<p>okay…Settle me down and make me feel better. D#2 is home on break and has announced STRONGLY and EMPHATICALLY that she intends to study abroad in Spain this summer. I feel somewhat sick just thinking about it. (No, I have never traveled abroad. No, I don’t feel that I wish to. Yes, I am a nervous-nelly, homebody type of person.) I certainly do not wish to transfer my insecurities to my child. However, I am really, really worried about sending my kid to another continent. Help! What questions should I be asking? What information should I be demanding? Frankly, I just want to go hide my head under a pillow and hope she forgets the whole idea…not likely!</p>
<p>To be honest, she’s at college, she’s old enough to make her own decisions. Don’t be such a worry-wort. I’m 17 and my parents sent me from the UK to the US for 3 weeks alone this summer. </p>
<p>Travelling abroad widens your horizons and makes you more wordly (shock horror)</p>
<p>Perhaps if you had travelled yourself you would see the benefits. Don’t deny your daughter this wonderful opportunity because you were too scared - you could be denying every generation of your family from now on the exact same wish. let her see the world.</p>
<p>I can understand your initial reaction, but study abroad can be a great experience. I would focus my questions about the program- what school, dorm/living arrangements, what type of credit does she receive. This way you get to hear first hand what it means to her and what tangible benefit it will offer in her college path. I imagine she knows you well enough to know that you won’t be jumping for joy at this prospect- so try hard not to focus on your fears, but rather on her potential joys and growth because of the program. </p>
<p>Other things- make sure when the time comes that you have your cell phone company expanded for international service. Also- if she has a bank debit card- notify the bank that she will be abroad so that bank security allows transactions from that country.</p>
<p>Ooh, Spain! In the summer! I think that’s wonderful. </p>
<p>My D traveled in Europe on her own for several months after she graduated and Spain was one of her favorite countries.</p>
<p>Study abroad programs go out of their way to make sure their students are safe. It’s a great way to experience a new country. Were you also nervous when your D went off to school?</p>
<p>I would want to make sure that she is studying as part of a program that has supervision and someone to contact if and when she runs into trouble. Also, I would advise her to live a squeaky clean life–you do not want to get involved with the justice system far, far away. [See Italy murder case]</p>
<p>I would try to get a read on the sexual customs of the place you are planning to stay. Some things that may be perfectly acceptable to do in the US would be seen as an open invitation for sex in another culture. </p>
<p>Otherwise, I think it’s important for kids to get a feel for other cultures. Just so they remember to stay safe.</p>
<p>Don’t be worried. Spain is a fantastic country and your daughter will love it! I’m in high school and spent the summer studying at a Spanish university and it was the best experiences of my life. This is also one of the best times to study abroad for your daughter because she is in college and she does not need to take time off from work or spend loads on hotel rooms etc. Having knowledge of Spain and the Spanish language will make your daughter a more desired job applicant as well because she will be able to interact with everyone in the world who speaks Spanish.</p>
<p>I know you are scared for your daughters safety, especially with stories you hear in the news about Spain, but really, there is nothing to fear. As dmd77 said, study abroad programs really do go out of their way to make sure students can always access home if they need to and are safe. Spain itself is a really lovely country with so much history and culture. The people are welcoming as well. Some of my best friends are the Spanish students I met during my time abroad. In addition, your daughter will be traveling with friends from college so it’s not as though she will be alone.</p>
<p>Some tips and Questions:
-What type of accommodation does the program offer? Generally there are home-stays (I recommend) and dorm-type.
-Expand your cell phone service to include an international plan
-Have a credit card in your daughters name! If anything happens and your daughter needs doctor treatment (God forbid) the Spanish hospital will not admit her without a credit card.</p>
<p>Please be excited for your daughter! This is a great opportunity! Just think of it this way, your daughter may be on another continent, but she is only a phone call or an internet web-cam chat away. Most likely, when she returns and shows you all her photographs, you will wish you had gone :)</p>
<p>My younger daughter loves to travel- as did her grandmother.
I would love to travel as long as I didn’t have to fly on a plane and I could sleep in my own bed every night.
She has lived her entire life in Seattle , but for some reason when she traveled to Ghana as a high school student, and to India before college, she was often mistaken for Spanish. ( she is tall and blonde- but perhaps she has a Spanish lilt to her accent?)</p>
<p>Aside from the recent and ongoing case of the UW student in Italy- I would be very comfortable with my daughter going to Spain for study abroad ( Brazil would be another story)- in fact I would be thrilled- where * my daughter* is planning to go for study abroad is Egypt, which I am sure is a beautiful country, but my comfort level doesn’t like to stretch that far.</p>
<p>I think it’s marvelous that you see your own fear/insecurities and yet recognize it wouldn’t be good for you to pass them onto your daughter or let your feelings get in the way here. If only all parents could be so clear about the distinction between their own needs and those of their kids. Kudos to you.</p>
<p>This is definitely one of those experiences where, despite how you hard it is on you, it’s just all around great for your daughter. Far far more educational than any course could ever be. I honestly can’t imagine downsides for her, only upsides. </p>
<p>Maybe you could make a trip yourself to visit a bit when she’s away…I think it would really make you feel a lot better to see another continent yourself (the unknown is the scariest of all).</p>
<p>My D leaves Tuesday for SA in Madrid. It is her 2nd this school year, the other being in UK. When that finishes she has a 6 week internship there as well.</p>
<p>30+ years ago I went to Spain on a summer SA. It was indeed a life-changing experience for me. </p>
<p>Though you said you do not feel the need to leave the US, Spain in the summer, to visit your daughter, might be something really good for the both of you.</p>
<p>I am about 99% certain that H and I will retire to Spain.</p>
<p>My S2 just returned last night from a 5 month study aborad at the University of Maasstricht. What a fabulous, enriching experience. He seems so much more settled and mature and self-confident. He enjoyed his classes (they were actually quite rigorous in his program) and really enjoyed travelling all over Europe with a new and diverse group of friends literally from all over the world.</p>
<p>I missed him terribly.</p>
<p>but we blackberry messaged every day, and he often skyped with his brothers.</p>
<p>He is planning his next adventure abroad already.</p>