Traveling to another country is an exciting experience! And, if you or your student are planning to spend a semester studying abroad, there’s even more opportunity for adventure. Students will likely know that choosing housing and selecting classes while planning for their new experiences is crucial, but many often overlook the step of preparing for potential emergencies. That’s where study abroad emergency planning comes in.
When considering study abroad emergency planning, it’s important not to confuse prevention with response. Preventive thinking is certainly important, but would you know what to do if you found yourself in the middle of a dangerous situation? Even when you do your best to prevent risks, you can still face unforeseen circumstances: a medical emergency, a violent crime, or even sudden civil unrest.
Imagine encountering these types of events in your home country, and think about what you would do. Those same emergencies occurring abroad may come with additional challenges, from language barriers to unfamiliarity with a country’s laws, customs or practices. To help prevent negative events, it can help to research your destination and learn whatever you can in advance. Study abroad emergency planning is essential.
Although you can’t anticipate or prevent every possible emergency, what you can do is consider how you will respond. Think about getting caught in a city in the middle of sudden civil unrest…are you going to try to reach your loved ones in that different time zone, hoping they will hear the phone and be able to help you figure out what to do?
If you become severely ill or inured…will you assume that first responders will know you are a foreign student…and count on them (or someone at an unknown hospital or police station) to track down and notify your program leader or loved ones?
If you require evacuation or other support, how prepared will you be to locate and facilitate the right resources?
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