(This is the second in a two-part series examining the effects of last week's terrorist attacks on the University's study abroad programs)
As the aftermath of the recent terrorist attacks captivates the country, hundreds of University students in study-abroad programs are watching the story unfold from overseas.
Their reactions range from gratitude for the sympathy of their host countries to frustration with being abroad during this time of national tragedy.
All the University-run study abroad programs are being held this semester as scheduled, International Studies Office Director Jessica Brown said. In addition, many University students are studying in programs run by other schools. Some students already are overseas for the semester or the year, while others have yet to leave.
Gestures of sympathy have comforted study abroad students.
"Being an American and walking in the street, people figure it out from the accent, and the first thing they say is 'I feel for you,'" said Carrie Dickerson, a fourth-year College studying in St. Petersburg, Russia. "Definitely, [the Russians] are on our side. All the politicians here were really shaken ... All the people whom it's a threat to, it really pulls them together."
Kate Moomaw, a third-year College studying in Florence, Italy, wrote a letter to The Cavalier Daily last Friday describing a heartening candlelight demonstration against terrorism held in the city's Piazza della Signoria.
"I now know that I am not alone here, and I know that my country is not alone either, that people around the world are thinking of us and praying for us," Moomaw said.
The reaction has been similar in India and in Jordan, both countries in which the University runs study abroad programs. "The Indian people are very concerned," said Daniel Ehnbom, director of the center for South Asian studies. "The students have been received extremely well."
He pointed out that many Indian nationals, who worked in World Trade Center offices, also died in the terrorist attacks.
"At the human level, people in Jordan were appalled," said Mohammed Sawaie, professor of Arabic and director of the University's program in Jordan. The Jordan program takes place during the summer and University students are not studying there now.
Some foreign universities housing University students are offering special counseling for Americans, said Suzanne Louis, associate director of the International Studies office.
Despite international sympathy, many students are distressed about being abroad.
William Quandt, vice provost for international affairs, said he had heard of four or five students considering returning home from overseas.
"It's hard [to be abroad] because somebody's doing this [the terrorist attacks] to my country and to my people and I'm not even there," said Catherine Borden, a fourth-year College studying in St. Petersburg. "I felt completely helpless."
The nationalistic atmosphere prevailing in St. Petersburg concerns Borden. "There's a lot of anger and a lot of fear," Borden said. "There's a lot of talk about war and violence."
The backlash against people of Arabian descent may be more severe in Russia than in the United States, Dickerson said. "People assume all Americans want to kill all Arabs," she said.
Although students may feel anxious while overseas, the State Department has issued no warnings about traveling in any of the countries where the University's programs are located, Brown said. Students in the University's program in Valencia, Spain, say they feel safer there than they would in the United States, said Liz Wellbe-Loved, assistant director of Hispanic studies.
The State Department has issued travel warnings on Pakistan and Israel, advising Americans not to travel there.
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