by ELTON HUBNER
The world is full of cool stuff, but can you think of anything more fascinating than travelling? Think about going to another continent, learning a new language, living with a new family, making friends from other countries, partying and falling in love with someone from another culture, opening up your mind and conquering your own spot in a society.
This is a bit of what makes the life of an international student so extraordinary. Most of our team at VGC Language School – including directors, marketers and teachers – had that experience when we were a bit younger. Now it’s our turn to make sure our English students get some awesome stories to tell for the rest of their lives.
My job is to tell some of these stories through photos and videos. I must say it’s almost as awesome as living them. Since I joined the VGC team, I’ve spent thousands of hours capturing images of our students’ lives.
Besides the classroom shots, I’ve also captured scenes of our students jumping in lakes in the Rocky Mountains, camping on the Sunshine Coast, riding a bike at Stanley Park, climbing, kayaking, dressing up for Halloween, playing soccer or volleyball, snowboarding and even barbecuing at the beach.
In almost two years at VGC, I’ve interviewed over 100 students from more than 20 countries. In the My VGC Experience series, you’ll find inspiring stories in several languages. In the Why VGC series, students from different nationalities explain in English why they’re having the best time of their life during their studies at VGC in Vancouver.
Of course it’s cool to work for a company that gives a lot of importance to what I do. What I like the most about working at VGC, though, is the freedom we all enjoy when we express ourselves. I film real classes and our teachers and students don’t follow any script when they’re in front of the camera. Their stories are authentic, so I find it always great to listen to them.
In our videos, you’ll meet the computer programmer Emese, from Hungary, or the Brazilian renowned speaker Nailor, for example. You’ll also get to know more about Japanese and Latin American teens preparing for high school and university in Canada. You’ll even have the chance to see what Arlyn, from Panama, has to say about her journey from studying English at VGC to doing a master’s course in a university in Vancouver.
It’s been a pleasure to learn about the positive experiences that our students are having. In 2015, I’m excited about continuing to inspire other people to come join us for a lifetime experience that will never be forgotten.
