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In fall 2021, most of SLU’s study abroad programs officially reopened after travel was suspended for several semesters due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the previous semester, in spring 2021, around 45 students were able to study at SLU Madrid with restricted access to travel after a full year of suspended study abroad programs.
Margaret Kessler is a Study Abroad Advisor at SLU who works primarily with students interested in non-Madrid programs, as well as faculty and staff looking to lead short-term programs. She shared that of the more than 40 overseas programs offered by SLU, only two are still on hold this semester: Australia and Vietnam.
“Each program is a little different,” Kessler said. “Australian borders are closed, so students would not be allowed to enter Australia. There are also programs we work with where the host institution no longer supports students. “
One of those institutions is Loyola University Chicago, which has suspended its program in Vietnam for the spring semester of 2022 due to the pandemic. While these programs remain temporarily on hold, many more are increasingly relaxed on COVID-19 restrictions.
Mia McGrath is a junior who is currently studying on the SLU Madrid campus, which she has been hoping to do since her college debut. While she originally wanted to go in the spring of 2021, she is grateful that she waited an extra semester for the city to open up more.
“When I decided to go, I thought that even though COVID is still bad, I will either be locked out in Missouri or Madrid, and I have done this once in Missouri, so many go there, ”McGrath said. “I set my expectations very low because I thought I might not be able to travel at all.”
So far, however, McGrath has been able to travel every weekend she was there, which she attributes to her vaccination.
“It’s weird because other than the masks it looks pretty much normal,” McGrath said. “When we went to Portugal you must have tested negative for COVID-19, but for most countries you just have to show your vaccination record.”
According to Kessler, SLU has an international travel advisory committee, which has been in place since before the coronavirus pandemic, to assess proposals made by students or faculty wishing to travel to countries that the US State Department ( DOS) or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is considered a restricted area. The committee is made up of members from across the University, including the faculty of the dean of the student office, members of the public health sector on the medical campus, the general counsel and risk management.
“Before COVID-19, it was mostly about safety and security,” Kessler said. “So if there was a crime or an epidemic in this country.”
While travel is still not guaranteed due to the ever-changing nature of COVID-19, travel restrictions in Europe have eased significantly since the spring semester of 2021, which McGrath hopes to take advantage of.
Currently, she is looking forward to weekend trips to Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Paris and London. During the week, McGrath looks forward to hearing about other students’ travels during his Latin Rhythms class.
“You dance with all the guys and you spin the partners,” McGrath said. “So in Tuesday’s class you say to yourself, ‘How was your trip last weekend? Where did you go?’ McGrath said. “And in Thursday’s class, you’re like ‘So where are you going this weekend?'”
While McGrath enjoys the aspect of being able to travel relatively freely around Europe, she is also grateful that she took the time to practice her Spanish and learn more about the culture of Madrid.
“It totally changes your perspective on everything, just being around people from different cultures every day,” McGrath said. “I think it’s like the coolest part so far is constantly reminding yourself that the world is bigger than you and there is so much to learn from everyone.”
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