An Autoethnography about being an International Student

Abstract

The number of immigrant and international students in Canada and other Western countries has increased in recent decades. This group of people faces many challenges, especially at the beginning of their entrance to the host country, such as different expectations regarding two different cultures, being away from their family and loneliness, financial problems, language limitations, and racism. As the experiences of these students can affect their satisfaction and success during their academic years, it is essential to explore the experiences of this growing population during their higher education. In this paper, I explore my own experience as a female international student. My first several years in Canada illustrate the everyday struggles I have faced to attain social, cultural, and linguistic development and build a new life in a new country. Using evocative autoethnography as a research methodology has revealed layers of my consciousness by connecting my personal experience to culture. This autoethnographic study presents the reflections of an Iranian female scholar’s experiences in Canadian higher education; it explores how my personal status as an Iranian female scholar, along with social factors, have shaped my academic experiences in Canada.