With a student population comprised of over 50 different nationalities and a teaching faculty from every continent it ‘s very easy to focus on what makes us different. At BCIS we encourage an open dialogue that helps us to see our own culture as a living tradition and at the same time celebrate our diversity as a community. We believe that the process of interacting with and learning about other cultures promotes empathy, tolerance and generates mutual understanding; it can also help us appreciate the distinctive features of our own heritage. Here at BCIS we actively promote opportunities to engage with China in a variety of meaningful ways. From our philosophy of shared happiness, through to classroom learning and participation in community events we are constantly making these connections and strengthening our ties with the host country that reach beyond food, flags and festivals. Although we often celebrate these visible aspects of Chinese culture we believe that in order to think, act, reflect and be successful one needs to be actively engaged with the host country culture.