I know a Sri Lankan student in Perth, Australia. We used to live in the same house for a while. His daily routine was a relentless race. From morning until night, he worked sometimes at a restaurant and sometimes for a cleaning company. In addition, he also delivered food for Uber. He often returned home after midnight. After sleeping for just a few hours, he would wake up again at 5:30 in the morning and head off to his restaurant job.

One day, he broke his hand while working. Unable to go to work for a few days, he was fired by his manager.

He came to Australia to pursue a two-year Master’s degree. The degree will cost him nearly 10 million Bangladeshi taka. His father is a doctor. His sister went to Belarus to study and is a medical student. Despite the family’s financial means, the struggle this young man has had to endure simply to survive while studying abroad reflects one of the harsh realities of life as an international student today.