Many people have faced great change as well as challenges since school went online because of COVID-19. NDB has been online for school since March 2020 so students and teachers have had to adapt. International students at NDB have especially had to adapt because even without considering changes due to COVID they have faced major changes like moving to a new country and going to school where they have to speak a different language. International NDB students, Jenny He and Jennifer Jin who are from China and have returned to do distance learning there now have provided their important perspective on what it is like.

Jenny He, an NDB senior who has been doing her online learning in China since May after the first semester ended, shared her perspective and feelings being an international student and doing online learning currently.

“I prefer in person teaching because I think online school sometimes I can not really learn things,” said NDB senior Jenny He. “Also, I miss my friends.”

One of the main challenges Jenny has dealt with is the time difference.

“The time difference between California and China is sixteenth hours. It does make doing online school more difficult… like you guys start school at 8:30 a.m and end it at 3 p.m. But for me I started at 12:30 a.m to 6 a.m in the morning. That kind of messed up my daily schedule,” shared He. “But later for the first semester, we can do the asynchronous schedule which makes my time more flexible and back to my normal schedule.”

Jenny has also overcome any difficulties with having to speak another language.

“Today, my English has become better so speaking multiple languages is not a big deal for me. So I can handle speaking multiple languages and online learning,” says He.

Jennifer Jin, a sophomore, also shared her thoughts and experience. Since the end of January so about a month she has been doing online distance learning in China.

“I prefer to be in school, because although the teachers are relatively responsible, in our distance learning … I prefer to communicate with teachers and students face to face,” said NDB sophomore and international student Jennifer Jin. “Always using video calls to give lectures or seminars makes me feel unreal.”

She continued, “It makes me feel unreal because I can’t see my classmates and teachers face to face. Even if we can have a video call online, it’s not the same as meeting them in real life, and I’m sure many of us will feel that way.”

In addition to reflecting on what it is like doing distance learning versus being in-person for school, Jin also touched on the challenges she experiences.

“The biggest problem back in China is the time difference. I often have to take classes in the middle of the night. There is also the network that is not very stable, resulting in my being very upset,” shared Jin. “But the teachers are very warm-hearted to help me, which makes me very grateful.”

“The teachers gave me a lot of help, such as when I couldn’t connect the courses perfectly when I just came back to China. The teachers were very considerate and sent me an email and explained the assignment in detail. Many teachers also recorded the video during the class to help me better understand the course,” Jin added

It is admirable how well they have faced all of the different changes and challenges with online distance learning as international students. It is always important to understand and be open to hearing about other people’s experiences. In giving a few international NDB students a chance to share their experiences and perspective they were able to give a bit of insight into their lives. Knowing more about others such as the international students in our community can bridge the gap between us so we can be good peers and friends or have the tools to better welcome them into the community.