LONELY
A story by Chukwudy
Meet Kelechi Ibom, a first year student at Capilano University studying communications.
Arriving Canada in November 2020, his journey so far has been similar to the shared experiences of so many international students.
Due to initial international travel restrictions, he spent the first two months of his first semester in Nigeria trying to navigate through the time difference between Canada and Nigeria.
“I remember having to wake up at 2am for lectures but back then, I didn’t really mind.”
He detailed how despite the time difference struggles, especially with the west coast of Canada, he was looking forward to moving to Canada, making new friends and truly, enjoying his first year of university.
“You know all those Disney channel shows that make first year feel like so much fun, that’s how I wanted mine to be. I wanted to explore the city, make friends and definitely do my fair share of partying.”
Then the day finally came. It was the 14th day of November and he was on a flight to the Vancouver International airport.
“Once I got out of the airport, everywhere was so gloomy but I didn’t think too much of it at that point."
Fast-forward to four months later, Ibom speaks on the mental health struggles he has experienced with the lack of friendships and social connections he has made in Canada.
As the school year winds up, a look back at the last 365 days is important in understanding not only Ibom’s experience but the general mental health struggles students have had to face as a result of the pandemic.
Research done by The US National Library of Medicine, shows that the number of university students who reported feelings of depression, anxiety, irritability, attention span, hyperactivity, and obsessions/compulsions has been on a steady rise due to both the cancellation of important events and the loss of in-person social interactions.
To cope with stress and anxiety, students have sought support from others and helped themselves by adopting either negative or positive coping mechanisms.
Science News details studies that focused on the mental health impact of these restrictions on a COVID stress scale. The struggle for students comes from the difficulty in balancing all parts of their lives whilst constantly gazing behind a computer screen. This study saw about 85 percent of the students surveyed experienced high to moderate levels of distress.
Students who had constant computer, smartphone or television screen use were identified as the most at risk. Considering that the pandemic restrictions requires students to spend a lot of time on their computer screens for their remote learning, it should come as no surprise why the mental health of these students has been on a steady decline.
Then there is Kelechi Ibom who comes in as a first year student from a different educational background and country. According to research done by The Conversation, the COVID stress syndromes he faced were amplified, considering that his school experience had to be done in complete isolation.
“During my first two months in Vancouver, I was at home every second of the day except when I would go to the grocery store.”
With the future uncertain, Ibom hopes for a safe and smooth transition to normal life once again.
“I truly just want to be able to socialize with people again, explore the city and hopefully, make friends along the way.”
