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Health and Safety Abroad

No matter how safe your new campus and community appear to be, you should acquaint yourself with your new environment by reading and listening to the safety information given during your campus and on-site orientations. Familiarize yourself with your neighborhood and campus by walking around in the daylight and ask your site director about areas you should avoid at night. Find out about local emergency procedures such as a system similar to 911.

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Taking Precautions
Take the same precautions you would at home. Do not give out your name or address to unknown people. Know where the nearest police station and hospital are. Keep emergency numbers handy. Do not go into unsafe or unknown areas alone or after dark.

Political Unrest
There is increased risk of anti-American activity during periods of political conflict and economic change that involve the U.S. and other nations. You can minimize risks and avoid obvious dangers by not wearing clothes that signal your nationality (baseball caps or college sweatshirts, for example), avoiding large groups of other Americans, staying away from demonstrations, and generally keeping out of harm’s way. Do not frequent places that may make you vulnerable by association. For example, some restaurants or clubs have reputations for being American hang-outs, such as McDonalds and Burger King—avoid them if possible.

Keeping a Low Profile
Walk away from trouble and take a passive approach to any potentially volatile situations. Do not release information about your host, school, other students, or professors.

Staying Alert
Be aware of your surroundings, including unknown individuals hanging around your building or any strange activity nearby. Be careful of who has access to your room or apartment. Visitors should be screened, and delivery persons should be asked for identification and should not be left unsupervised.

Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment occurs in all countries. How it is dealt with varies from culture to culture. Be aware that sexual harassment laws are not the same in every country. If you receive unwanted sexual attention, you should immediately distance yourself from the individual or situation, speak up in a clear and firm manner, and most importantly, immediately report the incident to your site director or housing coordinator.

Responding to Criticism about the U.S.
There is no one right or wrong way to respond to comments about the U.S. or you personally as a U.S. American abroad. You will develop your own method for dealing with confrontation inquiry based on your experiences and your opinions. You may choose to take an active role by responding to the questions or accusations, or you may choose to take a passive role and not say anything in response. As you begin to respond to any criticism, keep the following strategies in mind:

Try to understand the critic’s motive(s)

Americans are fond of saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Outward appearances are not always enough to make a judgment about a situation where you are being confronted with anti-American sentiment. Ask your critic questions that may explain this person’s beliefs about the U.S. and why he or she might hold them.

  • Does this person get ideas from the media?
  • Is this something being taught in school?
  • Has this person experienced some sort of harassment from an American?
  • If you understand the critic’s motive(s), or where his or her information comes from, perhaps you can find some common ground and a more tolerant way to respond.

Draw upon personal experiences and observations

When someone asks you a question like, “Why are U.S. Americans so wasteful of natural resources?” your first response might be to say, “Oh, not me.” Whether or not the question is based on fact, one way to respond might be to draw on your own experiences and observations. In this case, you can say that while you cannot speak for the rest of the U.S. population, you have your own personal practices, such as recycling, water conservation, or use of public transportation.

Avoid becoming defensive
It’s hard to avoid becoming defensive when your culture is being criticized. Try to avoid it as much as possible. Keep an open mind, and remember to try and understand your critic’s motives.

Become more familiar with common U.S. facts and policies
People in other countries will probably ask you a lot of questions about the U.S. on such varied topics as geography, politics, and pop culture. They may be complicated questions like, “Who decides whether a person is guilty of a crime?” or more simple ones like, “Do all U.S. Americans wear cowboy boots and ride horses?” You should familiarize yourself with basic U.S. facts and policies prior to departure. Some areas to research are:

Research shows that study abroad will provide your student with more opportunities by: