(Many people immigrate,) (for the sake of their children.) (So we have a challenge to face...) (which is going to school!) My name is Cedric. I am a student, in Year 11 in the UK. Other than being a student, I am also a YouTuber, content creator, sharing the differences between life in the UK and Hong Kong. Sometimes, I also share my daily life here, in the format of short drama, to make my audiences laugh and feel relaxed. “Teens, what are your worries here in the UK?” I left... You will be forever missed. Wait, that’s not what I meant.
I just left Hong Kong, to the UK. In early 2021, my parents told me we had to immigrate to the UK. I didn’t have strong feeling at that time. I thought that I can try a new life and experience a different learning environment. [Cedric, 16 Years Old
YouTuber
Immigrated to the UK with the family in 2021]
At that time, around 5 to 6 of my classmates were also moving to the UK or Canada. So, I didn’t feel like it was a big deal. Not until mid-July 2021, when I was about to leave
and had to say goodbye to my friends and relatvies, I began to feel sad about the departure. I didn’t expect everything would happen so fast. (Very cold~~) (Got an inspiration suddenly!) When I arrive in the UK,
I had to quarantine at home for 10 days. I tried to settle in during that period, by learning something new. I learned to use a new video-editing software. After a while, I decided to share my expereinces, the experiences in the UK through video format. (Some of you may worry about me and ask,) (Do I understand what my teachers and classmates say?) (It would be very embrassing if I can’t understand) (What?) At first, I found it a bit difficult to adapt to the school life
as I was very nervious that time. I had to face new classmates, new teachers and worried that I couldn’t communicate well with them. [Cedric studies in a school
that doesn’t have many students from Hong Kong] On my first day of school,
I waited at the school gate, felt so nervous when I was waiting for registration. Then two local students came to take me to the their classroom, where there were about 10 students. They gathered together and chatted. I tried to randomly find a group of students
to fit in. When I listened to their conversation, I was uneasy
because I couldn’t understand what they said. I hoped they wouldn’t ask me questions so I could only keep responding with OK, OK, Yes Yes, etc. I could feel that they care about me.
They would ask me, “Do you like watching anime?” “What games do you like to play? ” Which made me feel that they are really friendly. They tried to include me in their circle. (Are you the only Hongkongers in your class?)
Yes, I am. In other schools, there might be around 10 to 15% of students are Hongkongers. Sometimes, I read my friends’ stories on social media, and they are often hanging out with other Hong Kong students. Being the only one in my class, might make it easier for me to integrate into the life of locals. (You usually study at this desk?)
Yes, I do. Studying as well as making videos. I was in Year 10 when I arrived, while the GCSE curriculum starts in Year 9. So upon arrival, I had to catch up what I missed. I spent more than an hour a day to catch up on Year 9’s work. After that, I spent another half hour to an hour to review what I had learnt that day. Most of the time, I study on my own or ask teachers for help.
So far, I have been able to keep up with my studies. (I have lots of pressure in the UK) (as I was ranked the first in my class in Hong Kong.) I prefer the learning environment here in the UK
without much pressure. Their teaching style allows you to learn step by step. Unlike that in Hong Kong, everything is very rush, rush to finish the whole curriculum. Also the teachers in school here are very attentive.
They keep asking me, “Are you settling in well?” “Do you find it difficult? Anything you don’t understand?” If you are willing to ask, they would teach you patiently. (Delivering Exam Papers in Hong Kong) (What’s your score?)
(You guess) (Mine must be higher than yours) (I don’t believe it) (Ok, show me!) Students in Hong Kong tend to focus on their grades
and compete with each other. While students in the UK usually go with the flow and don’t really care if they are not doing well in an exam. They may think that they can do better next time. This was the birthday gift I got on my 13th birthday.
I have been using it for more than two years. Filming is my only hobby. When I have free time after coming to the UK, I would film something interesting. I exchanged my instagram
with my classmates in the UK. When they looked at my profile, they noticed the YouTube link there. They then discovered my channel. So now I add English subtitles at my videos so that they can understand more. They often tell me in school that they like my videos. I would say for now, I’m barely adapting to the new life.
I have adapted to the learning style here but I haven’t fully integrated with the local students. Some British students like certain Asian culture, such as K-Pop, or Japanese stuff, so they ask me if I’m interested in these culture, or if I’m aware of these culture in my daily life. I am more exposed to Hong Kong pop culture,
such as Cantonese songs of “Mirror” I have tried to introduce them to my classmates, but they don’t seem to be very interested. There are cultural differences, and sometimes I don’t understand their jokes, but I just fake a laugh. Or sometimes they use really difficult words and I can’t understand.
I have to ask them to explain the meaning. Or they speak too fast and I have to listen attentively, or ask them to say again. It has changed a lot now. We chat, and play together. I’ve seen many people talking about their experiences here,
and some of them said they‘re very worried and told me through messages (on social media). Some were planning to move to the UK and after watching my videos, they felt less nervous. My videos can help them understand what life is like here. (Are you the YouTuber recently moved to the UK?) (I‘m the reporter from Radio C in the UK,) (would you mind doing an interview with me?)
(Sure.) When I came to the UK
No one could help me, so I had to play different roles all by myself. When I was making YouTube videos in Hong Kong,
I would first write the scripts and then scheduled a day to ask all my friends out to help with shooting and acting. We would find some nice scenes,
some random places on the street and shot for each other. It’s nice when a group of friends come together
to do something challenging. The whole experience is heartwarming because these friends are the closest friends of mine and we know each other well. Before leaving, I had a regret...
I didn’t treasure the friendship with my friends. Perhaps I felt that we were just having fun, or we would see each other again later. At that time, I couldn’t imagine it’s not easy to see each other again. When I miss Hong Kong, I would watch the video we made in the past or the old photos, or contact my friends in Hong Kong occassionaly to see how they are doing. (When do you miss Hong Kong?) Maybe… can I say I miss Hong Kong all the time?
(Do your family know about this?) They probably don’t know. (Have they talked with them about your life in the UK?)
We haven’t discussed that formally. We sometimes talk about the life after immigration, and the development in future in the UK. Continue to study at university, or continue to work. Or discus about the school life and if my friends and classmates are nice to me. On my hand is a farewell card given by my friends.
They gave it to me before I left. They wrote about how we met and some blessings to me when I was about to leave. I was really touched when I received this as it was the first time I got such a thoughtful card. And, I miss the old days when we
used to film videos together in the grassfield. And, I miss the old days when we
used to film videos together in the grassfield. I didn’t say so when I was about to leave.
I would like to say thank you to them, for being with me from Form 1 to Form 3, witnessing the growth of my channel
as well as my personal growth. I want to make another video with them again.
