Dear Jaime, I have to make a big decision now. I have to choose to go to boarding school or to stay in Hong Kong. I don't know what to do. Do you have any advice? Ada Dear Ada, Yes, that's a really big decision that you have to make. It's great that you have the opportunity to choose what you want to do. I would recommend you sit down with someone who you trust and respect and work out all your different options. Write out what boarding schools you have the choice to go to. Then, make a list of all the positive and negative aspects of going to boarding school. For example, will it be better for your education? Will you be living in a country you like? Think about what impact it will have on your friends and family. After you do this, you could discuss the options with your parents. Sometimes, a little voice tells us what's the right thing to do. After you write out the positives and negatives, go somewhere really quiet and try to listen to what your inner-self says about moving or staying in Hong Kong. Good luck! Dear Jaime, I'm a local Chinese student and I study at an international school. I'm finding it really difficult to make friends. A lot of the kids at school are wealthier than me and I can't go out with them because I don't have the money to do what they do. So I'm left out. I still have some friends in my old school, but now that I go to an international school we think quite differently. It's like we're drifting apart. I really don't know how make good friends. Jessie Dear Jessie, You are facing a tough situation and I can understand how you feel when you can't seem to fit in among your schoolmates. I would assume that there are many students who feel this way in your school. It might be a good idea to look around in your year group and find out who else is really looking for a friend at the moment. Maybe you need to open up and share your feelings with a couple of schoolmates. Others probably feel the same internal pressure that you are facing. I would also not give up on your friends at your old school. Maybe they don't know how to relate to you now that you are in an international school. It could be a communication problem. You could also tell them how you feel. To find a good friend, I always recommend that you be a good friend first. So, find someone who you want to become friends with - ideally that person should have similar interests or thinking - and start being a really good friend to them, and they will return the favour.
