Students from around the world: Stefan Metzdorf

Stefan Metzdorf, from Sonnenberg, Germany, is attending school at David Thompson Secondary School in Invermere as part of the international student program. This is Metzdorf’s first year with the program.

Since coming to British Columbia, Metzdorf feels his English has gotten “much better”, as he knew a little of the language before coming to the Columbia Valley.

“The cars here are bigger, and it’s colder,” said Metzdorf. “Just the way of living is very different, I can’t explain it.”

Metzdof says the new car size doesn’t bother him much – while cars are typically smaller in Germany, he says he doesn’t have a preference.

It seems the strangest experience of living abroad for Metzdorf is sharing a household with his fellow German roommate, Per Kipke, than anything else he has experienced in the Valley.

“It’s crazy,” Metzdorf said with a laugh of his fellow house guest.

Rocky Mountain School District No. 6 offers an International Student Program that has been in operation since 1987. Since its start, the program offered in the communities of Golden, Invermere and Kimberley has hosted full-time and short-term students from throughout Europe, Latin America, Asia, the United States and Australia.

For more information about the program, visit http://www.sd6.bc.ca/international.php