I entered this beautiful country almost 6 months back. I was excited and wanted to experience new things. Coming to Canada was my first step towards the type of education I wanted. It is not like that I was not happy with Indian style of Learning but still I wanted to see this Canadian lifestyle. The lifestyle my parents always wanted to give me but due to some reasons couldn’t. I took this big step during the peak of my career. The eagerness to learn always kept me moving. I was happy while I was meeting everyone at the airport. I didn’t shed a single tear because I knew I chose this path and there was no moving back. I quickly habituated myself to this culture of advanced learning.
The college was exactly the way I wanted with some more additional facilities. The fees was high as compared to a Domestic Student but with the amount of education I was getting never pinched me. After sometime when I entered the second semester of Human Resource Management, talks about strike started. I hardly knew the consequence but I never wanted this to happen. The strike took place on October 15, 2017 and is still going on. Today is November 17, 2017. The faculty strike came out as a big blow for International Students. I took up a course for January intake in Centennial College Story Arts Centre. The worst part is, this course is available in Winter and Fall. With the situations going on, it is difficult for us to handle the things. When we students are hired, we are hired for only 20 hours per week and we are given minimum wages. Wage is not the issue, the issue is the time. As now we are free and can work full time. Though some work on cash as well as on sin but cash jobs are considered unjustified. I am not asking for anything here. But I feel my dream to study here is going in vain somewhere. I might have to repeat my semester where I would have completed the course in December. Ontario’s 24 colleges are on strike and not just one student but all the International Students are suffering from this. Our time, money is on stake. We all are worried about out future. Our backup plans are also going in vain. The first thing affects the other. My four months are wasted and after this my another four months will be wasted because the course I have taken is available straight in September now. I don’t know whether we will get compensation or not but still the biggest loss is the time.
Think about those students who might have got their visas. Think about those whose parents have taken loans on student’s education. Everything seems to be going in vain. Many of my friends are going back to India because they feel it is a waste of time here. We don’t just have these expenses. We have to pay our rent too. It will be extended to 4 months more. Earlier GIC was our support but if these four months extended then for the next course we will not have GIC to support us. And in country like Canada, job is temporary. It changes from season to season.
People who say we are having holidays and we are happy then to clear this out, we are more scared. We don’t show anything. We just glitter up and update pictures because we have families back home who will get more worried if we showed them this situation is going on. But for the authorities who are doing their best to resolve the strike, still there is no outcome. I don’t know who is right and who is wrong. But it is high time and we are suffering. If we start the semester again, we will feel as if all got failed and have to start again. This is more depressing. I just hope this strike ends soon. Even the students who were doing campus jobs are suffering more.
Students should be refunded with some amount so that they can manage their expenses as in country like Canada 670$ for survival is not sufficient. Moreover, students should come forward and talk about their issues. Yesterday also teachers rejected the offer and the strike is going on.
If you are an International Student and want this strike to end so kindly share this post as much as you can so that some outcome should be taken.
