Study Abroad Cancelled - now what?

blossom
Wed, 26 Jun 2024 18:31:10 +0000

One lesson which was instilled in me early on- and which I taught my kids- if something feels “off”, it probably is.

You don’t need to worry about being culturally insensitive if someone is following you, keeps asking “let me escort you to your hotel”, telling you “I can find you a bank which will give you a better exchange rate”. Or if a taxi driver tries to turn off the meter (in a country with metered taxis) saying “let’s keep this arrangement between us”. Insist on the meter- or just open the door and get out.

I’ve never been the victim of a violent crime- but I’ve been pickpocketed-- and my spidey sense was up but I was reluctant to seem like an “ugly American” by doing something about it. It’s nice to meet friendly people overseas, but invitations to “have dinner with me and my elderly mother” when you met someone three minutes ago might be benign-- or might not.

Your D will be fine. Sounds like she’s developing street smarts!