By Emma Rubin ’20
As U.S. colleges shut down due to the outbreak of COVID-19, countries around the world limited international travel, leaving international students with increasing barriers to make it home.
On March 19, India banned all international flights with the exception of cargo. All passenger traffic via rail and sea has also been banned, leaving Indian residents who did not return to the country by March 22 without a way home.
The Mount Holyoke News talked to international students from India about their journeys home. These interviews have been condensed for clarity.
Miel Marwah ’20
Mumbai, India
I was not entirely surprised when Mount Holyoke College made the announcement, since I had heard Amherst and Smith were also closing for the semester. I was already making plans and thinking about what would be the most appropriate and realistic next steps. I wanted and needed to stay on campus since I didn’t know anyone in the area and I don’t have a car, making transport difficult. I looked into booking flights to go home, but India had issued a complete travel ban on Oversea Citizens of India (OCI) [Marwah is a British citizen, and this program allows her to live and work in India for life. The country suspended visas for all non-citizens including OCIs not presently in the country starting on March 13].
I was really shocked that OCI citizens were banned from entering the country, since they are usually treated as regular Indian citizens. My entire family is in Mumbai, and has been for generations; that is my home, so I felt sort of abandoned with nowhere to go.
I strongly petitioned to stay on campus since that was my only choice, and luckily I was approved. However, I was worried. It had been made clear that resources on campus would be extremely limited and I would be forced to stay in my room. I also heard that students would be moving around, and I was worried that I would have to move to another dorm by myself with no car and no help. Food was also very limited; that could be seen during my last few days on campus. All common spaces were being closed down and I was worried about my mental health. With nowhere to go and no one around, I knew I would struggle mentally and emotionally.
Luckily, I have extended family in Washington, D.C. and they very generously offered for me to stay with them until the travel ban lifts. So I’ve been here for about a month now. [I] have had to apply for an emergency visa to go home and my flight has been canceled three times. I can’t do much except wait and hope that I can go home. I know that I am lucky since I had a home to go to, but I can’t help but think about what if I didn’t.
Aarushi Sharma ’23
Bhopal, India
I cried as soon as the email came in. I remember being in the dining hall with all my friends and then suddenly being in tears.
I did consider staying on campus. I did not book my flights immediately. This is because international travel was too risky at that time. There was all kinds of news about India quarantining passengers coming from affected places like the United States. So, I applied for accommodation on campus. However, I had no plans for summer 2020. I figured I cannot stay on campus the entire summer. Moreover, I have no family in the States. After taking all of this into consideration, I decided to pack my bags and leave right away.
Most of my friends who are international students were in a dilemma to stay or leave. This is also because of all the complicated immigration issues.
Everything was too much to take at once. However, all of my friends helped each other pack things up. I really appreciate the Mount Holyoke community. Everyone was helping each other in every way possible. I was driven from campus to the Boston airport by a Mount Holyoke alumna. I took a direct flight to India to be safe. I didn’t want to risk laying over at an airport and being exposed to more contamination.
I left on March 15. I decided to leave as soon as possible. Fortunately, I did not experience anything problematic on my way, but the mood at the airport was quite tense. However, I have a friend who got stopped at the Dubai airport because she is an American citizen who was brought up in India. So, there were issues with her citizenship.
I have a friend (not from MHC, but studies at NJIT) whose flight got canceled and he’s still stuck in the U.S. Some of my other MHC friends had to reschedule their flights immediately because of the sudden changes in travel regulations. I received videos of students stuck at various airports with so many problems — some of them didn't receive their baggage (it was never dispatched from the country they were coming from due to shortage of workers), some were not allowed to leave the airport for hours because of the countries they were traveling from. All of these problems escalated as people delayed their return. So, I was lucky to have returned sooner rather than later.
Rehat Thussu ’23
New Delhi, India
When the announcement was first made, honestly, I was all over the place. I initially decided to live with my uncle in New Jersey. Within two minutes, I decided to stay on campus because one of my friends was planning to stay on campus and I didn't want her to be alone. After five minutes, I started panicking at the thought of staying away from family during all this. I called my parents at 3:30 a.m. for them and we decided together that I would go back. My parents booked a flight for March 18.
I was in class when I got a message from my parents saying that the Indian government was putting up travel restrictions. I panicked, again, and I called my parents and we got my flight changed from March 18 to March 15. I suddenly started packing the one suitcase that I was allowed to take. I went to Target to get the last few storage boxes they had left. I filed my taxes for the first time. Those three days were probably the only time in my life I had not slept all night.
I talked to all my friends, and the majority of them are international students. Almost all of them were going back home, either within a few days or after a week or so. I think for me, my friends and our family, it was a matter of getting out before things got worse in the U.S. and not being able to return home for a long time.
I had a direct flight from Newark to New Delhi so there were fewer chances of me getting the virus. However, a passenger who happened to be a student from UMass Amherst had appendicitis, so the flight had an emergency landing in London. I was at the airport for seven to eight hours and it took me almost three hours in line to get the next flight, which was at 6:50 p.m. (London time). It was a stressful experience.
A lot of the passengers either opted to spend the night at a hotel paid for by the airline in London and take a flight the next day or take the night flight. I did not want to take either of the options as it would increase my chances of exposure. My grandparents were supposed to come and live with my parents to be safe, and would have to wait until my self-isolation period was over. So I wanted to reach home as soon as I could.
I landed in India on the morning of March 17 instead of the evening of March 16 (the initial arrival date). Later, I saw that the Indian government had banned all flights from the U.K. from March 18 onwards, so I was grateful that I came on the earlier flight rather than a day later.
Looking back at all this now and having processed all of it, I feel really grateful and blessed that I go to Mount Holyoke. Everyone, from parents and alums to professors, was trying to help us students as much as they could. It was amazing to see the unity of the community in such trying times and I think it is a big reminder of the power of humanity and how people come together in difficult times.
