My name is Tareque Siddique and I am an international student from Bangladesh. Currently, I am pursuing the Master of Administration in Leadership program at the University of Regina. I am also an active co-op student and working with Advising and Career Education Centre at the U of R. I am on my third and final work-term.
In 2020, the COVID 19 pandemic was unleashed on the world and we are all trying to adjust with the situation to survive. Since March 18, 2020, I have started to work from home. My office has provided me fantastic supports for working remotely. It was challenging at first to adjust to the home-working environment, but gradually, I have become comfortable with it. Working from home provides me autonomy and flexibility. There is less stress involved while working from home. At first, I thought that I would become unproductive, but truthfully, I have found myself to be even more productive. I can set my own pace for work and find my rhythm, which helps me to overcome any fear of burn-out.
I attended an online class in spring 2020, where I feared I would get poor marks, but fortunately, with support from my supervisor and colleagues, I did great. When we all started to work from home, I believe everyone had some sort of fear and anxiety adjusting to their new conditions. It might have originated from a sudden change in the work environment. I am lucky as I have adjusted myself pretty well to the change.
The University of Regina has excellent working conditions, culture and environment! I am fortunate to have a great supervisor and very helpful colleagues. Every week, we have zoom meetings discussing new updates and the work assigned so we stay connected. These meetings help me a lot to adapt to the situation and the job expectations. I never feel stranded. Communication has never become an issue for me and my supervisor has assigned me some interesting new projects. As a co-op student, I think this is a great time to develop extra skills which will help me in the future.
There is no denying the fact that I miss my family and worry about my parents and siblings in Bangladesh. My father has a critical heart condition and my mother works in a hospital as a nurse. The pandemic situation in my home country is not good, and day by day the situation is getting worse. Being the oldest child and only son, I at times feel that I am not fulfilling my duty to my family. I also miss the social interactions with my office colleagues, friends, and classmates. Life can get boring very easily. Nevertheless, I am adapting every day, as Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”
I am very grateful that I have a Co-op position at this unprecedented time and for the blessings I have in my life. Many students have it so much worse off with no job and no supports. Here is hoping this pandemic ends soon and we can all get back to work at the lovely University of Regina campus!
Thank you for reading my story!
Tareque Siddique Al- Hossain
M.Admin (Leadership), Co-op student, Advising and Career Education (ACE)