Students studying abroad feel disconnected from Sept. 11

By Chris Young
Daily Bruin Reporter As students throughout the United States live
through the aftermath of Sept. 11, more than 400 UCLA students and
thousands more from other universities studying abroad find
themselves disconnected from the grieving and recovery process.
UCLA student Angel Cheng, who is studying in Beijing, China, and
could only watch the attacks and its aftermath via television, said
being thousands of miles from home makes her feel like she is
living “in a bubble.” “It’s kind of like
not attending the funeral of a loved one, to grieve in a healthy
manner,” Cheng said in an e-mail message. “I fear that
we may never have a complete understanding of just how the events
have affected our nation because we were abroad when it all
happened, and we are still abroad during the healing
process.” Despite problems facing some foreign students
currently, those studying through the Education Abroad Program said
they do not feel threatened, and EAP advisers said their programs
are not in jeopardy, including those in the Middle East. A number
of students commented on ““ via e-mail messages ““ the
sympathy they received from people in their host countries, the
safety they felt and the greater worldview they developed.
Fourth-year student Grace Jan, who is studying in Ankara, Turkey,
said studying in the Middle East has posed no threat. “The
overall sentiment of the Turkish people toward me is one of
sympathy and condolence toward these recent events,” Jan
said. “I believe the people here would like to see the war
come to a close and peace between the many nations, as they too are
affected by the war.” Laura Disharoon, a third-year biology
student studying abroad in Brisbane, Australia, said she also felt
supported by the people. “I could be ordering a drink at a
cafe on campus, and the student behind the counter would
immediately recognize my accent and say, “˜I’m so sorry
about what happened,'” Disharoon said. John Marcum, the
university-wide EAP director, said the program has been in constant
communication with overseas students to ensure their safety.
Initially after the attacks, a small number of students decided not
to go abroad, Marcum said. Also, a small number returned home from
their programs, but this occurs every year for a variety of
personal, financial and medical reasons, Marcum said.
“We’re finding overwhelming responses in partner
institutions, an outpouring of sympathy,” he said. Marcum
said that despite the attacks, more students at all UC campuses are
inquiring about studying abroad for next year than in past years.
EAP cannot tell if fewer students are applying this year because
next year’s application deadlines have not passed, Marcum
said. Students also said that by living abroad, they were able to
look at the United States from an outside perspective. Maria
Lucero, a fifth-year international development studies and
Chicana/o studies student currently in Mexico, said that by living
with multinational neighbors, she discovered Americans have a world
reputation for being snobby and pretentious. But after Sept. 11,
she said, people are starting to see Americans as vulnerable human
beings. “The images of the victims and the general suffering
in New York City did not look like the images of the
“˜American dream’ that the United States exports to the
world ““ they were real,” Lucero said. Esther Park, a
third-year international development studies student in South
Korea, said being away from the United States made the experience
“surreal.” “I was in an international dorm being
around people from around the globe and seeing how they were
affected, whether crying, watching news or talking to people from
the states,” Park said. “It really demonstrated that no
matter what, the entire world really is plugged into one another,
even though a country might not be directly affected.” For
information on the Education Abroad Program and current status on
individual countries, log onto www.uoeap.ucsb.edu.