UK Blues

I have been a resident of London for about two years. It was not easy to get a visa then, only a selected few were able to obtain the clearance permit required to stay on in the United Kingdom. But this year, the United Kingdom seemed to be celebrating a student’s year. You give them your passport and it was done. Every morning, I see students with big bags looking around for a room. Even in such a situation, I sense a glorious pride in their faces, almost as if they have won life’s marathon. But how far can they carry this triumph? They might have crossed over from Nepal to the United Kingdom but the real journey starts from Heathrow airport.

The situation here in the UK is quite different. The country is in a recession. Getting job is as hard as bringing the dead to life. Students are struggling everyday. The culture and civilization of this place is poles apart from ours. Most of the students who have come to the United Kingdom are immature. They are mesmerized by the glittering lights of the city. Obviously there are some good aspects of the country: its artistry, well planned facilities and city system, the public transportation system and other such facilities. We should also bear in mind that London, and the UK, is a cauldron; people from every nook and cranny of the world come here in search of a better life. And everyone has their own story to share with. But beyond the glittering lights, there exists invisible racism, discrimination and suppression.

It is not fair to blame the students who've come here, it is the utter foolishness of the parents who have pushed their children to a foreign country who are to blame. But we can neither earn money nor get a good education. There are small educational institutions that only seem to be for name sake. These colleges are successful in bringing money into the country by providing affordable fees to international students. If you are looking to get a proper education in England or the United Kingdom, you will need a large amount of money, one which is impossible for commoners to pay.

So I plead to all Nepali parents: don't send your young children to a foreign land without any information simply for the sake of your pride. You never know how much your children need to suffer. It's like being suspended in mid-air: you can neither come back nor can you stay here. Every day is a new struggle that never ends. The least parents can do is be well informed on where their children are heading to, so that their children might not have to face unconditional struggle and hardships for nothing. There is saying of sorts: “you don't know heaven until you die” but despite this, we need to be careful about diving into the fire. 

Editor's note: As of February 2010, UK has tightened student visa rules to prevent abuse of the system. More here on BBC News.