Research student Sanjana Bhardwaj has been studying the Indian diaspora in Sydney for the past one-and-a half years. When her began work in June 2019, she met her initial research goals ahead of time and was all set to begin fieldwork in February 2020.
She had also found casual employment at her university and had even planned a short trip to India before diving deep into her research. All in all, life was simple and much like other international students here in Australia.
Then COVID-19 hit, and everything changed in the blink of an eye.
The university shut down, putting a sudden, rude stop to her research as well as her employment.
Highlights:
- Away from home, students prepare to welcome the New Year alone
- Loss of income and pressure of online work seem to have no ready solution
- A lack of mental health services for international students has only worsened the situation
“The first two to three months were the toughest," she says.
"A lockdown was in place. The university campus was closed. I had neither my research no work to sustain myself. Isolation was taking a major toll on me. My family was already anxious, and I did not want to worry them more. So, I did not tell them anything. But eventually, things became more and more difficult, and I had to seek their help in the end.”
Students were suddenly budgeting even for a cup of coffee. The says that after COVID-19 restrictions took effect, the unemployment rate of students aged 15-24 who study full-time increased by up to 12 per cent in June compared to 2019. Their participation rate – the proportion employed or actively looking for work – fell by 21 per cent in May compared to 2019.
Sanjana was relatively new in Australia when the pandemic turned her life upside down. She had made a few friends, and those friends eventually became pillars of support. There was one other thing that did not let her completely fall apart.
“I am thankful for the advanced technology of our times," she said.
Sydneys northern beaches remain under a NSW Government ordered lockdown as the Government tries to contain the spread of a new cluster of COVID-19 cases. Source: AAP
"I have no idea what I would have done if we did not have video calls. I could not go meet my family, but technology made it possible to see my mum at least once a day.”
She had hoped that the situation would be a little better by January, and she could finally visit home, but with the recent border restrictions after the sudden outbreak at the Northern Beaches and the state of pandemic In India, this seems a distant possibility as of now.
Isolation and homesickness
Isolation and homesickness are one of the most common and damaging effects of the pandemic on student health. Even when online studies began, . Add to that the loss of income, bump in the studies and what we get is majorly stressed student population to deal with these mental challenges.
Mental health services are subsidised for domestic students, but international students must pay in full. Even for the domestic students, the challenges have been overwhelming.
Rubab is a domestic research student looking at the settlement of Middle Eastern Muslim women in Australia. Rubab was supposed to graduate at the end of this year, but it has now been postponed to 2021 with no finalised date.
Pre-COVID, she had been casually employed and her research was on track.
She says, “The pandemic tossed everything. . Shifts at work became erratic. Home was away. My family had their own problems, and I did not want to add mine to them, so for months, I did not talk to them about my struggles. My mental health suffered majorly. It was a very lonely time. I missed my mother.”
Her family stays in Western Australia. She has not met her mother in over a year. Earlier last year, her work kept her busy, and then the long pandemic restriction did not let her cross the country to go over. She had planned to spend this new year with family, had even bought the tickets. after the Northern Beaches outbreak, and she is again left in a lurch.
My international friends cannot visit their families because they live in different countries. Here I am, residing in the same country and yet so far from family.
Isolation and online learning struggles have made it extremely challenging for students to perform well academically.
Sanjana says the only thing she can do is wait and watch and hope for the best.
"With the current situation in Sydney, I have decided to stay indoors for the New Year. I guess it is going to be yet another digital celebration, after all!”, she said with a sigh.
