The story of how international students chase dreams across oceans, balancing family pride and personal ambition in a journey of love and sacrifice.
There is a silent bravery in each and every student departing from their home to make way for distant shores, embarking on an admirable yet nerving journey. A journey that is never-ending and unfamiliar, yet full of promise. For those who are on this venture, it is not simply a matter of exams and education, but rather a path forged from the hopes and dreams of their families.
They leave with boxes and suitcases filled to the brim with practical essentials, but also invisible baggage that weighs more than a lifetime – goals, dreams, expectations, and the unwavering pride of loved ones waiting back home. Loved ones who sacrificed so much to send their aspiring children out into the world.
The reasons for studying abroad transcends the desire for personal success, as it is about making a name
for our communities, lifting our families, and establishing a legacy. The tales of endless admirable
perseverance our parents and grandparents showed, their sacrifices, and unfulfilled dreams have been
proudly passed on to the next generation of students in a beautiful inheritance, laced with a sweet dust of
dreams. They count the days until their children return, watching from a distance, as their souls brighten
at the news of each and any accomplishment, no matter how small.
And so, the responsibility and pressure to be successful can be incredibly heavy and burdensome, and at times, the weight can cast a shadow on the journey. Beneath the surface, beneath the determination lies a hidden vulnerability and tension. It is easy for others to say that simply romanticizing each moment will get them by, that it’s important to savor each moment, because of course, eventually, these will be the days reminisced and yearned for. Yet no one addresses the unceasing question that lingers in the back of their minds, in the depths of their hearts: What if I don’t make them proud? What if I can’t do it? Such a small thought is a driving force, fueling them to keep going, to envision the finish line, and continue to reach for it despite any obstacle.
Yet such a small thought can cause mental turmoil within even the most ambitious students, causing their walls to falter, and finding a sense of steadiness is a battle on its own. It is a weight that is bared quietly, a weight that encompasses the dreams others have for them. Imagine barely stepping foot into adulthood, and instead of having the grace of an empty canvas and discovering yourself, you are thrust into an unknown world with expectations already on your back.
Some have not traveled abroad, but still have family in faraway shores, expectantly waiting for the smallest bit of news of their endeavors. This is the shared catalyst that binds and fuels us all: our families, earning their pride and actualizing their dreams.
For me, one of the purest reminders of this journey is my grandparents. Each article I have published, each piece, and each word, they praise and gush over, their hearts swelling with pride. Even if the words sometimes feel like a language from a foreign world, they treasure each word oceans away. To them, my small victories are their victories, a reflection, and result of their strength and effort, and simply imagining them is a beautiful reminder of why I must surpass all the hurdles and reach the finish line.
The distance between an international student and their homeland is strangely poetic, as the bond stretches beyond oceans, yet it is never severed. They are caught between two starkly different worlds and are forever changed by both. The push and the pull are both strengthening yet nerving. They walk the path alone but are never truly stranded by themselves, as they carry the deep love of those waiting back home. And as they build their new lives, striving to solidify the dreams entrusted to them, they find strength in that love.
Each accomplishment, each step forward is a tribute to their family back home, a silent, internal whisper that says: I can and I will and I am. Each triumph and each obstacle is simply another brick added to the bridge that encloses the distance between them and their homes, acting as a testament to all the sacrifices that made that very journey possible.
In the quiet moments of yearning, they remember: they are loved across oceans, across continents, and in that love, they find the courage to continue—dreamers, doers, and forever a part of the world they left behind and will one day return too with the colors of hopes fulfilled.