JAMIE is a Hong Kong teenager who goes to Wenona, a girls boarding school in Sydney, Australia. We hear her story about moving to Wenona North Sydney and life as an international student!
About Jamie
I’m 14 years old. I joined the Wenona boarding community at the beginning of the year as a Year 9 student. In Hong Kong, I live in the Eastern District, where most things are within walking distance. In Australia, it’s different; but being in the Wenona Boarding House means I have everything I need close by!
In terms of hobbies, I enjoy sports such as hockey and tennis. Hong Kong’s tight spaces made sporting facilities limited, so having a full hockey field and tennis courts near the boarding house is something I’m incredibly grateful for.
Art holds the biggest place in my heart. In Year 9, we can choose two elective subjects. I chose Visual Arts and have been really enjoying painting.
On being an international student and boarder
Boarding at Wenona is just a big, warm community. From day one, I always felt welcomed into a great group of girls. Moving to a new city halfway across the world is not an easy adjustment, but the generosity and kindness of everyone here made it so much easier.
Over the past few months, Sydney has become a second home to me. Hong Kong will always be my home, but using technology, I can call my family with a click of a button. I hope when my sister joins this amazing community one day, she’ll have the same warm welcome I experienced at Wenona.
A typical day at the Wenona North Sydney school
Each Year Group has its own routine, but this is a typical day for me: We get up at 7am ready for breakfast in the dining room downstairs. After a nutritious spread, we make our beds and get changed for school. Then we get some free time to catch up on family chats and emails before heading off to class! We receive our own recess and lunch from the boarding house every day.
Once classes are finished, we enjoy free time where we can go to the shops (with permission) to buy some essentials and snacks before starting our homework. Prep is held for two hours every afternoon, allowing us to finish our homework in an organised way. There’s always a teacher on hand to help too.
We eat dinner with our Year Groups, then it’s time to wind down. Most evenings, I FaceTime my family in Hong Kong, then have a shower before bed. At 9.15pm we hand in our devices and, soon after that, it’s lights out!
Weekends with friends in North Sydney
While boarders have certain weekend rules to ensure we’re safe, as a Year 9 student, we’re allowed to walk to the cafés in the neighbouring suburb with a buddy. Saturdays are filled with sport but we also have House activities and sometimes watch movies in the rooftop recreation space, or play “The Amazing Place” (a race against other teams in different areas of North Sydney). We’ve also visited the popular water park, Jamberoo!
Activities like these help boarders quickly establish a strong bond. We also regularly bake delicious treats in the boarding house kitchen and travel into the city for laser tag or even to the art gallery! These are some of the major highlights of the week as a Wenona boarder.
About Wenona North Sydney
Wenona is a non-denominational Kindergarten to Year 12 girls’ day and boarding school located close to the centre of Sydney. Of the 1,370 local and international students, up to 50 are boarders, with almost half coming from overseas locations including Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, India and Dubai.
Wenona is at 176 Walker Street, North Sydney, Australia
+61 2 9409 4400 | wenona.nsw.edu.au
This article about a girls boarding in North Sydney first appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of Expat Living magazine. Subscribe now so you never miss an issue.
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