The plague of the international student
The loneliness we see
Being an international student has never been easier. Compared to the past decades, there has been an increase in the exodus of scholars foreign countries to pursue a degree or career to find a path to better than their homeland.
Nobody talks about the price of loneliness that comes with pursuing an international education. There are many sacrifices that international students have to make. I’ve seen Americans, both old and young, say they don’t think they have the courage to leave their country and travel to another country for education.
A survey I recently conducted showed that most Americans have never left North America in their entire lives. Statistics show that a higher percentage might not leave their home cities up until their 50s.
To understand an international student, look at it from their perspective. The traditional international student, straight from their home country, leaves behind their families, friends and loved ones. Some halt romantic relationships and exhaust resources to move to their chosen country. They arrive and the problems begin. Culture shock makes it hard to blend in. When they finally blend in, the lack of a cultural community makes college life more difficult.
Everyone is trying to figure out their lives while attending college and the international student wants to assimilate to the “norm.” They risk feeling or appearing as ungrateful to study across the world, especially to friends and family that did not have the same opportunity.
A friend recently broke down in a fit of homesickness and loneliness. I had to tell her to remember her ‘why.’ A wise woman once told me, “When you have those days where nothing seems to matter and your heart is heavy on pain and loneliness, remember your ‘why,’ the family you’ve left back home, and it’ll strengthen you.”
This is advice I’ve come to cherish so much, and I hope every international student out there remembers their ‘why’ in times of despair and loneliness.
This is not to garner sympathy or pity but to create awareness and encourage a sense of community among international and domestic college students.
By: Fortune Ogulere