Wherever you study abroad, it is helpful to understand the local attitudes, norms, history, and customs of your host country, including as it relates to the racial or ethnic identity that you hold. We also encourage you to consider the expectations and cultural assumptions that you may hold related to your own identity and the ethnic and racial identities of the people in your host country. Any preparation you can do ahead of time can help unpack expectations that will then allow for a more open-ended experience while overseas. Questions that can be helpful in doing your research:

• What is the racial and ethnic makeup of my prospective host country? How might this feel similar and different to what I already am familiar with?
• What historical connection does my own racial and/or ethnic community have within the host community? How might this feel similar and different to what I already am familiar with?
• If you are seeking to spend time in a country in which you have cultural heritage, as many students do, how might that help and hinder opportunities for connection locally? This website has some helpful considerations.

The OIE and your host university and/or program provider can help you learn more about these facets of your host country, as can readings about the the history and culture of the place where you hope to spend your time abroad.

Specifically for students who identify as BIPOC, we also recommend a few additional resources:

• Diversity Abroad is a leading organization in international education and has a Guide for Minority & Students of Color Abroad.
• There are many scholarships specifically to encourage participation of BIPOC students in study abroad. More information is on our Study Abroad Finances website.
• UVM's Mosaic Center for Students of Color (MCSC) is an excellent support resource at UVM 

Your religious and spiritual identity can have a role in your study abroad experience, as can the role of religion and spirituality in your study abroad destination.

Your own identity may shape some of your needs while overseas, such as access to places of worship, academic accommodations you may hope to request from your academic institution abroad, and availability of foods that are appropriate for your religious needs. We encourage you to consider how your own religion and spirituality affects your life and patterns of behavior in Vermont to then reflect on what needs you may have abroad. It may be possible for there to be accommodations for your religious and spritual needs abroad, but these are not guaranteed to be considered for accommodations in the same way they are in Vermont. 

The religious landscape of your host destination can also have an impact on your experience. For example, in many countries outside of the US, stores are largely closed on Sunday, linked to a Christian calendar. Periods of school holiday and class schedules may be interwoven with religious holidays, and the like. Your host destination may also have different attitudes around religion and religious practices from what you are familiar with that can be connected with their own history with a group. These things can be true whether you personally identify as religious/spritual or not. 

Cultural norms around gender and gender roles can vary greatly around the world, and depending on your own cultural context and gender identity, some parts of the world may resonate better with your lived experience than others. For example, gender roles may feel more traditional in your host country than they do in Vermont (or they may feel far more progressive). Some students may spend a semester in a location where what would be considered sexual harrassment in the US is more widely tolerated, and others might find themselves in places where any interaction across perceived gender lines is quite limited. A few questions that might help your thinking:

• What are my host country's perceptions and expectations of men, women, and transgender and nonbinary people? Are there rules or laws relating to gender?
• What are my host country's stereotypes about Americans of my gender?
• Does my host country have specific expectations about how different genders dress or present themselves?
• What are my personal values and how to they compare with my host country's values surrounding gender?
• Does my host university have specific rules regarding gender (ex: rules about guests of different genders in housing, curfews based on gender identity, etc.)? Am I comfortable living with those rules?
• Will I need access to any medications, supplies, or services due to my transgender status?  What might availability of those look like in my host country?
• How will all of this affect me, including my physical and mental well-being?

While the answers to these questions might influence where you decide to study abroad, we hope that they also serve to prepare you for differences you might see abroad so that in moments of dissonance, you can engage safetly in ways that facilitate learning and connection. 

As you consider studying abroad, your sexual identity may be a salient consideration in where you decide to go and how you decide to show up in that place. It is highly likely that no matter where you go abroad, you will encounter ideologies around sexual identity that differ from those that you are familiar with at home. All of this can impact student experiences, as can availability of resources and local laws. We strongly encourage students to research and inform themselves about attitudes, customs, and laws of their host country. This can be through LGBTQA travel guides, talking with others who have spent time abroad, and even looking at news about possible destinations paired with key workds. Some possible questions that might be helpful to consider as you consider studying abroad more generally may include: 

• How open will I be about my sexual orientation and gender identity or my identity as an LGBT ally with my teachers, peers, friends, host family and others?
• How important is it to me to find others who share my identity while abroad?  
• What are my safety needs and perceptions, and how can they best be met?

As you consider these, we encourage you to spend time exploring the context, customs, and attitudes of your host destination. Some questions to consider include:

• What are the cultural and local attitudes towards non-heterosexual ideantites in my host destination?
• What laws may exist that could impact my experience related to my sexual identity? 
• What resources are available in my host country for my sexual identity?

Exploring these questions with your support network at UVM and beyond can help set realistic expectations for a study abroad experience so that you can meet your goals within the contextual reality of your destination.