Atara

Back

"If you don't have the proper food, your brain won't work:”

The Story of Atara

Demographics: Indian Female, Masters in Computer Science

Tags: International, Graduate Student

ElevenLabs_Atara.mp3

I am Atara, a master's level graduate student studying computer science at Opportunity University, and I'm pursuing the second semester of my first degree. I am an international student from India. I chose Opportunity University because of the course curriculum, the interaction between the teachers, and the campus environment. The main purpose I took this degree was to get a higher level position and I just want to increase my knowledge of all the technologies that are available right now.

For fun, I usually listen to songs, watch movies, and, sometimes, if I feel low, I just get self-motivated by watching some stories that motivate me a lot. Like real-life stories in an animated version. I just watch them, so that's how I get self-motivated. Some songs that make us feel energetic, even though we are in a sad mood, make us energetic. That's what motivates me, and I feel like it's fun.

While I’m here, my parents will be helping me with finances. They take care of the financing and everything for me. Every month, they keep on paying for the tuition fees, rent, and everything. So, I don't want them to struggle by just sending the money from there to here. I just want to earn a job here, or any on-campus employment. My parents don’t know about my food insecurity. If they know, they'll get scared. I just don't want them to get scared, but I make sure that I get enough nutrition in my food and make it affordable. I just don't want to suppress my parents or make them get tense about me.

When I entered the U.S., I thought that any person could access food, and I kept on comparing the prices from the Indian conversion. In India, it would be much less for one kilogram of food, whereas, in the U.S., the price would be higher. I kept on comparing like that. And I thought, "Oh, my God, it's so expensive." Then, I learned that there's a food pantry here that provides free resources, so I went there and bought the free stuff they offered. In the pantry, I feel like I get everything I need, but I always rely on them because of the low cost and affordability. I just really rely on them.

As an Opportunity student and an international student, it was very difficult for me initially because I am from India, and I don't know what exactly I need to do. So, each and every thing that I face as a food insecurity is from lack of going to the food stores because there's no transportation for me. And since the pantry is near to me, I feel that it's easier to travel there. Though, if the place where I'm staying is far away from the pantry, it's impossible for me to go to the pantry, right? I feel that is the negative point, it takes a lot of time to go to the store, but the pantry is nearby, so it's not a problem. Time is not a problem for me. If my house is far away, the time would be a problem.

Transportation is a problem. We just need to book the ride, which costs more. I feel it's very difficult for us with the lack of transportation. We need to pay for the transportation and also for the things I need. It costs more.

I don't remember the exact date, but the first time I went to the pantry, it was very difficult for me to find. I kept on asking where exactly it is and what exactly it is designed for. When I went to the website, I came to know that it's for more financial purposes–for those who lack that. So I decided, "Okay, that's good. Like, why don't we just go?" I asked the student center to show me exactly where on the map. I just went in that direction, and it guided me to the pantry. I felt like, "Oh, that's it. It's so simple.", but, I didn’t know we needed to have an ID card. I read the instructions later on that said we needed to have an ID card so that we can access it. But, they also gave me another solution saying that you can log into the website on your phone, and you can show an event pass. That's how they can give you access also, so that's how I entered and I felt good.

From the pantry, the main things that I would bring are the milk, eggs, and stationary items that are necessary for me here. Mainly the vegetables, and some snack items, like pasta and cake. They provide some soy sauce, and sometimes they provide clothes, too. I found it very interesting that at that time, and I just brought some stuff from there. I felt very happy about that.

I eat snacks all the time, but ever since I went to the pantry, I decided to eat the nutritious food that I got. Like the vegetables, the milk, the eggs. At least with those items, I'm making sure that I'm getting proper nutrition. It's affordable. As for my regular diet, when I wake up early in the morning, I just eat the bread and put the salad on it by mixing the mayonnaise in it and eating the salad. And during lunch, if there is rice, I would eat it.

Sometimes, because of my schedule or because of the assignments that I have, I just skip my meal at lunch. Per week, I used to skip my meals, like, four to five times. That's it, not too much. Like, only during lunchtime, I skip. Sometimes, if I felt so tired, I skipped my night meals. I mean the dinner, I skip all the time because sleep is important to me, rather than food.

It impacts my academic performance too. Like, you know that food is the source of energy and everything. If you don't have the proper food, your brain won't work. I'm a foodie, so if I eat anything, I am energized and could do anything for hours. That's what I feel. So, if I don't get any nutrition or anything, I feel dizzy, and I feel like fainting sometimes. It's not about snacks. It's not having proper food, or not having proper food at the right time.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse