportation when going to school or work. Studying in expensive Paris, Nguyen Thuy Ngan (born in 1994, in Vinh City) like many Vietnamese students chooses to rent a house far from school and the city center to reduce costs.

To get to school, Ngan usually has to take the subway for 50 minutes or change buses twice, and her part-time job is 30 minutes away from her house by subway. With a dense subway system like in Paris, when she first started using this form of public transportation, Ngan almost cried many times because she got lost or took the wrong train.

Contrary to imagination, many metro stations in Paris are not as beautiful as they appear on TV. During rush hour, the metro is packed with people and is the "golden hour" for pickpockets, so international students must be very careful.

During the "season" of protests and strikes, many public transportations are also "paralyzed". There was a time when Ngan almost missed her exam because the subway staff went on strike. At these times, Ngan and her friends could only go above ground to catch the bus or run back to school if the entire bus system was on strike. After nearly 5 years of living in Paris, Ngan has developed the habit of following the news to avoid strikes and protests.

Student Nguyen Thuy Ngan works at a bakery in Paris (France). Photo: NVCC

Of course, the life of an international student cannot be without mentioning part-time jobs. Studying in the UK with a master's scholarship, Le Thi Phuong Anh (born in 1993) still decided to work part-time to earn money to cover her living expenses as well as travel. In her free time, Phuong Anh works as a waitress in a restaurant or as an interpreter.

Like other international students, according to regulations, Phuong Anh is not allowed to work more than 20 hours/week during the school year. Phuong Anh said that in the summer, students can work more freely, but if the salary is high, students will also have to pay taxes. For this reason, some students accept to work illegally despite many risks such as being exploited by the employer, not being paid the agreed salary (because there is no legal contract). They can even be checked by the police and have their records marked.

And that is just one of the many difficulties that international students from Nghe An in particular and Vietnam in general encounter when setting foot in a foreign country to study. Many international students must always make an effort to avoid falling into temptations in a foreign country when they do not have their family by their side.

Chu Thanh