|
STUDENTS'
PERCEPTIONS LISTED BY COUNTRY ABOUT BEING SAFE & HEALTHY-TIPS:
Health, Personal Safety, Property, Other |
ARGENTINA |
|
HEALTH: • Wash
your food. • It is ok to drink the
water. Food is mostly Italian and Spanish
without
a lot of spice. • Be smart about where
you buy food. Vendors on the street are generally
not a good idea. •
Food and water in general safe to eat or
drink, but use common sense in determining
safety of these items. If you wouldn't eat
or drink it in the U.S., don't do it there.
PERSONAL
SAFETY: •At
night don’t take the bus, take a taxi.
Make sure you know where you are going. • Do
not travel in unsafe areas of Buenos Aires
alone (La Boca). • Pay attention when walking
or crossing the streets since drivers don't
watch for pedestrians. • I
made a good friend from school and as long as I
was with someone, I felt safe. • Never
go anywhere alone, even to the bathroom.
PROPERTY: • |
AUSTRALIA |
|
HEALTH: • Northeast
Australia is very hot in February, so drink lots
of water. • Buy air conditioner. Stay
out of the sun--UV rays more intense than in
NM.
PERSONAL
SAFETY: •
PROPERTY: • Lock
your doors, since some friends lost a lot of money
by leaving their doors open.
OTHER: • Stay
away from Nutella (a sweet spread for bread) if
you want to stay
thin. |
AUSTRIA |
|
HEALTH: •
PERSONAL
SAFETY: •• Vienna
seemed very safe and the police always patrolled
the parks and major underground stations.
PROPERTY: • |
BELIZE |
|
HEALTH: Third
world country, so use bottled water. • Take
Avon skin so soft oil for mosquitoes . Only thing
that works.
PERSONAL
SAFETY: •
Reckless driving behavior will freak you out.
PROPERTY: •
OTHER: • |
BOLIVIA |
|
HEALTH: • Don't
eat fruit from just any market or off all the
trees-it's a good way to get sick even if
it has a peel.
PERSONAL
SAFETY: • Try
to keep a rather low profile and do not ask
too many political question in the general
public.
Act like the student you are and you will be
ok.
PROPERTY: •
OTHER: • |
BRAZIL |
|
HEALTH: • Bottled
waters (always), wash all vegetables and
fruits good exercise 95% of Brazilians do
so. If buying a drink don’t let it
out of site. .• Wash your food.
PERSONAL
SAFETY: • Pay
attention to the advice given on site
during orientation, such as places to
stay away
from, how to handle food. • At
night don’t take the bus, take
a taxi. Make sure you know where you
are
going.
PROPERTY: • Do
not carry a purse, camera, or expensive items.
Invest in a disposable camera. • Don't
wear jewelry unless your are in a big group.
OTHER: • Rio
is a very sexually liberated country and
women have to be extra careful when going
out to
night clubs. |
CANADA |
|
HEALTH: • Maintain
weight and health by walking. Shops, restaurants,
clubs are close to UA campus.• Just because
it's legal to drink in Canada doesn't mean you
have to abuse it.• Tons of mosquitoes
in Rockies, so bring bug spray.
PERSONAL
SAFETY: • Edmonton
is safe, but still be smart and don't go into questionable
areas. • Edmonton is a big city so take big
city cautions. • Beware
of winter driving, since there are fatal car accidents
often.
PROPERTY: •
OTHER: • Don't
underestimate how cold it can get in summer in Edmonton,
since it gets rainy and cold. . |
CHILE |
|
HEALTH: • don't
drink water right away, but after a while it
is ok. Wash fruits (and your hands). • a
clean country in the cities, but it never hurts
to drink bottled water and not eat from street
vendors.
PERSONAL
SAFETY: • Always
felt safe traveling in country, but was always
aware of surroundings. • For
girls I would recommend using radio taxis which
you call and they come to pick you up at your
spot. • Street taxis should be used with
caution. Better to use radio taxis.
PROPERTY: •
OTHER:• Bring enough clothes
for the season. • Chile is fairly clean. • The
Chilean police are trustworthy, unlike in other
Latin countries. |
CHINA |
|
HEALTH: • If
you don't bring your own medications, there
are many different pharmacies and a variety
of drugs, it’s just a matter of knowing
the common chemical name. Also, as for
hospitals, always try to go to Westernized
hospitals!
Because local ones have a big difference
in environment.Try to avoid hospital visits.
Bring
aspirin and Pepto/Tums because they are
hard to get sometimes. • Chinese
medicine is nasty but effective. • Avoid
going outside in the wintertime. Wear a
mask in the evenings. • Avoid inhaling
cold, dusty air at night. • The pollution
was extreme as was the temperature. • Be
careful with SARS; occurred the first year
but no problem. • Don't drink the
water, and brush teeth with bottled water.
• Need to adjust to pollution and somewhat
dirty environment.
PERSONAL
SAFETY: •
Felt safe and healthy.
PROPERTY: •
OTHER: • Carry
toilet paper everywhere, often not provided. |
COSTA
RICA |
|
HEALTH:
Food: • Watch
for worms in lettuce and be advised that fruits and
vegetables no as sanitary as in the U.S. • Avoid
eating junk food such as chips, ice cream, etc. Eat
more of what the family provides. • Vegetables
and fruit were fine to eat. • Food poisoning
(seafood) occurred at a quality restaurant. • Try
to eat more fruit and vegetables to counteract the
rice and beans served. ••
Don't eat seafood unless prepared by host family.
Drink: • Drink
lots of water. • Don't
drink river water at any cost. • The
water is fine to drink. • Ease
into drinking non-bottled water, or don't drink
it at all. • Avoid ice in drinks.
Insects: • Lots
of
bug
spray.
Mosquitoes
weren't
a
problem
unless
you
camped
or
were
outside
at
night.
Repellant
worked
for
me.
Some
people
did
contact
Dengue
fever. • Be
aware
of
Lice
and
get
medicine
to
control
from
pharmacy.
Precautions: • I
always carried around anti-bacterial
soap, because some places don’t
have soap. • I
didn’t get shots but I should have. • Bring
everything preventative you can think
of, you don't get much there. • You
don't really need to take chloroquin. Take
cold medicine and antibiotics with you
when you go because during the rainy
season in CR you are almost guaranteed
to get sick because of the weather change. • If
you get sick easily, get a flu shot because
the cloud forest is cold and rainy. • Wash
hands frequently and wash all fruit. • Drink
bottled water when you can, and take
multivitamins. • Take
a good rain jacket and rain proof shoes
and take something to dry out your shoes
quickly. • Wear comfortable shoes.• Humidity
is high in Monteverde so keep hydrated. • ...
when hiking in the jungle wear pants
and spray your sheets with bug spray. • ...stay
out of the sun. • Keep dry so you
don’t get a cold.
Medical Services: • The
nearest doctor anywhere that will see
Americans is
in a private hospital in San Jose.
PERSONAL
SAFETY:
Consult Host Family: • Find
out from your host family the bad parts
of town and any thing else they think
you should know.
After Dark: •
Bring flashlight for walking at night
since there are no sidewalks or street
light in Monteverde. • Unsafe
to walk after dark alone in Heredia and
Flamingo, but reasonably safe in Monte
Verde. • don't
walk alone at night male or female. .• Watch
out if you’re walking at night.
A few of the kids in my group got mugged. • Safe
during the day in Heredia, take transportation
in the evenings for safety. • Late
at night, take a taxi. • The
sun sets around 6 pm, so a flashlight
is helpful since roads aren't all paved
and it is dark. • It's
probably not a good idea for women to
walk alone past 10:00 p.m.
Dress: • Don't
wear jewelry and dress modestly. • Be
careful in San Jose after 9 p.m. • Don’t
wear short tight clothes in the city.
Precautions: •
Never get into someone's car if you just
met them, and only share taxis with people
you know.• Don't
underestimate safety; • Be
careful taking money out of ATM with
other people around (risk of being robbed) • Stay
with friends or other students when walking
around,
especially in San Jose... • Don't
travel with girls only and have somebody
who can
communicate well in Spanish.• Watch
for mean dogs. • Carry a stick
to fend off mean dogs in Portero.• ...be
very careful crossing streets. • Pay
attention when walking in the streets.• Cars,
not pedestrians, have the right of way. • Watch
out for the drainage holes on the sidewalks
since you could break your leg-which
one student from another school did during
the 1st week.• Be
careful if you try surfing. Some friends
of mine got hurt.
PROPERTY: • Guys
need to keep rubber band around wallet
to ward off pickpockets (student knew
of 3
male friends
who were pick pocketed.)
MACHISMO: •The
men in Costa Rica see a female from the USA and
harass them while alone. They only made verbal
comments,
but that was easily ignored. Ignore them and
nothing will
happen. • ...be
prepared if you are a female to be harassed by
male Ticos! |
ECUADOR |
|
HEALTH: • Hand
sanitizer is a must when using public transportation. • Drink
bottled water. If you eat food in the street
be sure it was cooked around the time you
eat.
PERSONAL
SAFETY: • Drivers
are crazy and done watch out for pedestrians. • Don't
travel in the streets late in the night.
PROPERTY: • Watch
your things closely, especially on buses.• Be
careful with bags on buses-a few people had theirs
stolen. • Be careful on buses and take
money belt to avoid pick pockets.
OTHER: • Stay
away from the old town in Quito unless your
are with a group, and never go at night. |
FINLAND |
|
HEALTH: • If
you have spring allergies, bring your medicine. • Be
prepared for it to get really cold; buy shoes
with good gripping soles and learn how to ride
a bike on ice. • Keep your head covered
in winter and dress in layers. Keep your
shoes dry (or don't wear shoes that get
wet easily).
PERSONAL
SAFETY: ••
PROPERTY: •
OTHER: • |
FRANCE |
|
HEALTH: • Don't
sleep around and keep up your guard about
being asked to participate in questionable
activities.• Get
enough sleep, take warm clothes, try to
eat vegetables which are harder to come
by, and
don't drink too much alcohol just because
you can. • Be careful with certain
foods--they eat things we are not used
to. If it looks
undercooked, as for it to be cook more (measurements
such as medium rare are not same as in the
U.S.).
PERSONAL
SAFETY: • Always
try to walk with other students in Lyon and around
the school. • You
are going to a big city (Paris) so you must be smart
and be aware of everyone and everything, Walk and
talk with confidence. • Be prepared for strikes,
demonstrations, and street crime. • Don't
ride the Paris metro after midnight, ever.
PROPERTY: • Watch
out for thieves while in Paris. • Beware
of pickpockets.
OTHER: • Bring
a doctor's note stating that you are healthy
and able to participate in physical activities. • Females
should not walk alone at night. • Boys are
pushy in Europe; if they seem creepy, don't make
eye contact
and keep walking.•• Drink lots of water because
you walk a lot. |
GERMANY |
|
HEALTH: • Buy
all medicine in the U.S. and bring it since
it is more expensive there; also medicines
sold over the counter in the US, such ad Advil,
must be bought at the pharmacy in consultation
with pharmacist. Pharmacy hours are limited
and U.S. brands not sold in Germany. Buy glasses
there, bring contact solution from the U.S. • Healthcare
system is excellent.
PERSONAL
SAFETY: • Watch
out for crazy drivers.
PROPERTY: •
OTHER: • German
insurance is very good and covers all accidents. • Safety
will only be an issue when dealing with individuals
from countries where there is great political instability
and a built in distrust of the U.S.--try to avoid
political discussions. |
GHANA |
|
HEALTH: •
PERSONAL
SAFETY: • Might
be important not to travel in large groups
with other whites since you stand out and
might be targeted by muggers.
PROPERTY: •
OTHER: • People
are friendly and flattering, but be guarded around
the men who try to befriend females because they
think American women are easy. |
GUATEMALA |
|
HEALTH: • Take
medications from here for stomach problems. • Bring
an antibiotic such as Cipro since everybody
tends to get sick. Daily multiple vitamins
may be a good idea to take. • Take
the warnings on food and travel seriously. • Don't
eat uncooked food off the street. Peeled
fruit, papayas, and cooked chicken are ok,
but don't
eat pork. • Don't eat lettuce. Look
for Salvador spring water. • Acclimate
yourself to the water. • Don’t
eat off of street stands, unpopular restaurants
or fruits, veggies, meat that is not properly
cleaned. • Ask for small servings of
beans until your body can adjust. • Eat
as often as possible with the family. They
will keep you healthy and safe. • Drink
bottled water. • Don't drink the water
which has Giardia. • Bring
bug spray.
PERSONAL
SAFETY: • Students
just really have to follow rules about going out at
night. • Don't travel after dark and try to always
travel in groups. • Don’t go to the beach
at night. • ... travel in groups with distinguished
agencies when traveling through the country. • Females
should never walk alone after 10 p.m. • ...
this country is unstable and can be unhealthy but precautions
can avoid most if not all these situations. There are
violent areas throughout Guatemala. • Keep
a low profile and do not provoke the police.
PROPERTY: •
OTHER: • Take
TP with you everywhere since some places don't
have any. |
ITALY |
|
HEALTH: • CIMBA
program had plenty of help at front desk and
the nurse is really nice .• Northern
Italy climate is quite different (colder) so
expect to get a cold.
PERSONAL
SAFETY:.
PROPERTY: •
OTHER: • |
JAPAN |
|
HEALTH: • If
you have health problems have instructions
for your care translated into Japanese
for quick reference. Also know where clinics
or hospitals are well enough to need no
assistance
finding them. • Be
prepared to lose weight since Japanese
food is healthier and you will have increased
physical activity.
PERSONAL
SAFETY:
After Dark: • Be aware of time since
subways close at 11 or 12 pm.
Precautions: •
Be
careful when riding a bike, since you need to
concentrate on the road and others
(use their street mirrors). • Know
where "Police Boxes" are
in Tokyo in case you need assistance. I was told
by
natives that Japanese
do not like confrontation and thus will not interfere
in a situation jeopardizing your safety (such
as attempted assault on street reported
by this student).
PROPERTY: •
OTHER: • Watch
out for bad Korean food restaurants. (Nagoya) • Japan
is a safe and hygienic country. • Safer than
most places in the world. |
| KOREA |
|
HEALTH: • Just
maintain a good diet. •
Eat Korean food--good for you.
PERSONAL
SAFETY:.•
Korea is a very safe country. • People very
honest.
PROPERTY: •
OTHER: • |
MALTA |
|
HEALTH: • Make
sure to have all immunizations and test done
in advance since they won't administer x rays
and TB tests there. Medical services are fairly
efficient and free. • Doctors are only
available a few hours during the day.
PERSONAL
SAFETY: • No
laws govern public drinking, which is bad. Some international
students were in serious accidents with local drunk
drivers and had serious injuries and had to be evacuated
home. Driver was not arrested.
PROPERTY: •
OTHER: • |
MEXICO |
|
HEALTH:
Food: •
Vegetarian restaurant does not mean safe-got
parasite from eating. • Only
eat at street vendors where you see a local
crowd gathered-but don't write off eating
off the street altogether. • Easy
on the beans! My family had a tendency
to leave food out of the fridge for long
periods of time—make sure you don’t
eat rice or meat that has been out for
very long.• Eat where the people
eat, the dead places are dead for a reason. • If
you are going to eat things from street
vendors, be aware that even natives get
sick sometimes, so be careful. • Don’t
eat food at restaurants or on the street
but only if anyone recommends it. • Be
careful what you eat. Poco cerveza y poco
comida picante (Zacatecas). • Snow
cones may be made with dirty water, and
cheese left out overnight may not be safe
to eat.
Water: • Don't
drink water or juices from the tap or off
the market or street vendors. (Mazatlan) • Brush
your teeth with bottled water.
Insects: • Take
mosquito repellant, you'll need it.
Precautions: • Maybe
take vitamins to keep your immune system
up. • You might
want to take diarrhea medicine (Imodium). • Just
don't gorge yourself on the first day.
Let your system adjust to the food. • Start
off with milder foods and work your stomach
up to being able to handle the spice. Many
students, including myself, didn't follow
this advice and we were still fine. (Cuernavaca). • Take
a 45 spf sun block or higher to avoid horrible
sunburns. Students from other schools got
bad sunburns.
• Take warm clothes
to Zacatecas since it is colder. • High
elevation in Zacatecas (8,000 feet)
can be difficult to adjust to.
PERSONAL
SAFETY:
Dress: • Don't
show much skin (girls). •...
inquire what dress is appropriate for excursions.
Bus Travel: • Do
not fall asleep on any bus at night, or at
least make sure your trip is direct.
After Dark: • Walk
with someone else past 12 midnight and be careful
in the ocean. • If
you are planning to come back home late (after
9/9:30) don't rely on the buses. They stop
after 9 or 10. (Monterrey)
Precautions: • Stay
away from the underdeveloped areas.• Be
aware of your surroundings and talk to people
before going someplace or eating somewhere.• Many
taxis aren't safe in Mexico City. • Be
careful crossing the street. • The
traffic and drivers in the country can be unsafe,
so take precautions when walking. • Pedestrians
do not have the right away. • Don't
drink in public or the police will arrest you. • Girls
should not take taxis alone, but buses [routas]
are ok. • Remember
to walk in groups of two or more for personal
safety. Women especially only for avoiding
an uncomfortable situation. • Carry
emergency money in case you have to pay your
way (police)out of a situation.
PROPERTY:
• Always
watch your wallet/purse on the buses and subways
very closely. • Be
careful with banks since the teller who handled
my credit card stole my credit card number. • Be
careful with your money and be firm in negotiating
prices. •
Don't carry big purses.
MACHISMO:
• The
biggest problem I had was being blonde – after
I dyed my hair the men left me alone! They are
very rude, even if you dress very modestly. |
NETHERLANDS |
|
HEALTH: • To
see a doctor, must make an appointment
with a local doctor you call.
PERSONAL
SAFETY: •
PROPERTY: •
OTHER: • Junkies
are around but are not aggressive. • Dress
warm and wear clothes that will keep you dry. • It
is safe even for young women traveling around. |
NEW
ZEALAND |
|
HEALTH:
PERSONAL
SAFETY: •
PROPERTY: • NZ
has high incident of theft in tourist areas.
OTHER: • |
PANAMA |
|
HEALTH:
PERSONAL
SAFETY: ••
PROPERTY: • Keep
wallet safe especially on crowded bus.
OTHER: |
PERU |
|
•HEALTH: • Get
shots. • If traveling to the Amazon,
take malaria pills and have your shots
up to date. • Food
poisoning is a real possibility for Americans,
so be careful. • Don't drink the
water. Don't eat food served on the streets.
• Carrying an antibiotic may be helpful
PERSONAL
SAFETY: • Never
travel alone at night. Make sure your taxi
is legitimate. •
Don't take unsafe buses.
PROPERTY: • Always
protect your belongings. Put two key chains on your
backpack zipper. • Lots of petty theft since
an impoverished country. •
Watch for pick pockets.
OTHER: • |
RUSSIA |
|
HEALTH:
PERSONAL
SAFETY: •
PROPERTY:
OTHER: • Russians
seem a bit bolder in ge |
