Rydel Cawile, a General Studies student from the Philippines, tells us what it was like to come to UFV as an older student with a wife and two young children. He likens being an international student to trying to build and maintain a house of cards: one card falls - tuition, work, family, health - and it threatens the whole structure. He urges instructors to keep in mind the mental and emotional toll that can take and to keep incorporating flexibility into their courses.