What’s it like being an international student during COVID-19? Here’s one student’s perspective

Ishaan Sachdeva is from New Delhi, India. The 19-year-old student enrolled at Georgian in September 2018 and plans to graduate from the Business (Co-op) program December 2021. He was initially interested in pursuing a Computer Programming diploma, but soon switched his major to business after realizing his burning passion was to support communities and help people.

Why did you choose Georgian? Back in 2018 when I was planning to come to Canada, I knew I definitely wanted to study in Ontario because of its high career opportunities and diversity of culture. I graduated from my high school as the student president and I was in search of a college where I could not only gain a Western education but also enhance my leadership skills at the same time. In looking at colleges, Georgian stood out to me because of its amazing co-op opportunities and co-curricular activities.

Two years into my journey, Georgian has provided the opportunity for me to organize events on campus and to be part of many community events. I’ve also developed leadership skills through many experiences, starting with my first co-op position as Project Assistant for Georgian’s Centre for Changemaking and Social Innovation. I was mainly responsible for developing projects and spreading awareness about changemaking in the lives of students. I’ve also been Housing Assistant for the Segal International Centre at Georgian where I was responsible for helping new and existing international students find housing. This semester, I began my role as Vice President of Changemaking for the Georgian College Students’ Association while studying remotely.

How have you adjusted to being isolated so far away from your family back in India? There’s no doubt that adjusting to physical distancing hasn’t been smooth for anyone, and for me it’s something I’ve never experienced before. My days used to be completely filled with tasks and I was always surrounded by my friends, colleagues and other people. My typical week usually consisted of attending classes, working on campus, completing assignments, volunteering at college events and activities, as well as in the community, hanging out with friends and then working off campus on weekends. After we received an email from the college on the afternoon of March 13, everything completely changed.

It was very overwhelming for me, for a couple of days, to absorb the information and to understand needing to stay in isolation at our homes until further notice. I was also laid off from my job and was quite concerned about what I was going to do just sitting at home. Luckily, my co-op employer asked me to work from home for a few weeks, which helped me adjust to an at-home routine. It also allowed me to attain the essential credits I needed to complete my co-op term. Now, after a few months, isolation has become the new normal for me. I’m scheduling my days so I’m occupied, and I talk to as many people as I can so no one will feel they’re alone.

What are you doing during isolation and social distancing? For the first 14 days, I was completely isolated in my room without knowing much about what COVID-19 actually is, except there’s no cure for it as of yet. I spent some time reading news articles, journals and blogs and started to understand more about the cause, symptoms and prevention. I stopped going into the common areas in my own house and had no physical contact with my housemates.

In terms of physical distancing at home, all of my housemates and I had a discussion and we came up with some house rules. These include not allowing outsiders or friends in the house, using gloves when you open the main door, cleaning the kitchen after cooking and signing a sheet indicating what time you sanitized the kitchen. We pasted a printed version of house rules in all the visible common areas, including washrooms, kitchen and living rooms, so everyone could start to follow them. We all chipped in money every two weeks for special cleaning supplies for the common areas like plastic gloves, sanitizer, and disinfectants to minimize the chances of the virus getting into the house. We also all agreed to assign one or two people to pick up groceries or any other supplies rather than having all of going out, minimizing the use of public transit and our personal vehicles.

Are there specific platforms you’re using to connect with friends and family? For the first few weeks when I was working from home for my co-op, I was using many online platforms (email, Microsoft Teams, Skype and Zoom) for meetings and to stay in contact with my co-workers. For talking with my friends, my Instagram usage increased by 76 per cent over my usual time and I started to post funny, short videos and cooking vlogs. For keeping in touch with my family and relatives, I use WhatsApp because of its free video and audio call services anywhere across the globe.

What kind of activities keep you busy? I usually exercise in the backyard for a couple of minutes in the evening or cycle in my neighbourhood while taking all the necessary precautions. I made some funny videos about what it looks like working from home during COVID-19, and the expectations versus reality of breakfast during this pandemic to make people laugh.

Here’s Ishaan’s funny take on working from home during COVID-19:

I’ve became more active on social media, from posting stories, pictures, vlogs and even talking to my friends back home with whom I haven’t been in contact since coming to Canada. I’m also keeping myself busy by doing additional online courses via LinkedIn for my personal development.

I started talking to my parents and relatives more often – almost everyday. I’ve also been doing things I usually wouldn’t do during my regular schedule, like sleep in, stay up late watching Netflix or playing video games, and I’ve started to cook more. My parents used to push me to cook for myself but I either never had time or developed an interest to do so. But now most days I’m watching YouTube videos to learn how to make the popular Indian street food from home – which I’ve been craving for more than two years! Food like vegetable Manchurian, fried rice, chilli paneer, etc. I’ve also made small vlogs for my family and friends so they can see what I’m cooking and also learn how to make these dishes in their home.

What’s a favourite recipe you’ve tried? My favourite recipe, which I tried this quarantine, was bread rolls. They have a very sentimental value for me as my grandmother used to make them for me every weekend when I would visit her. While talking with her recently, I showed her that I learned how to make them and that I’m re-living the memories we shared through the food she used to cook for me. This brought a huge smile to her face.

Watch Ishaan make his favourite recipe:

What are you and your friends doing for self-care? I now have all the time in the world to have bubble baths – even on weekdays! Me and my housemates have been taking some time to do basic exercises in the evening to stay active. I’ve also increased my water intake to keep myself hydrated. In addition, every morning before I eat, I drink a full glass of detox water made with ingredients like lemon, cucumbers, fennel seeds and mint, which is really good for your health, as well as weight loss, since I’m not getting as much physical activity. I didn’t usually have enough time to apply oil in my hair because I was always running here and there for my personal and work commitments, but I’ve trimmed my hair short at home by myself and started to apply hair oil. Other self-care includes indulging myself with scrubs, face masks and sitting in the sun to get some vitamin D.

Here’s how Ishaan makes his special detox water:

How did the winter semester go for you and your friends? Since I was on my co-op term when the college closed, I didn’t have classes during the start of the pandemic. I did speak with many of my friends and the majority of them loved the ease of online courses as it allowed them more time to get their assignments done and concentrate on exams without any other work commitments. Continuing our education during this pandemic was the best option Georgian provided since it keeps the day pretty busy. Also, our teachers, program co-ordinators, advisors, counsellors and our co-op consultants have been just one step away through email.

Now that you’re back to taking courses this summer, how’s it going so far? Some of the main courses I’m studying remotely are Business Finance, Production and Operations Management, and my favourite is Entrepreneurship and Small Businesses. I was really excited to experience online-based classes because it’s giving me a new challenge to make myself more adaptable with different technologies and online platforms. In addition, I’ve also been able to e-connect with my new classmates and spend some time with them to keep learning and working together for assignments. I’m really enjoying online learning so far because I can go through the recorded lessons at my own pace and watch them until I understand the concepts, and then discuss any issues in the live Webex sessions with professors.

What advice might you give to a student struggling right now? For students who are struggling, my best advice is to reach out for help if you need it. Georgian has a lot of resources, from help with mental health and wellness, to counselling, financial aid and academics.

The other more important piece of advice I would tell students is to be kind to yourself. We’re all in this situation we cannot change, and being kind is better than getting frustrated.

Here are a few more tips:

• Establish a routine, set boundaries and turn off distractions to be more productive.
• If you’re feeling anxious about what’s going to happen next, that’s OK. We’re all in this together.
• Eat healthy and take some breaks to stretch during your studies.
• Exercising while maintaining social distancing will also help you cope.

Recipe for bread rolls made by Ishaan’s grandmother

1. Rinse and boil a few large potatoes.
2. Peel and mash them with a potato masher.
3. Add one chopped onion, a bowl of green peas, some spices like salt, red chilli, dry mango powder and chopped coriander leaves according to your taste.
4. Mix very well. Check the taste and add more spice powders, salt and dry mango powder, if required.
5. Place one cup of water in a plate or a bowl. Dip one bread slice in the water completely for one to two seconds. Just let the bread absorb the water. It should get damp but not overly, otherwise the bread slice breaks.
6. Press the bread gently between your palms so the excess water is drained.
7. Make sure the bread stays intact and doesn’t break. So, press gently.
8. Now place the prepared potato stuffing on one side of the moist bread slice and gently roll the bread and join the edges.
9. Press all the edges and seal them. Also, press the top and bottom parts to seal them.
10. Shape and make bread rolls with the remaining bread slices.
11. Heat oil for deep frying or shallow frying bread rolls in a kadai or frying pan. When the oil becomes medium hot, then add the bread roll. Do not overcrowd the kadai. Add two to three bread rolls depending on the size of the kadai.
12. Fry them until they become crisp and golden light in colour.
13. Then turn over each bread roll.
14. Use a slotted spoon to remove them. Place them on paper towels to absorb any extra oil.
15. Serve while they’re still hot.
16. Serve the bread rolls with your favourite condiment such as tomato sauce or green chutney.