Originally published at: Survey: 85% of international students unable to enter Japan say their mental health has deteriorated | Boing Boing
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Survey: 85% of international students unable to enter Japan say their mental health has deteriorated
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“because all my friends who chose that are enjoying their life and not feeling suicidal every day.”
Survival in this world today is a real MoFo.
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No-one can say that weebs don’t commit to their role.
On a more serious note, this pandemic has screwed young people over in so many ways. I sincerely hope that they find ways to make up for these lost years
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us giving them the gift of a renewable energy based economy comes to mind
( also: roller skates. with racing stripes. )
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For international students from poorer countries, the opportunity to study at a university in a wealthier country and potentially find work there after graduating is a ticket to a brighter future.
I do not think that these students are necessarily being overdramatic.
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My wife is Phillipino-American and has a huge interest in Japan and Korea, and I mentioned this story to her. (Taught herself basic Japanese, actually) Her take is: Poor asian kids end up in Japan not in language programs, they end up in the service industry.
Make of that what you will. I did a term in Japan and it seems consistent with my classmates but that is not worth much.
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For language programs, that is true, but for students who can earn enrollment in a Japanese university (which means language ability before even coming), there are opportunities, depending on what they have studied.
ETA: There is a whole cottage industry of “language programs” that exist solely to funnel people into the service industry. People can and often do work on student visas, and studying is often optional.
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I’m a scientist at a graduate university in Japan and the government’s response has been pretty rough for us in some ways. While professors and other researchers can fly in and out (with quarantine), we’ve had some very important support roles where people were hired for the role almost a year ago and still haven’t been able to get into the country to actually start their jobs. We have a very active internship program that has switched to virtual-only because the government won’t let students in, and the amount that students can learn from those online experiences is pretty questionable. It just sucks all around, and I worry that the effects of this are going to be felt for many years to come.
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