Graduate student Paritoshnand Dusa’s hopes of an American Dream quickly became a rude awakening.
“This isn’t what I wanted or what I expected when I saw the Hollywood movies. This is not the ideal American dream, son,” he said.
Dusa, who is studying Cybersecurity, is from India. He is among the hundreds of international students on F-1 visas, which restricts their prospects for getting a job. F-1 student visa holders are only allowed to work for pay on campus for the first academic year upon arrival, severely limiting their options.
Initially drawn in by America’s booming technological advances, its infrastructure and wealth, Dusa’s expectations were far different from the reality of his living situation.
Dusa shares a two-bedroom townhouse in Maryland Heights with four other people, most of whom carpool to Webster. He says the West St. Louis County suburb has more affordable housing and is safer. He also notes the presence of a large Indian community in the area.
“Carpooling is a big thing, and trust me, St. Louis public transit is a bummer,” he said. “It is not at all good. If I was to come to the UC (University Center), taking a bus or Metro for my shift at 11 o’clock, I should probably get out of my house at 8:30 or something.”
The U.S. Census Bureau report from 2020 shows Indian immigrants are indeed moving west to Maryland Heights, as well as Chesterfield and Town and Country. Between 2010 and 2018, nearly 8,000 Indian-born immigrants now call St. Louis County home.
Since 2000, St. Louis has seen a 194% growth in Indian-born residents, one of 15 cities experiencing this trend along Interstate 270.
When he first arrived here, Dusa took an Uber to the movies and had a conversation with the driver, a Mexican immigrant, who used to live around Maryland Heights. The driver informed him what the neighborhood was like just a few years ago when the area along Dorsett Road was the only community where a greater concentration of Indian-Americans lived.
“Slowly, slowly Indian people started to spread and they’re across Maryland Heights, not only Maryland Heights, even Chesterfield, Bridgeton, Ballwin and Manchester,” Dusa said.
Now, Indian and international grocery stores, temples and other gathering places are sprinkled across the west end of the county.
Back on campus, Smarika Rajbhandari, a Nepali student from Kathmandu who is studying Data Analytics, lives across the street at Eden Seminary.
“I live in a shared room with one roommate. It has its pros and cons,” she said.
The communal living space provides companionship, but also requires compromise and understanding, keeping Rajbhandari from having alone time.
Dusa and Rajbhandari are among the large number of Indians, Nepalis, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and others from South Asia who are students at Webster. After traveling nearly 9,000 miles, over six continents and seven seas, the two found they have mutual friends from their home countries living in the same city.
“It’s like coming from Nepal to stay in smaller Nepal,” Rajbhandari said.
To which, Dusa added, “I came out of a rabbit hole to land in the same rabbit hole.”
Out of the 825 students who live on campus, 220 have home countries other than the U.S., according to Housing and Residential Life director Rachel Amick. With the approximately 1,900 international students currently at Webster, the diverse cohort faces a myriad of challenges, from homesickness to navigating the intricacies of campus life in a foreign land, all within the confines of their dormitories and apartments.
Amick’s department works to amend these gaps with inclusive campus events. For instance, the Global Village Committee is a group of campus employees available for support and assistance in transitioning students to live in residence halls and apartments. The department also coordinates with other Student Affairs staff for a range of services, including airport pickups, creating welcome kits and linen kits, and assessing meal options for the new arrivals.
“Housing and Dining work closely together to review food options, including increasing Halal options this year and hosting more Taste of the World Tour events that feature food from different countries,” Amick said.
Sophomore Valentina Arevalo, who is pursuing a Music degree with a minor in International Human Rights, hails from Ecuador. She says getting used to her new surroundings was challenging.
“My first year was chaotic. It was hard to adapt,” she said, adding she feels her home in Ecuador has more noise, more music and more warmth. “There’s more space I need to take with people in the U.S. I feel more familiarity with other people from my culture.”
The transition from being with her close-knit family in Ecuador to the more solitary arrangement of her campus apartment serves as a poignant reminder of the distance from home – something Dusa agrees with.
“It’s like you’re on your own,” he said. “You have to stand on your own goddamn feet and prove that you are worthy.”
Dusa and many others like him say they cannot afford campus pricing; and compared to off-campus living, the conditions are not all that different.
“I live [with] the bare minimum, maybe four-point-five or five out of 10?” Dusa said.
“I feel the same,” his friend, Rajbhandari, said.
“I’ve witnessed a lot of people each semester,” Dusa said. “There’s at least 800 to 1,200 people coming from India, but there’s a valid reason. There’s consultancies which counsel students and provide them various other opportunities, which happen to be all directed towards Webster.”
While Webster’s residential options offer a semblance of home for international students, challenges remain. But while language barriers, cultural differences and the absence of familiar comforts create obstacles, most find their shared experiences of being away from home foster camaraderie and resilience.
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