Image by John Hain from Pixabay
- Vindhya Raj Pokharel
If your decision to go overseas for higher studies wasn't daunting enough, the unprecedented global COVID-19 pandemic has made the situation even direr. Herein lies an opportunity to draw your attention in understanding how to navigate the uncharted territories of studying abroad and handling the unknowns of life as an international student.
Imagine yourself as a recent high school or undergrad graduate managing the hardship of moving away from your home country leaving behind family and friends into a foreign land. Even thinking about that phase makes you feel sick in the stomach and equally excited.
On the one hand, you are learning to contain the euphoria and on the other, preparing yourself to be headstrong. To better equip yourself with the know-how, you'd ask friends and relatives already there and research about your destination on the internet. While the former largely resonates with trying to navigate the societal complexities, the latter generally rests on finding about major tourist attractions you'd want to visit.
This situation presents itself as a paradoxical juxtaposition of the exhilaration of exploring new places and the anxiety associated with being on your own for the first time. It’s enthralling how moving to a foreign land can feel exciting and daunting at the same time.
The journey from being an aspirant to an enrolled international student is a swing of emotions from one extreme to the other with very little time to settle down. In this moment of uncertainty, you are either too worried or too fantasied. You are so observed at the moment that you fail to look beyond the shore when you should be on the lookout for what is beyond the horizon. You should be reflecting and asking questions of yourselves to get into the right mindset.
Some questions must be accounted for such as
- • What are your goals?
- • Why are you even moving abroad in the first place?
- • What plans do you have to navigate life while outside of your comfort zone?
- • What happens if things do not go according to plan (as is normally the case)?
- • Are you prepared for the unprepared?
In answering these questions and being true to yourself, you begin to understand your priorities and discover your potential.
If you thought that was the end of the journey, you better draw a wind of caution as it is only the ascent of the roller coaster ride. Remember, the descent is always more mind-numbing.
Yes, you've made it. You got your visa, sat on a plane to get to your destination, and are now enrolled as an international student. Most often than not, you've made enquiries online or made stay arrangements with relatives or friends for the first few weeks. So, what now?
You've got to start looking for work which can be very unnerving. You’d be given a template of the kind of work to look for and where to seek it. Eventually, you’d land some gig to support yourself. What about your goal though? More often than not it takes a backseat as you juggle studies with work and strive to strike a balance between the two. This is where the introspection comes to the rescue. If you had a conversation with yourself, you’d know your priorities and plan your schedule around it, as opposed to allowing it to get the better of you.
If your goal was to go abroad to make money as you also studied on the side, that’s your choice. But what if your aspirations are aligned towards getting the most out of abroad study. You went overseas to get a foreign degree and study should demand your unwarranted focus, right? Wrong. You went to experience a life you had never known and in learning the ropes to sail through it you’d have to do things differently than you’ve always known. There is much to learn from besides books while abroad.
You obviously will work to pay your bills and learn various skills while on the job. No job is small and you’re doing what countless others are doing, so there is no shame to feel. Despite that, remember that you had made a pledge to yourself to work towards your goal while you were deciding and planning for studying abroad. So, where does it fit in all of this chaos?
The question begs an honest answer - be realistic in setting your goals. Understand that working and studying simultaneously can be strenuous enough to take a toll on your mental and physical wellbeing. It's no wonder then that most international students falter when reality trumps expectations.
That leaves you with a choice, you either take a swing at the curveball or steer clear of it. The first choice beckons you to be more adept at managing expectations and that would mean working on gearing your mental tenacity so that you can calibrate your thought process based on the situation you’re in.
However, as is the case with most students, you’d be inclined to shy away from your problems and not seek help because of the taboo associated with it. You’d also be furthering yourself from your goal and rehoming unto it would be a steep climb. You can still clamber out of it though and you should never hesitate in seeking help should you ever feel overwhelmed.
Given all the vagaries of life as an international student, how wonderful would it be then to have a group of like-minded students who understand the tribulations that come hand in glove during this journey coming together to make the transition easier? And what about having a platform to share ideas, connect with like-minded members from your community and take on leadership roles that prepares you to ride the tide beyond the classroom?
Wouldn't that be a way to think beyond work and studies to prepare yourself for the long haul? It does seem like a well-rounded idea should it come to fruition, doesn't it? If that's the case, well, let the connectivity, support, and leadership begin...
