{"id":571,"date":"2017-11-24T17:52:12","date_gmt":"2017-11-24T17:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edict.ashoka.edu.in\/index.php\/2017\/11\/24\/foreign\/"},"modified":"2019-03-17T13:39:29","modified_gmt":"2019-03-17T13:39:29","slug":"foreign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/2017\/11\/24\/foreign\/","title":{"rendered":"Foreign"},"content":{"rendered":"

Third-year undergraduate student Success Sibanda, who hails from Zimbabwe, writes on his experiences with racism and internationalism in India and\u00a0Ashoka.<\/h4>\n

\u201c I know I ain\u2019t from here\u00a0
\u00a0There\u2019s a lot I gotta bear
\u00a0Coz my family isn\u2019t here
\u00a0When I need an ear to listen they missing\u00a0
\u00a0Some people dissing me for being black\u00a0
\u00a0Only a few got my back
\u00a0They take my cake and then run with it\u00a0
\u00a0Their love is fake and I\u2019m done with it<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2026..<\/em><\/p>\n

Every time man I\u2019m the foe because I\u2019m foreign
\u00a0If there\u2019s a murder then I\u2019m the Cain\u200a\u2014\u200aget blamed for the fallen Tell me what\u2019s to gain from this hatred\u200a\u2014\u200aWe kindred
\u00a0of different races\u200a\u2014\u200aJust there\u2019s a dread on my head
\u00a0Man my dead are your dead
\u00a0From the same food we fed
\u00a0I do good and not bad
\u00a0In every single thing I do
\u00a0Make sure I pay my dues\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I wrote the lyrics to \u2018Foreign\u2019 after the Greater Noida incident when African students were attacked and accused of killing an Indian teenage boy. (May his soul rest in peace). The attacks had all the hallmarks of racism, therefore I was extremely saddened, angered and disappointed. These lyrics address that issue, and broader issues that international students face.\u00a0
\u00a0
\u00a0In the first few bars I address what it\u2019s like to be so far from home, without the familial support we all need. I also implicitly point out that I face racism and discrimination. In between I acknowledge that I have made some friends, who have my back. The first two lines of the next are a reference to the Greater Noida attacks, with an allusion to the Bible. Next, I point out the folly of discriminating against each other, since we are all humans after all. I point out that I felt sad for the teenager who lost his life, as much as any Indian would. The last three lines are sort of a plea for innocence.<\/p>\n

\n

The writer performs his song \u2018Foreign\u2019 at Jashn-e-Jazba (Source: AUISA Facebook page https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AshokaUniversityInternationalStudentsAssociation\/<\/a> )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My Experience as an International Student<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Whenever I have reflected on my experience as an international student at Ashoka University, the core always boils down to two seemingly contradictory things: the amazing relationships I have formed, and the fears and apprehensions I have had to overcome.
\u00a0The first of these two has been positive in all aspects. At Ashoka, I have met people whose warmth and kindness touches the soul. From the football field to the classroom; from housekeepers to professors, I have made friendships which I believe will be for life. It will be sad to say goodbye to this place and the people I have met here. In many ways, I feel at home within the walls of Ashoka University.
\u00a0
\u00a0On the other hand, the second point bears some not-so-warm realities. Beyond the borders of our campus lies a world that requires careful navigation, if one is an international student. Be it in the Metro or the shopping Mall, I have been a spectacle and a victim. Constant staring, sniggers, people touching my hair without asking, being shoved off a seat, being extra thoroughly searched at metro station checkpoints, being overcharged, et cetera. The list can go on.
\u00a0
Delhi may not be the friendliest of cities for Africans and indeed other foreigners, but even in that atmosphere I have made friends for life. This is the paradox of my experience as an international student here. And after observing so it must be realised that we, as international students, face a unique plight in and around this environment, and that unique solutions are at times necessary in order to eliminate the problems we face. Thus, we came together and decided to form the Ashoka University International Students\u2019 Association, (AUISA): which we hope shall enable us to organise ourselves better and deal with issues as a collective body.<\/p>\n

Therefore, we hope, as the founders of AUISA, to promote multicultural learning and global engagement. The AUISA actively works towards the welfare of students who cross international borders to be at Ashoka University. However, that is not our sole focus. We believe in the spirit of inclusivity and strive to foster a sense of community especially with our host country. To that end, we did not make AUISA exclusive to non-Indian Ashokan students but membership is open to any and all residential Indian students who feel the need to have an international experience.<\/p>\n

\n

A still from the multi-cultural fashion show organised by the AUISA at Jashn-e-Jazba (Source: AUISA Facebook page https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AshokaUniversityInternationalStudentsAssociation\/<\/a> )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Third-year undergraduate student Success Sibanda, who hails from Zimbabwe, writes on his experiences with racism and internationalism in India and\u00a0Ashoka. \u201c I know I ain\u2019t from here\u00a0\u00a0There\u2019s a lot I gotta bear\u00a0Coz my family isn\u2019t here\u00a0When I need an ear to listen they missing\u00a0\u00a0Some people dissing me for being black\u00a0\u00a0Only a few got my back\u00a0They…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[29,122,157,180,217],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=571"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1401,"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571\/revisions\/1401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}