BENGALURU: Closed borders, uncertainty about job prospects, being away from family... Bengaluru students studying abroad are a worried lot. They talk about the COVID-19 situation in their country and how they are facing the crisis
New York, USA
The gravity of the situation started to hit me when the case numbers kept going up. I check the stats as soon as I wake up, and do it five times through the day. But by March 20, I stopped forwarding the figures to my parents because it was worrying them too much. What I’m most concerned about is that the measures here are just advisories. People are out walking, cycling or skateboarding as usual.
If measures like temperature checks, curbs on public transport and police patrolling were implemented here too, maybe the numbers wouldn’t be as high. I am preparing myself to be able to return to India only once my finals are done. But if there are restrictions on entering the country around that time, then it would be a breaking point for me.
— Harsh Bagrecha MBA, New York Institu te of Technology
Melbourne, Australia
Everyone has been telling me that Australia is a better place to be in during a pandemic but why would I want to be the only one who is safe in my family? I worry about their safety in Bengaluru. While India may allow international travellers after April 15, Australia has closed its borders for six months. So I would not be able to return if I leave now.
This is my last semester and I had a list of places I wanted to explore during this time since I was busy with a part-time job and assignments till now. Melbourne has always been teeming with people, carnivals and events. Everything has come to a standstill. It feels like saying goodbye without knowing whether it is goodbye.
— Raksha Yadalam Masters in entrepreneurship and innovation, Swinburne University
Enschede, The Netherlands
Enschede is eerily quiet now. Life was so different here this time last year. Parks were full with people chilling with a beer or having a barbecue party. Anyone who lives in Europe knows how inviting the warmth of spring can be. But now despite the sun, there’s no soul. With classes online, there’s also growing resentment among international students, who feel shortchanged by how things are playing out. I haven’t stepped out except to buy groceries and saw huge glass screens at the cash counters. Earlier, if someone changed their mind about a food item at the counter, the product was just placed back on the shelf. Now, it gets discarded. While there is uncertainty about my job prospects here, there are some positives too. I’ve been getting calls from relatives I haven’t spoken to in years.
— Jay Sanghvi Masters in civil engineering, University of Twente
Barcelona, Spain
Spain now has more cases than Italy and I don’t think any of us had anticipated that. I’ve spent over 20 days in lockdown. Initially, I used to obsessively check the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide hoping for something positive, but the cases just kept rising. It became challenging for me to focus on academics or even complete simple daily tasks because I felt so helpless. Now, I stick to a time slot to check the news. The situation has also put things into perspective for me. This is the first time we’re getting to know our neighbours. We have a language barrier but when someone waves from their window, we wave back. Every night at 8 o’clock, we clap for the healthcare workers and it usually turns into a little neighbourhood party.
— Namrata Chandrasekhar Masters in international management at ESADE
Manchester, UK
I did notice instances of panic buying here, especially for pasta, eggs, flour, rice, and, of course, toilet paper. Supermarkets now don’t allow people to buy more than one or two pieces of certain items. Big supermarkets are also limiting the number of people entering their premises. I was supposed to visit Bengaluru in April since I haven’t been to India since September 2017. But that can’t happen now.
— Sankarshana Srinivasan Ph.D in astrophysics, University of Manchester