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| Patriotic while studying overseas,
staying safe |
Jana Nordstand
Contributing Reporter
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After 9-11, I thought
I would never be able to study overseas. Although I wasn’t
afraid something would happen while I was flying, my parents were
worried about the state of the United States after retaliation.
After a year passed it seemed things had subsided to some degree,
and here I am in England studying on exchange at Keele University.
Ironically, war didn’t break out while I was being cautious
in America, it has broken out while I am here.
Be that as it may, if I could be in any country other than my own,
England is the next safest place. However, right now I only hear
of the war England is fighting, not America.
The day war was declared I watched Tony Blair address the country,
assuring the people this would be a quick and hard fight and that
England would be by America’s side until the bitter end. My
greatest frustration with the sentiment is that the majority of
the people don’t support Tony Blair and don’t seem to
respect his position as Prime Minister.
How can you send soldiers into battle in a nation that won’t
unite under the decision of their leader?
Without a television in my dorm room I rarely watch the news, and
when I do, I can only imagine the incessant hum of the televisions
that must stay on in America echoing the news, much like 9-11. However,
March 24, 2003, I caught a bit of “Kilroy,” a popular
English morning talk show. The guests were those who had members
of their family fighting in the war. One English soldier said to
his wife, “I wish for the people of England and the United
States to support us, because they have the right to and the Iraqis
don’t,” and, “evil succeeds when good men fail to
act.”
Interesting points given that the same evening a talk entitled “Iraq
War Talk,” was held in Keele University’s Westminster
Theatre in an attempt to discuss and educate the university students
on the war.
Danielle D. Prejean, an exchange student from the University of
Southern Mississippi said, “Each professor that talked was
very anti-American, saying that America was responsible for the
war and they were just going to drag England down with them. ”
Anti-war sentiment is thick in the air and rampant in the voices
of many students. This is a war that many English people are passionately
against.
“One professor at the talk asked, ‘Who is America to decide
what evil is?’” said Prejean.
Junior Nadine Berry said on Thursday, March 27, “ I am against
this war, it has nothing to do with us, America sneezes and England
catches a cold.” However, much of the anti-war sentiment is
directed at George W. Bush, not at Americans in general.
The Stop the War Coalition reported that half a million protestors
were in attendance at one of the largest anti-war demonstrations
in history held in London on Feb. 15. Amongst them were students
from Keele University who arrived on buses arranged by the university.
Saturday, I leave to backpack around Europe for a month. I am not
worried, but I have been advised to take precautions. Study abroad
students all over the United Kingdom and Europe have been advised
to avoid demonstrations, street corner debates in relation to the
United States and to avoid wearing clothes that identify us as being
American.
According to CNN.com American universities have been advising study
abroad students to tell people they are Canadian if asked.
The day the war broke out I was speaking to a friend and telling
him of these precautions. Instead of being concerned with my safety,
he accused me of being unpatriotic. I never thought I would get
so defensive over such a comment, but in this time of war or in
time of peace, I will be proud to be an American whether I am in
England or America and unlike many people in England, at least I
know all the words to my national anthem. |
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