Many Americans ran the gamut of emotions on Sept. 11, 2001. They were horrified by news of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, outraged by their senselessness, saddened by the massive loss of life and anxious for news from friends and relatives in New York and Washington, D.C. Some shuddered to imagine that agony thousands of miles from home, unable to contact family and barely comprehending news about the day's events.
Erin Simandl, a University of Iowa junior, was studying in Madrid at the time. She and her roommate returned home from class to find their neighbor \screaming in Spanish about a plane crash and terrorists."" Because she was not yet fluent in Spanish, Simandl could hardly understand the news on TV.
Joe Cesnik, a UW-Madison senior who spent last fall in London, reflected on the surrealism of a trip to the British National Gallery when the news arrived.
""We toughed it out. It was a weird experience, trying to appreciate art while this was going on,"" Cesnik said.
The distance seemed even greater when students received misinformation about the day's events and were unable to call home for accurate news and the comfort of their families. Cesnik remembers panicking upon initially hearing false news.
""I think at first they said [terrorists] blew up the White House'a lot of misinformation. I have a sister who works on Capitol Mall, so it kind of scared me a lot,"" he said.
Worse, Cesnik was unable to call his sister to make sure she was safe, an experience shared by many students in Europe at the time.
Stefanie Carton, a junior at St. Louis University, was also in Madrid that day and recalled trying to call home. ""All the circuits were busy ... it took a couple of hours,"" she said.
Although students living abroad could not experience America's grieving process and subsequent recovery from the attacks firsthand, they were impressed by shows of support within their host countries.
Some remembered natives approaching them on the street to express their sympathy, while Cesnik witnessed a changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace during which, for the first time in history, the American national anthem was played.
This support was a major factor in students' decisions to stay in their host countries after Sept. 11 and in their willingness to travel abroad in the aftermath.
Although some refrained from flying within Europe for several months after the incident, most reported their stay was not greatly affected.
""I figured it wasn't going to stop me,"" Cesnik said.
According to Joan Raducha, UW-Madison Director of International Academic Programs, this attitude was typical among UW-Madison's international students last year.
""We did not have students returning home in the aftermath,"" she said.
Instead, the attacks seemed to have a positive impact on the university's programs.
""Student interest in learning about other parts of the world has maintained, if not increased,"" she said.
An online study conducted by the Institute of International Education last month cited similarly optimistic results on a national level. According to the survey, 98 percent of more than 500 international education professionals who are members of the organization feel that international education initiatives are seen as more important or equally important at their schools since Sept. 11.
