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Attend the program-specific
orientation
Our office provides a wealth of information about individual
programs at program-specific orientations. Parents are
welcome to attend these events with their student. A
list of upcoming orientations
is available. If you have specific questions about an orientation,
please contact us at abroad@bascom.wisc.edu.
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Find Out about the
Host Country
Before your student departs for the program, you may
want to find out more about the host country. General information about
your student's host country and the surrounding area
is the State
Department's Country Background Notes. The Background
Notes provide information in the categories of people,
government, history, political conditions, economy,
foreign relations, US relations, travel, and business.
You also might consult guidebooks which contain information
about cultural practices. We encourage you to read about
your student's host country before his or her departure.
Gaining more knowledge about the destination will help
to answer questions and address your concerns. There
are many books on the market which provide basic information
for studying and traveling abroad. Other suggestions
include:
There are, of course, many other travel guides on various
countries and travel topics.
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Preparing for Another
Culture
1. Students with Disabilities
UW-Madison provides study abroad opportunities to all academically-eligible students. If a student requires special accommodations due to a physical or learning disability, let IAP know as soon as possible to see that proper and reasonable accommodations are made. The UW-Madison McBurney Disability Resource Center serves as a resource for students with disabilities. Students should discuss their study abroad plans with their healthcare provider and/or a McBurney Advisor before they leave. In addition, IAP encourages students to disclose any helpful information on your IAP Health and Wellness Information form available at www.studyabroad.wisc.edu/forms.
Resources of possible interest:
- Access Abroad
- Mobility International
- A World of Options published by Mobility International USA (MIUSA), P.O. Box 3551 , Eugene , OR 97403 . IAP has a copy of this book in the Study Abroad Resource Room (250 Bascom Hall).
- Able to Travel: True Stories by and for People With Disabilities (Rough Guides), by Alison Walsh.\
- Holiday and Travel Abroad: A Guide for Disabled People. Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR), 12 City Road, London EC IV 8AF
- Travel for the Disabled: A Handbook of Travel Resources and 500 Worldwide Access Guide, by Helen Hecker. Twin Peaks Press, P.O. Box 129, Vancouver, WA 98666
2. Gender
Men and women entering another culture may become
aware of different expectations based on gender in various
parts of the world. Norms for some behaviors, like dress,
may seem much stricter, while those for other behaviors,
like physical touch between men, may seem much more
relaxed, or vice-versa. In some countries, U.S.
women may find themselves uncomfortable with the looks
and comments from men, while U.S. men may find it
very difficult to meet women of the host country. Sometimes,
U.S. students have found that people have made assumptions
about them and their attitudes simply because they are
from the United States. This, of course, happens in reverse as well.
You or your student may not like all the gender-based
customs found in the host country but reading about
the customs of the host country, preparing for them and understnad them will help your student gain respect for the differences,
or at least be able to tolerate them. It will help you
as a parent to better understand reasons behind behaviors
toward your son or daughter. See also the Health and
Safety section of the IAP website for more information
on safety for women travelers. Students can feel free
to discuss these issues with the IAP staff.
Resources of possible interest:
- Women Travel: First Hand Accounts from More Than 60 Countries (Rough Guides), Natania Jansz et. al.
- A Journey of One's Own: Uncommon Advice for the Independent Woman Traveler, by Thalia Zepatos.
- Women Travel Tips
- Half the Earth: Women's Experience of Travel Worldwide, eds. Miranda Davies, Laura Longrigg and Lucinda Motefiore
3. LGBT Students
Living in another culture tends to be a
time of self-exploration, and you should be prepared
for the possibility that your student may question his
or her sexual identity for the first time. Other students
who have already identified themselves as gay, lesbian
or bisexual may find differences in negotiating their
sexuality in an unknown culture, with a different social
climate, laws, and ways of meeting others. In either
case, keep in mind that many of the ideas held in the
U.S. about sexuality and sexual orientation are culturally-based
and may not translate easily into the culture your student
is entering. In some cultures, Western understandings
or levels of tolerance of 'gay' and 'lesbian' simply
do not exist; people who engage in same-sex relationships
may not see this behavior/preference as an identity
around which to organize. In other places, there are
active communities and visible social movements for
civil rights. If your student has questions or concerns
about these issues, he or she can contact a staff member
in IAP, and we will try to assist him or her.
In addition, there is a section on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
(LGBT) issues in each program binder in the Resource
Room located at 250 Bascom Hall.
Resources of possible interest:
-
UW LGBT Campus Center
-
NAFSA Rainbow SIG Resources for study abroad students
-
Out in the World: International
Lesbian Organizing, by Shelly Anderson
-
Out in the World: Gay and
lesbian life from Buenos Aires to Bangkok,
by Neil Miller
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Are you two. . . together? A gay and lesbian travel guide to Europe, by
Lindsey Van Gelder and Pamela Brandt
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The Third Pink Book: A global view of lesbian and gay liberation and oppression, eds. Aart Hendriks, Rob Tielman and Evert van der Veen, 1993(available in the Resource Room, 250 Bascom Hall).
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Spartacus: International Gay Guide, pub. Bruno Gmunder, 2001-02 ed.
4. Multicultural Students
Race and ethnic relations differ across the world.
Travelers may be treated differently than at home because
of their race or ethnicity. When traveling to a country
where your student looks physically like the majority
of the people, the cultural expectations for the majority
people may be applied to him or her. Students who are
in the minority during the time abroad may be treated
differently than at home. There are many countries that
have seen a resurgence of racism or where ethnic strife
is a continuing experience. We encourage you to consult
relevant materials to help prepare you and your student
for the situation found in the host country.
Parents or students with concerns about these issues
can contact a staff member in our office. Upon request,
IAP will try to locate a former student or faculty member
associated with the region who can discuss these issues
with your student. There is a section on multicultural students in each program binder in the Study Abroad Resource Room located at 250 Bascom Hall. If while studying abroad, your student expresses to
you feelings of discrimination, please encourage him
or her to talk to the resident director or contact our
office in Madison directly.
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How to Help Students
Help Themselves
One of the best things you can do as a parent to support
your student in her or his international academic program,
is to let him or her handle the program details. In
most cases, we need to deal with the student directly.
Please allow students to take on this responsibility
themselves.
Prior to departing for their programs, all students
receive an IAP Study Abroad Handbook (with academic,
health, and financial information), a site-specific
handbook, a consular information sheet for their country,
an emergency contact card, and a CISI health insurance policy
information and card. All students also attend a mandatory
orientation session and complete an online orientation
prior to departure. Please ask your student to share
this information with you. If you have a question, chances
are that your student will have the answer. Copies of
the IAP Study Abroad Handbooks are available here.
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Next Section: Preparing
for Travel
Previous Section: Financial
Aid and Banking Abroad
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