When a family chooses to send four of their five kids to the same school, you know that school just has to be special. In a video interview, Christiane Adovelande, spouse of the Ambassador of Benin to China, said, “I was really convinced by the quality of the teachers, the beauty of the campus, and our family felt really welcome.”
The school she is talking about? The Canadian International School of Beijing (CISB).
After moving to Beijing six years with their four younger kids, the Adovelandes have now sent their third eldest child and fresh CISB graduate, Rachel Charissa Oluwakemi, off to university in New York City, where she will study interior design.
Rachel’s elder sister, Ruth Ariel Dona graduated CISB in 2021. Her two younger siblings Ramia Yael Oluwasheyi in Grade 10, and Rayna Mahoussi Yudit, in Grade 9 are currently still enrolled at CISB.
If you’re wondering what it’s like for four siblings to share a school, we wondered that too.
We sat down for a friendly chat with the Adovelande sisters to talk about their scholastic experience at CISB and spending their teenhood in Beijing.
The first serious question we posed to the girls was “What is it like to go to a school after your siblings have blazed a trail there?” Ramia was first to answer, saying,
“It’s helpful because they can give us advice on the classes they went through and how to handle it.”
She credited Rachel with sharing her experience of the Grade 10 Personal Project, which Ramia is currently completing. “It’s definitely a good thing,” she concluded. “But it has its downsides too,” interjected Rayna, whose youthful energy radiates through the room, “because everyone in the school already knows you as so-and-so’s sister, but you are your own person.” She continued, “Teachers sometimes compare you to your perfect sister (Rachel) or your super smart sister (Ruth) as well, so it can be annoying.” But she went on to reveal their sibling secret that helped to support them through the transition to a new school: “We made a deal to only sit with each other at lunch after we had found at least one friend ourselves. This gave us someone to rely on and also got us to find our own friends by the end of the first day!”
Ultimately, sharing a school between them only strengthened their bond.
To our next question – “What do you like best about CISB?” – all three siblings unequivocally talked about the incomparable spirit of community that CISB fosters. “Everyone is really nice and gets along with each other, even across the grades,” began Rachel. Rayna continued, “There’s such a sense of friendship that a Grade 7 student can be best friends with a Grade 10 student” Ramia added, “Everyone shares a mutual respect for each other and their culture.”
Speaking of culture, the family has greatly appreciated the diversity that Beijing has offered them in their time here. While Mom enjoys visiting art museums, the younger girls prefer to hang out at trendy shopping hubs like Sanlitun and Solana. Some of their favorite restaurants, including Hai Di Lao, SoThai, and The Cheesecake Factory, represent the myriad ethnic offerings in the capital city. “There’s always something new to do, some place to explore,” said Rachel. Here’s to more adventures for the young Adovelandes, ready to take on Beijing and the world beyond.
Images: Uni You
