I am tired of this country. I am feeling like I want to get out, and I am fortunate enough to have a good, safe, country to go home to. I moved here because the advisor I wanted to work with is here, and I hoped to stay for a postdoc

because the scientists I would be most excited to work with happen to have labs in the US. I am now questioning my decision. I came here summer 2016, and I quickly learned that despite living in a country that boarders the US my whole life, I knew very little about life here.

I am tired of being called an “alien”. I am tired of my messy dual-country tax situation. I am tired of the crappy financial system here where I can’t pay most bills online and have to send my credit card number in the mail to pay a medical bill.

I am tired of paying medical bills at all. I am tired of paying 12% of my student stipend for my partner’s health insurance. I was frustrated when my partner couldn’t visit me for 2 years because of the Muslim country ban.

I was upset when I learned that researcher visas, and especially their dependent visas are now in jeopardy. Now, as millions of International students like me are being used as a bargaining chip, I’ve had it.