Dear readers,
I have managed to get another friend to share their experiences with me and I’m so humbled that he agreed to do this.
Introducing one of my friends from my first year of university, Keshav Sarawagi. We met at an Indian Students’ Association event during our first semester. A lot of our initial days were spent together making friends, exploring Toronto, watching Bollywood movies in theatres. We got busier in upper years (more after he changed programs) but the occasional encounters on campus and rare hangouts were always warm and fun.
Keshav came to Canada in September 2015. He initially joined the BBA program and after spending time exploring BBA for a semester, he decided to switch over to BA, doing a double major in International Development Studies and Political Science. When asked about why he made the switch, he says, “It felt that business would come naturally to me with experience and inherent family business back in Nepal. Studying IDS and Political Science opened me towards new perspectives and ideas that allowed me to look at the world from a different lens and become open-minded about critical issues globally.”
His university expenses were taken care of by his parents, and he was one of my only friends who lived on campus, always having stories to share. He stayed in the north residences of the UTSC campus for a year. With a boarding school background, he naturally enjoyed the dormitory experience. However, he says that "the freedom was new when it came to the management of the housing and exploring life outside studies”. After his first year, he moved to an off-campus facility with a few friends.
Keshav always told us that he would be going back to his home country after getting the degree. When so many of us were busy worrying about our work permits or finding ourselves jobs, Keshav was saying goodbye to his life of 4 years in Toronto and going back for good.
Is the undergraduate journey different when you know you will go back to your home country?
Keshav: “Honestly, while I had going back to my country in mind, it did not really impact my life overall in terms of friends, leisure, or work. All I could think of was that what could I take back from Toronto. And I believe I took a different person back, compared to when I had come to Toronto. I joined Muay Thai and had myself explore the art of martial arts, did part-time jobs such as waiter, salesman, receptionist, traveled a lot around the city for food, leisure, which truly made Toronto a place I can call home for my whole life”
What are 3 things you would say one must consider before moving to Toronto to study?
Keshav:
- "The expenses outside of academic life such as groceries and daily travel"
- "Accommodation, along with location and access to public transportation"
- "Scope, meaning what is the target/purpose of you coming this far to study, and will it apply to wherever you see yourself in your future"
What are some of your favorite activities/restaurants in the city?
Keshav: “Honestly, there are just so many of them. To even think about those places takes me down memory lane and sort of makes me emotional. I really enjoyed exploring food places around the city such as Korean, Japanese, Indian. I would usually go towards Eglinton, Yonge, and Finch, and downtown for my favorite delicacies. In fact, my taste in food changed every year from Indian first to east Asian. Not a week would pass by where I would not have my stomach full of Korean, haha. Also, I enjoyed desserts such as Uncle Tetsu's, their fluffy Japanese cheesecakes. In restaurants, Genghis Khan Mongolian grill house, Seoul restaurant, Touhenboku ramen were my go-to places with friends. Looking forward to a day when I can revisit these places and meet my closest friends again 🙏”
I’ve known Keshav to be a hard-working and fun-loving individual who has always maintained a balance between his personal life and work. He is currently engaged with his family business in Nepal and is looking on expanding the business’s portfolio towards essential food-based industries such as Agribusiness. His vision is to make Nepal self-sufficient in the essential food sector. I do hope to visit Nepal someday and I cannot wait to see this old friend of mine reach new heights in his life.