International perspectives
Our short-stay international student program has now finished for the year and we sadly said farewell to our visiting students from China last week and today.
Their time at PMPS was a wonderful opportunity for all students to make new friends and learn about another culture.
Our local PMPS Year 6 students (Lola, Elias, Nathan, Avery and Jack) sat down with our visiting students, Gavin, Stan, Ethan, Lydia and Yao, to chat about the differences and similarities between school life here and in Guangzhou, Chongqing, Wuhan, and Shansxi.
School life in China and Australia
One of the biggest differences is the length of the school day. It was an eye opening discussion for our local students who are used to our 9am-3.30pm school hours and then playing sport after school and on the weekends. Ethan explained that "In China we start school at 7:30am and go home at 6:30pm.... On Saturday and Sunday some students do more lessons like Maths, English and Chinese."
Lydia explained that she attends a boarding school. "We start school at 6am and we sleep at school at night. We just go home on the weekend. So I think here is more comfortable and relaxed."
Gavin attends a large school, "there are 3000 people, when it's recess everyone goes down to the playground to play so it's very crowded and noisy. Teachers are very strict, so during recess they continue the lessons."
For Ethan and Lydia, studying at PMPS was one of the highlights of their Australian experience.
“School has been my favourite place to visit in Australia because I can play with my friends and my classmates here are very kind.” - Ethan
My favourite place to visit is school in Australia, I like it here." - Lydia
The Chinese students were intrigued about our uniform and wondered why Australians wear shorts in winter when it is very cold. Nathan explained that "Winter for us isn't that bad, our parents will tell us to wear pants, but we just wear shorts and we don't feel the cold."
Sport and food
Sport was a big talking point, with soccer, basketball, badminton among the students' favourites. Stan loves soccer because it gives him the chance to run and improve his skills, while Ethan enjoyed playing soccer and basketball with friends at recess. Gavin's favourite sport is badminton, which he regularly plays with his dad.
The visiting students introduced us to some of their favourite Chinese foods, including fish, beef balls and hotpot. Ethan even invited everyone to visit him in Chongqing to try his favourite food, spicy hotpot! There was some divide amongst the students about the level of heat though...
"I'm not like local Chongqing people, my mum is from Chongqing, but my dad is from the capital of China, Beijing. I live in Chongqing but I cannot eat the spicy food like the hotpot. The hotpot is so hot that a drop of the juice can make me drink a couple of bottles of water!" - Yao
"I come from Guangzhou, and in my home town we always have beef ball and hotpot (not the spicy one). My favourite food in Australia is lobster, it's delicious." - Gavin
Exploring Australia
Seeing Australia's wildlife was a highlight for all students. Stan particularly enjoyed seeing kangaroos and koalas, while Gavin loved experiencing Australia's wildlife and natural environment.
Yao was amazed by the Melbourne Museum, describing it as "insane". He also noticed some differences between Melbourne and Chongqing that our students may never have considered, especially regarding the number of birds.
"I've found a big difference between here and Chongqing is the birds. We have no pigeons, because Chinese people love to catch wild birds and make a BBQ to eat them. Here the people love to take care of the animals so the pigeons come to school to share the land with us." Yao shared.
Looking to the future
The conversation then turned to future careers. Our students dreamed of careers in sport, business and technology, while the visiting students imagined becoming teachers, scientists, managers and even YouTubers.
"I have two options, first I want to be a scientist and study nature. Also I want to be a YouTuber maybe, I can send some videos just like Mr Beast." - Yao
Ethan hopes to become a scientist because he loves insects, while Gavin is considering becoming a teacher. Stan dreams of working in the car industry and Lydia would like to work in IT like her mum.
Our School Captain, Lola, summed up her own future ambitions simply:
“When I grow... I'm not quite sure, but maybe a Human Rights Lawyer.”
Avery said when she grows up, she'd like to be a cricketer and play for Australia. Jack also loves sport, specifically soccer (football) and would like to work in the sports industry.
Yao was interested if local students would like to visit and study in China. Avery said she would love to visit, especially to see the red pandas.
Lydia shared, "I come from Wuhan in China and I think it is a beautiful place. I have lived there for many years and my favourite place in Yellow Crane Tower."
More than a visit
The international student program has been about much more than spending time in an Australian classroom. It has been an opportunity for students to build friendships, share experiences and see the world from someone else's perspective.
Our visiting students brought their stories, culture and curiosity to PMPS, while our students had the chance to share what makes life in Port Melbourne special.
We are incredibly grateful to all of our visiting students for being part of our school community this year. We will miss having them around PMPS and wish them all the very best for the future. Perhaps some of our students will take up Ethan's invitation to visit Chongqing for a spicy hotpot!