Dangers of Study Abroad

Most of us who are passionate about international travel, inter-cultural learning and studying abroad know how essential it is to visit other countries to learn from a different perspective. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. However, we also take risks when we travel abroad. As soon as we set foot in a foreign country, we open ourselves up to whatever dangers are present or will be present in that country. While it’s important to not let fear govern our decision to study abroad, we must look closely at what is going on in other countries before we travel and be smart about how we behave overseas for our own safety.

This year alone, study-abroad students faced a number of issues, including political unrest in Egypt and surrounding nations and natural disasters. One highly-publicized ordeal in May involved a young man named Pathik “Tik” Root from the United States who was studying Arabic abroad at the University of Damascus, according to the Boston Globe. When the young man went on his own to explore the Old City, he happened to witness a demonstration protesting the Syrian government. He took out his cell phone to take a picture and was arrested, accused of being a spay or a journalist. He was held in a Syrian jail for weeks and interrogated until the U.S. government finally negotiated his release.

Back in January and February, students studying abroad in Egypt were evacuated due to the political unrest and protests that led to the collapse of the Mubarak regime. Universities evacuated students from Japan after the massive earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear threat back in March. Study-abroad students were also evacuated from New Zealand after the earthquake there.

In 2000, an American study-abroad student was robbed and murdered in an apparent random act of violence while traveling alone in India, according to the GW Hatchet.

While there’s not anything a student can do to prevent natural disasters, there are some steps students can take to be safe overseas. First, students can familiarize themselves with the local language so that they can communicate with native speakers if they find themselves in a difficult situation. Secondly, students can explore their surroundings in groups and keep valuables and money out of sight, so that they become less of a target to thieves or others who would wish to do them harm. Third, students can talk with locals and learn about high-crime areas so that they can stay away from them or take extra precautions when traveling in these areas. Last but not least, students can keep informed on what is going on politically (including the potential for dangerous violence) by reading international news or communicating with family back home on volatile situations.

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This guest contribution was submitted by Lenore Holditch, who specializes in writing about top online colleges. Questions and comments can be sent to: holditch.lenore @ gmail.com.