It was just like any other day on the 11th of June, 2019. The morning alarm played the usual melody into my ears at 6:00 am. The first thing I did after I swiped the screen to switch off the alarm was browsing through my emails. This had become my routine ever since I returned from Canada in May 2018. I never miss out on an email or a text as my phone has always been a part of me. If it pings, I am sure to peek immediately. But it is always in the silent mode at night from 9:30 PM. One thing that Canada taught me was early supper and early to bed habits. It was more than a year since I returned from Canada, but I was continuing to receive regular updates from the University of Montreal (UDEM). I lived in Montreal for about thirteen months but my French comprehension is close to nothing, so I always use Google translate to understand the content of emails received in French. It was when I was trying to read one such email I came across the above photo of Umit, the picture of a guy with a lovely smile. I only saw the year 2019 and étudiant en maitrise laboratoire des neurosciences de la vision. I immediately assumed that Umit had successfully completed his masters and was happy for him. I truly enjoyed that moment which unfortunately lasted only for a few seconds. What Google translate showed next came to me like a thunderbolt and shook me out of my bed.
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| A screenshot of Google Translation |
"C'est avec une grande tristesse que nous annonçons les décès de deux étudiants de l'École, leurs départs nous ont profondément affectés et nous offrons toutes nos sympathies à leur famille respective."
And the translation read -
"It is with great sadness that we announce the deaths of two students of the School, their departures have deeply affected us and we extend our sympathies to their respective families."
With my heartbeat raising, I quickly switched back to the picture on my email and noticed that it was written 1992 - 2019. So, it was real, Umit was no more. The photo of the other student in the email was of Sara Hmouz who I didn't know. I immediately sent the above image to my friends and batchmates via the WhatsApp group. They did not know until I told them. Everyone was shocked. After a little digging, we found that he passed away more than a month ago due to a complication of congenital illness.
I wondered why I was heartbroken to know this. I did not know Umit personally. He was not my friend at UDEM. It was just that his desk was behind mine in the study room, and every time he entered the room, he smiled and wished. He had a fancy arrangement on his table, with a custom desktop computer and a few books. All other desks in the room were either empty or barely filled with sticky notes and occasionally a few books. Other than just wishing good-mornings, hellos, and byes there was not much interaction with him. Then, why did I feel shattered? Why was I crying? My memories went back to the first week at UDEM.
I was forty-three years of age in September 2016 when I joined Masters in Vision Science -Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation program at UDEM, and did not have absolutely any previous experience living in any country other than India, had no friends in Montreal, and more than everything had lost my beloved son about a year ago. Moreover, it was more than twenty years since I went to a formal college. My brain was completely rewired to a practice mode from a learning form. Reading the syllabus, the examination schedules, and seeing French everywhere around was overwhelming for me. My only companion those first days was my laptop.
I think it was during the middle of the first week when I was struggling to connect to the health library website through the UDEM WiFi at the Jean Brilliant campus. When I enquired, I was guided to an IT technician who had her office in one of the many rooms. After a lot of struggle walking around the deserted look-alike corridors with no one to guide or even to ask, I managed to reach her room. I don't remember her name but I do remember how approachable she was. She apologized for not being very good in English, which I found funny considering my poor French. She walked with me to the study room and the moment she saw Umit, all that she did was raise her eyebrows.
"You have Umit! You didn't have to come to me. He is the best in computers," she quickly introduced him and left.
Umit was such a lovable boy. His approach was kind and his speaking was very sweet. He carefully took my laptop and checked the WiFi settings, did everything he could but couldn't fix the problem. I was worried if my laptop was too outdated. However, he reassured me by describing all the advanced features on my laptop in a simple language that I could understand. I also remember how amazed he was to see that the touch-enabled display of my laptop. But in the end, he felt bad that he couldn't be of help. So he didn't stop there. After checking the UDEM website, he contacted the IT person on the main campus and explained everything in French. He then asked me to take my laptop to them and was sure that I will be able to connect to the WiFi after that. Although the problem wasn't fixed, the way he made me feel is something that I remember to this date, the support that he provided to a newcomer, the reassurance that he gave when I was tensed, and the kindness that he exhibited is unforgettable. I wish he was still there.
Umit you were a great soul gone too soon. The world misses you. But you will always be remembered by me who lives on the other side of the earth!
Rest in peace, Umit
Veena Rao
