Louisa Wang might finally get to study abroad in China.
Wang was unable to study in China during the 2002-2003 academic
year through the Education Abroad Program (EAP) because it had to
close its programs there in response to a worldwide health
epidemic.
This forced Wang to come up with an alternative to her
already-planned trip.
“I ended up going to China by myself last year (instead),
but I would still like to experience it through the EAP,”
said Wang, a second-year international economics student.
Wang was already enrolled in the program and ready to travel in
the spring when she received notice that the program had been
canceled.
EAP had to close its programs to China and Taiwan during the
last academic year due to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS),
which killed 7,083 people in China. SARS is a virus that spreads by
person-to-person contact and causes flu-like symptoms, potentially
followed by pneumonia.
EAP’s cancellation forced many students to change their
travel plans, and University of California students who were in
China at the time were sent home.
“I already applied to the program, and I was in. I even
bought my plane tickets when they finally sent us an e-mail saying
that the trip was canceled,” Wang said.
The cancellation e-mail came on the heels of many other notices
sent to students on the China EAP mailing list, all of them stating
that EAP was monitoring conditions in China and the program would
not be canceled, she said.
Once the cancellation e-mail did come, Wang said she and a few
other students in the program wanted to send a letter to EAP
stating their case for still going to China.
“I was really disappointed. Other students who
couldn’t take the program were just as upset, since they
already turned down other summer opportunities and summer jobs. But
we ended up not sending the letter,” Wang said.
Now that SARS is no longer deemed a threat by world health
organizations, EAP is offering its China and Taiwan programs again,
and many students are taking this opportunity to plan a trip to
study in Beijing or Shanghai.
Shanjean Lee, a second-year microbiology student, wants to go to
Beijing during her third year in order to reconnect with her
heritage.
“I was born in Taiwan, but my family is Chinese, so I do
speak it a little. I visited China last winter, but I want to go
there again to brush up on my language, so that I can speak more
freely with all my relatives,” Lee said.
Amanda Chen, a first-year mathematics and applied sciences
student, is considering studying in China during her second year to
prepare for her future career.
“I think I might want to go into business or international
law, and I would like to study the Chinese economy first-hand,
since it’s a very important place in today’s
world,” Chen said.
However, even though SARS is not a threat right now, it might
not be completely off the world’s radar either. The Center
for Disease Control stated on its Web site that SARS could be a
seasonal disease that reemerges at a later date.
Wang, like many others, is not deterred by the possibility of
SARS reappearing and is ready to go to China this spring to make up
for the missed opportunity last year.
“I did hear that SARS might be a seasonal thing and it
will come again this year, but I don’t think it’s
true,” she said.
In fact, for most students, the primary concern about studying
in China is the choice of classes they are going to have, rather
than the health dangers they might face.
Terry Dip, a first-year comparative literature student who is
considering studying in China, said the only reason for him to not
go would be a reoccurrence of SARS on the same scale as last
year.
“If people are running around with face masks, then I
won’t go. Otherwise, I’m not that worried,” he
said.