Norris had a big culture shock when he moved from Hong Kong to Manchester however, the CHS community made him welcome.
He told us his how he felt experiencing a new culture and school for the first time:
Arriving in Manchester for the first time
“I was shocked at how different it was compared to Hong Kong, the city I lived in before. Buildings, environment and even the people gave me a new, fresh first impression to the city. It was a really momentous moment as I’ve never expected such a dramatic difference between two cities. One thing that’s similar though was that it’s very easy and convenient to travel into the city centre, and that has helped a lot.”
My first day at CHS
“When I came to this school I was worried I would be the odd one out. However, it seemed like I never had to worry about that as the students were extremely kind, so I received a warm welcome on my very first day. Also, changing to a different school in a different country is very challenging for anyone to get used to quickly. Fortunately, I had been going to an international school back in Hong Kong and Cheadle Hulme School works in a similar way, so I was able to fit in quicker than I expected.”
Meeting the people of Manchester
“Outside of school, the people I have met have also been very warm-hearted. They were willing to help whenever my family and I had any questions or problems, and I’m very sure that my family would have encountered a lot of problems without their help.”
Playing basketball against my teachers
“Recently, I played a basketball game along with a few other students against the CHS staff. That was undoubtedly the most memorable moment in my School life here. I started as a substitute and we were falling behind. However, out of my expectations, I was the one who narrowed the lead and boosted confidence to my team. Although we didn’t win the game at the end, it was a great experience as I never believed I would have done so well when I’ve only played basketball on occasions, with friends during my leisure time.”