mini

Friendliness might not tell you much about risk. Israel would likely be a much more dangerous place for American students. (But still safer than Virginia.)

corranged

Uh, I wasn't trying to say that Kenya was extraordinarily dangerous. I was trying to give the OP information about when my family member stayed in a situation that would often be considered unsafe, considering the fact that her school wouldn't fund her trip for safety reasons, she was alone and without a program, she's not known for being particularly safety-conscious, and infectious disease is rampant throughout the country. Coincidently, the man she worked with has since died from non-natural causes.

etselec

My sister just got back from her spring semester in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. She was approved and funded by her college, but was taking many different dance, mime, yoga, etc. classes at different studios all over the city (often being the only white student, or accompanied by a recent graduate of the same college who was there on a Fulbright) and staying at a Hindu mission for the arts.
She and the other girl had some very scary experiences during the Bandhs (general strikes) which shut down the city for days at a time, and more generally with a lot of sexual harassment and disrespect from Indian men on the street. She wore Indian traditional clothing (because the only women who wear Western clothing in Kolkata, outside the tourist areas, are "women of loose morals") and learned enough Bengali to defend herself, but it was still not very easy.
She has said that she loved her time in Kolkata and felt that she learned a lot, but that it was also a very tough place to do a study abroad. Apparently, the more Westernized and urban the location, the greater the problems of sexual harassment and disrespect of white women (in large part due to the portrayal of white women in Bollywood movies).
Her experience was probably about as scary as India could get, because she was mostly alone, in a major city, taking public transportation to non-tourist, non-university areas of the city.

IndianaKate

Glad to hear about others who went to Jordan and had a safe experience. Fact is, the entire middle east is extremely volatile these days. Amman is filled with almost a million refugees from Iraq, many of whom, very justifiably, HATE americans. There's a training camp for suicide bombers 50 miles north of the city. I don't think it's unreasonable to worry more than I'd worry if he were going to, say, Virginia.

I appreciate hearing from others who have/know students in Jordan. My sense is that the program will keep the students as safe as possible, and if they know where they can/can't go, they'll be okay. Still, I am looking forward to a very nerve-wracking fall.

redcrimblue

RE: crime statistics. Heavily dependent on reporting and compilation. Reasonable to presume a purse snatching in Dubuque, Iowa more likely to be reported than the same crime in New York City.

My son is in France, one daughter leaves for Mexico in a week and two daughters are going to China next month. Another spent a semester in Peru. Do I worry? Yes, of course. On the other hand, I have never smoked and I am dying of lung cancer. Bad things can happen anywhere. Teach them reasonable prudence and don't send them into harm's arrows. The world continues to shrink and those who know only their own backyard will be ill-equipped.

Karen Colleges

Redcrimblue- the closing sentences of your post are spot on. IMO, the learning that happens just by setting foot out of the U.S. is tremendous.

We have lived and vacationed in "Islamic" countries for the past 11 years.
Sometimes it is a bit scary (when there are incidents such as bombings of hotels, etc.). However, I am much more worried about personal safety when I visit Los Angeles, and other large cities in the states, then when I am overseas. The thought of sending my kids to a large public high school in the U.S. gives me the creeps. Scary stuff happens all over the world.

Do register to get updates from the state department website. You can get updates on the current safety situation of various countries.

Anyone going to Jordan should visit Peta (think of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). To be honest, I have not been to Jordan yet, but it is on my must-do list of places to go.

ticklemepink

I'm in Israel right now!

Yes, my parents were very concerned about my safety but after my birthright trip and lots of talking to with the administrative staff in my program, my mother said...okay... but wasn't entirely comfortable. She watched too much American media. I literally had to fight to convince her that Israel was far safer than the US because of all the security everywhere and that I was more likely to die from a crazy Israeli driver running over me than a suicide bomber. She warned me against taking buses but knew that I'd take them anyway because I'm a cheap college student and was used to living the city life from past summers in DC. (Now my aunt's offering to pay for the cabs for the rest of my time here). After a while, my parents calmed down after I made my own trips to Tel Aviv, Netanya, and Haifa and of course, their visit in April. My mother still worries a bit about the security but doesn't like to talk about it. Now she's concerned about me even coming home!!!

Jordan is certainly a fine place to be but your son needs to stay viligant about his surroundings- even I still need to be aware of any abandoned bags and suspicious characters near bus stops. Many of my friends in the program have visited Petra but that's just a tourist bubble.

Remember, the American media is bored and likes to exaggerate things. I encourage my family to ignore CNN which words headlines out of proportion. He will have a wonderful time in Jordan!

redcrimblue

I'll add this. I was educated at three Ivy League colleges, yet my most important year of education was as an exchange student in what was then West Berlin.

Observe local customs and dress, and do not criticize your host country's religious practices. Learn the language. Study it before you go and polish it when you are there. My son learned French before he went to France and my oldest daughter Spanish before helping build houses outside Quito. One of my two high school daughters is mastering Chinese; the other is a Latin scholar so not much hope there for further exposure

I remember the chagrin in my year abroad (which was before college) in confronting Americans who were loud, could not speak the language and dressed like foreigners. And this was in one of our closest cold war Allies, with great cultural similarities to America. How much more important are dress, language and comportment in a country without as much affinity as a Western European nation.

mini

"Amman is filled with almost a million refugees from Iraq, many of whom, very justifiably, HATE americans."

The overwhelming majority of them are secular, pro-Western who hate the U.S. (NOT Americans) because the U.S. decided to divide up their government by religious proclivity, and then turned it over to religiously oriented clique.

"I don't think it's unreasonable to worry more than I'd worry if he were going to, say, Virginia."

I do. The data don't lie. And the overall rates of murder and violent crime in the U.S. relative to Jordan (gathered by Interpol) don't lie either.

India is the country I know best. In a country with more than four times the population of the U.S., if I take ALL the people killed in train bombings, all the guerrilla killings, all the casualties in Kashmir, and all the gun deaths in the entire country, it still doesn't come out to one-fifth the number of gun-related deaths in the U.S. (or, by rate, roughly 1/25th of what we have here.)

I don't think it is even close. Students are at far greater risk in Virginia. (and that's not even counting auto-related deaths, or alcohol- or drug-related deaths among students).

(For the record, I'm biased: my college roommate was murdered one block from Harvard Yard. I haven't heard anything like that happening in ANY of the Middle Eastern countries I listed.)

-Allmusic-

No murders in the Middle East?

We must read a different set of newspapers!

mini

No murders of American students in the Middle East. We read THE SAME newspapers.

(But, as already noted, the overall murder rate in Jordan, according to Interpol, is 40% lower than in the U.S. Also lower in Israel, where there were 173 murders in 2004.)

paying3tuitions

I think the key is making sure your son asks, before departing for a different neighborhood our tourist site, for the inside information re: safety from the most trustworthy, conservative, insider advisors of his study program.
My son studied in Israel and the program advisors gave careful advice each day, always very conservative. It's up to the students not to be wise-guys and think they know better than the program directors who are from the country. Don't just listen to what the other American kids say, either; they may have gone somewhere not recommended and come back unscathed. If it wasn't recommended and they went, well, they were lucky but that doesn't mean their experience negates the wise counsel of the program directors.
Also, it's the Jordanian program directors, not fellow Jordanian students, who will best advise. Jordanian students might be able to read the body language and situation better, so what's safe and doable for them might not translate for an American.
Just encourage your son to seek daily advice (not generalities) from the most senior Jordanian who is close to his program. Be very specific, saying, "I want to go to X and take Y road through Z neighborhood in a (bus, taxi). What do you think?" Then follow the answer. That is my advice. Then, try not to worry, or if you do, understand that worry is part of life in the Middle East. We're not used to it.

mini

An American student I hadn't heard about. (But, hey, my roommate was killed next to Harvard Yard, so go figure.) There are students killed in all of these countries (including Israel, there were several last year), though in total, likely fewer than in Virginia.

Of interest:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...DGUIGQOOA1.DTL

cheers

Crime is generally lower in totalitarian states, mini.

However, Jordan is NOT on the Travel warning list--and is --and has been--relatively safe. Despite political differences, it is important to understand the culutral differences. For example, as a rule, Jordanians and other Arabs hold hospitality in very very high regard. They embrace strangers and welcome them into their homes with incredible, sincere warmth. Your son should have a wonderful experience--particularily if he makes an effort to mix with Jordanians. My understadning is that American soliders on patrol are invited into Iraqi homes from time to time--such is the depth of hospitality.

But the key fact is that Jordon is not on the US travel warning list--which means you will be able to purchase travel insurance for your child. http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p...w/tw_1764.html Keep an eye on that list if you have additional worries. In general, insurance companies only avoid extremely risky areas--they have a tolerance for moderate risk. both of my sons have visited Kenya in the past three years--the security in and around American business interests is intense but Nairobi appears relatively safe--away from western gathering points--during the day. Travellers must take precautions similar to the ones I took when I lived in Alphabet City in the 1980s.

My son is travelling in Africa doing research. His original itinerary was not insurable--and he adjusted his plans.

PS Make sure you have an evacuation clause in the insurance for health care.

blucroo

Let's put aside all of our cc opinionated/political views and hopefully get some straight answers from students or parents of students who have RECENTLY studied in Jordan.

My D plans to study in Jodan next year. I would like some REAL experiences about study there and especially relevant to a female (not to mention Jewish).

I am not interested in murder rate comparisons. I would like to hear about how the schools handle security; how much freedom kids have (and especially females) etc.

Thanks!