An Indian student in Germany shared a moving post about the unseen struggles of international students, from housing crises to financial hardship.

An Indian student in Germany has caught the internet’s attention after sharing a deeply personal post about the emotional and financial struggles international students face while building a life from scratch abroad. The Instagram post, shared by Prathamesh Patil, includes a moving caption about resilience, sacrifice and the unseen battles behind the “dream life” often assumed from social media.

“The peak of happiness is crying, and the peak of sadness is laughing — whoever said that was absolutely right,” Patil wrote in the caption, recalling the moment he finally broke down when his mother told him, “In the end, hard work always pays off, my child”. He said that he never cried when leaving home or when he went through months of hardship, but that moment of validation from his parents brought him to tears.

Alongside the caption, Patil also shared a montage of short clips narrating his journey, from quitting his job and moving to Germany with “4 suitcases and big dreams” to surviving cramped housing conditions where “9 people lived in a single apartment with 1 washroom.”

In the clip, Patil described working part-time jobs to survive - cleaning restaurant kitchens and toilets for eight euros an hour, delivering groceries in freezing temperatures, working in warehouses and supermarkets where salaries were delayed or incomplete.

He also detailed being scammed by a landlord, losing a lot of money, and briefly becoming homeless before finally getting a residence permit two years later. He shared that despite more than 300 internship applications and repeated rejections, he finally received one offer, and the moment he informed his parents was when he “couldn’t hold back his tears”.

In his caption, Patil said he wanted to speak not just for himself but “the story of every international student who left his comfort zone to build a life from scratch”. He added, “People often see the good moments on social media and think we’re living the best life. But nothing comes free; every dream has a price”.

Patil concluded his post by thanking friends who supported him and said this is “just the beginning,” noting that what may look like a small milestone to some was unimaginable for his 18-year-old self.

HT.com has reached out to the user. This story will be updated when a response is received.

Social media reactions

The post has resonated with thousands of students online. Reacting to the post, one user wrote, “The post has resonated with thousands of young migrants and students online.”

“I did 625 applications before that 1 that said yes…. … priceless! Congrats to you!” shared another.

“Congratulations! And yes, literally the story of many many many other Indians who have come to Germany to study, work and succeed! So again, congrats to also all the other fellow Indians in Germany who came here, went through the challenges and even more and moved ahead step by step to succeed in life!” expressed a third user.

“Thank you so much for sharing this brilliant video. You conveyed so many people's lives and their reality. No romanticising. This is the stuff people need to see to win. Wishing you so much success in life. Rooting for you,” wrote one user. (Hindustan Times)