Study abroad means dialing up the caution

This past weekend at George Mason University, the Center for Global Education held its annual faculty and student orientation.

Upcoming study abroad programs range in length from two weeks to two semesters, and include Ecuador, Australia, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Japan, Israel and the Philippines, along with more traditional places like London, Paris, Berlin and Milan.

The orientation’s main message, for faculty and students, was to exercise caution. In a world where the word “pandemic” jostles for position on the front page next to “acts of terrorism,” trips that take students out of their university homes to new environments require faculty to prepare for the unexpected.

Faculty heard from a lawyer on how to avoid liability, from a health services professional about caring for ill or injured students, and from a psychologist about handling emotional problems (including culture shock). As faculty anxiety mounted with each presentation, one person commented that it would have been nice to hear what is “normal” in study abroad, rather than about unpleasant and rare occurrences.

As faculty joined students in the afternoon sessions, the theme of caution continued. A GMU graduate, now working for the State Department, advised students to exercise caution as they explored new cities, tried new foods and beverages, rode public transportation, and made clothing choices. “Situational awareness” was a term that popped up frequently in her lecture about avoiding unpleasantness and danger.

After six hours of somewhat depressing and scary advice, faculty finally met with our students at 4 p.m. We tried to answer questions about particular programs — both academic and practical: What books should I bring? What will the weather be like? Will my cell phone work abroad?

In the course of talking to my group about our three weeks at Oxford University, I remembered what I’d almost forgotten as I worried about protecting them from germs and pickpockets: Study abroad is exhilarating. It’s about hearing a lecture that is so good it gives you chills. It’s about discovering local traditions — like the Cambridge man who passed down the art of church bell ringing to his children. (Watching their practices, and hearing the sounds emanating from 10-ton bells pulled by long ropes, expanded my definition of music.) It’s about tasting something you can’t pronounce, and thinking it’s both strange and delicious.

Immersing yourself in a place and culture far away from Fairfax is what makes study abroad life-changing and life-affirming. Certainly caution is in order, just as it is when visiting D.C. and New York City. As we prepare for worst-case scenarios, we have to remember the magic, too, and help students understand that their experiences will contribute to their humanity, and make them more understanding and empathetic.

No semester at a home campus can enrich students’ lives the way a semester abroad can. Students will not only learn new subject content, they will see their studies from a new perspective. They will learn a new language — even in England. And they will return with a more subtle understanding of how they fit in the larger world. They may even embrace the paradox that the world is both larger and smaller than they thought.

What kids are reading

This weekly column will look at lists of books kids are reading in various categories, including grade level, book genre and data from booksellers. Information on the books below came from Amazon.com’s list of children’s books. They are listed in order of popularity.

Books about going places:

1. "Gully’s Travels” by Tor Seidler (Ages 9-12)

2. “Tucket’s Travels: Francis Tucket’s Adventures in the West, 1847-1849” by Gary Paulsen (Ages 9-12)

3. “Round Trip” by Ann Jonas (Ages 4-8)

4. “Stringbean’s Trip to the Shining Sea” by Vera B. Williams and Jennifer Williams (Ages 4-8)

5. “Lisa’s Airplane Trip” by Anne Gutman and Georg Hallensleben (Ages 4-8)

6. “Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel” by Ruth McNally Barshaw (Ages 9-12)

7. “A World of Wonders: Geographic Travels in Verse and Rhyme” by J. Patrick Lewis and Alison Jay (Ages 4-8)

8. “Kid’s Trip Diary: Kids! Write About Your Own Adventures and Experiences!” by Loris Bree and Marlin Bree (Ages 9-12)

9. “The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica” by Debbie Glade (Ages 4-8)

10. “Travel Scratch and Sketch: A Cool Art Activity Book for Budding Artists and Travelers of All Ages” by Keri Barbas and Peter Pauper Press (Ages 9-12)