Our Students

 

2016 International Students Enjoying Life at Lynfield

Our International Department reports that the 90 international students (from more than 12 different countries) who arrived at Lynfield for 2016 have settled in well. For all of them there is an adjustment period as they get to know new homestays, new school subjects and teachers. New  friendships are forged and gradually everyone feels comfortable in their new surroundings and can venture further afield across Auckland and beyond.

The images below are of various international students in a number of different subject areas..
 

Arche physics-333 Andy and Hunter-222 Daniel Engineering-741
Francois history-495 HenriHOC-377 honoka tfd-541
JackyHOC-729 Miki and Saki in ESOL-62 PE class-177



Amy Liu
Hi, I'm Amy, I was the 2014 International Student Representative of Lynfield College.

Here is what I wrote then..

I'm from Taiwan, a beautiful island in Asia. I've been in New Zealand since July 2011 and I like everything about Lynfield. It's been such a good four years spending my school life here and this year I have another responsibility – being the representative of our international students. This means so much to me as I  have always liked being a leader and, as I’ve been at Lynfield for a long time and have had wonderful experiences, I know how it feels being in a new country that has a foreign language. I enjoy being able to help the new international students get used to their new environment.

I still remember the very first day at the school. Even though I would have been in Year 10, I went into a Year 9 class so I had a chance to improve my English skills. I was nervous, scared and worried that no one would be able to understand what I said during break times so I hid myself away from the crowds and regretted coming here. Thankfully, my classmates were really friendly and also with the help of the teachers from the International Department, I slowly got accustomed to this new place and made many new, good friends.

When people have asked me why I chose to come to Lynfield, the first reason is because it is only a 10 minute walk away from my house, but more importantly it has high academic results and a good reputation.

New Zealand has a very different study environment compared to Taiwan, where I had to get up every morning at 6am and finished school at 5pm. Being at Lynfield gave me many opportunities to join different groups like badminton, squash, dragon boating and the Chinese group. These cannot be found in the high schools in Taiwan.

As time passed by, my English improved tremendously and I have come to love this beautiful place. Lynfield College has had international students for nearly 20 years now and there are currently over 100 students in the school from overseas, for example China, Chile, Germany, Italy and Thailand.

I hope this year is successful, where I'm able to help other international students who do not feel confident, because I remember so well that feeling – leaving your loving family and friends in your own country and coming to a new environment where you cannot even express yourself properly. I really will try my best to help the ones that are in need.
Amy Liu




Harmandeep
 
Harmandeep1.jpg
Harmandeep studying hard.


I am Harmandeep Singh Sodhi from the Punjab in India.   I am currently in Year 12 and plan to study engineering at AUT when I complete high school.  My favourite subjects at Lynfield are physics, chemistry, maths and English and I enjoy the practical way they are taught here.  The teachers and students are friendly and have helped me a lot to settle in.  The school environment is very good.  My host family are very caring and helpful – they are just like my own family. Sandra and Sam in the homestay office have helped me find solutions to any problems I have had.  Auckland city is very beautiful and a nice place to explore although sometimes it is a bit rainy.
The highlight so far for me has been participating in the cultural fashion show with the Indian Club during the week long multi-cultural festival held in Term 1.  What a great experience!

 


Esther
 

Esther Linn is from Yangon in Myanmar.  She started at Lynfield in Year 9 and plans to eventually study medicine at university and become a doctor.  Now in Year 10 it is not surprising her favourite subjects are maths and science and her science teacher is her favourite as he is good at teaching and makes learning fun.  Esther enjoys the clean green environment, has made many friends and thinks Lynfield is safe and fun.  “The international staff are kind and help us when we are upset or need help with our subjects.”

Esther_helping_the_Chinese_club1.jpg
Esther helping the Chinese Club.
 

 


Christian
 


Christian2.jpg

Christian in the IT Department.
Christian Kutz is from Berlin and has come to Lynfield for a year.   Christian was impressed with the variety of subjects he could choose from and his favourites are Year 12 photography and food technology. He has found the teachers and students to be friendly and welcoming. The NZ way of life is a lot more laid back and relaxed than in Germany and he has enjoyed meeting many different cultures and experiencing a wide variety of food. His host family have been friendly, welcoming and fun, and as Christian describes “just like a real family”. 
During the school holidays Christian has taken the opportunity to see a lot of NZ and the highlight of these adventures was skydiving in Rotorua.
“The International Office really cares for us.  It was the right choice to come to Lynfield College and if I could I would do it again.  It is a lot of fun.”
 
Sarah
 

Sarah Schluter is a 16 year old from Germany. She has been here since July 2010 will stay for a whole year.  Sarah is in Year 12 and enjoys studying art, photography and hospitality. She is sadly counting down the days until she leaves.
“Now my time in New Zealand is nearly over and I know I’m going to miss New Zealand very much. The time has passed quickly. When I came here, of course I missed my family and friends very much, but then I got to know more and more people who made me feel better, everybody was so nice and welcoming towards me. My host family is really nice and I enjoy staying there. Up until the summer holidays I wasn’t homesick at all, but over Christmas and New Years I was a bit sad but still the summer holidays were good. I went on tour from Auckland down to Queenstown which was really fun and I also went away with my host family.
 
Sarah_in_hospitality1.jpg

Sarah in hospitality.

This whole experience at Lynfield College has been an amazing life experience and I thank everybody that made it how it was. I know I’m going to miss everything very much, I enjoyed staying here. Thanks!

 


Matthew
 
Matthew1.jpg

Matthew doing research.


Matthew Ng from Hong Kong plans to study law at university in HK or Auckland.  He is in his second year at Lynfield and is currently in Year 12 and enjoys chemistry and biology.   He thinks Lynfield provides a good environment for study and he like the spacious campus. 
Matthew has been with his host family since he arrived. He thinks they are nice, loves their tasty food and appreciates being involved in family activities.
He enjoys the lifestyle in NZ as it is at a much slower pace than HK and there is a much better balance between the city and the natural environment.