The New Class is a web series which follows a group of new students as they experience Memorial University’s St. John’s campus throughout the 2016-17 academic year.
The series offers an insider’s view into the opportunities and challenges new students face during their first year on campus, and features 10 students from across the province and around the world.
Meet Iris
Iris (Shuqi) Yang is 21 years old and comes to Memorial from Beijing, China. She is an exchange students in the Faculty of Business Administration, and lives on campus in Burton’s Pond Apartments.
The Gazette caught up with Iris to get to know her a little better.
What are you enjoying most about university life?
I’ve enjoyed finding my favorite author’s original books in the QEII Library. I like John Muir’s The Yosemite and Travels in Alaska. I enjoy hanging around Pippy Park between class, and the autumn here is really attractive.
What do you find most challenging about university life?
It’s difficult to follow the native speakers’ speed. And it’s also hard to find suitable words to describe what I want to express. My mouth can’t follow my brain. I also find it hard to remember English names. I remember the person, but I don’t know how to pronounce the name, which always make me feel sorry.
How is campus life — and life in St. John’s — different from what you’re used to?
In China, one class always contains the same students, and different teachers come to class. So, the classmates won’t change, and I would know every classmate well. But here, different courses have different students, so I don’t really have the same opportunity to make friends with classmates.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I enjoy reading on the sofa, studying how to cook new dishes and going hiking around lakes.
What are you hoping to accomplish at Memorial?
I hope to not feel lonely when I’m far away from home, and I want to accept and understand the cultural differences.
Watch the latest webisodes of The New Class on our YouTube channel at memorialuniversity.
