Studying abroad is an experience that many college students are interested in. It is often marketed as a cool way to experience world culture, while still being able to continue school with financial aid help to travel.
You often hear about students traveling to England, Ireland and France, South Korea and China, but one thing remains the same throughout– these are countries with different laws, cultures, and opinions in regard to the global pandemic.
Currently, the United States is doing poorly. Other countries, such as New Zealand, have been seemingly more cautious and have been looking at how to move forward without the constant spread of the COVID-19, including the newest Delta variant. So, should we study abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic? My short answer is no. Not only is it unethical, but it isn’t fair to other countries who are doing their best to be preventative.
Americans often travel into other countries treating it like a vacation, rather than embracing the culture and trying to assimilate. In doing so, they miss opportunities to learn, grow and connect with the span of diversity that cannot be found on U.S. territory. Traveling abroad is similar. It is often talked about as being a vacation, with some doses of school in the schedule.
When opportunities to study abroad are treated as such, foreign culture is looked over. In today’s time, going in with this attitude could worsen the pandemic in a place that might have their numbers more under control and be doing well.
It might also be helpful to stress that we are still in a global pandemic. Wearing masks, only participating in socially-distanced activities, staying in the U.S. and our territories can help to make sure we aren’t worsening the numbers in other countries, as well as keeping ourselves and others safe.
