The war in Iraq has been largely met with negative sentiment around the world.
Though the American government and leadership remain unpopular, Americans themselves have reported few problems.
More than 140 Ball State students are currently attending school overseas, most of them concentrated in either London or Australia. But even though those countries remain relatively friendly, Center for International Programs officials advise students to keep a low profile.
CIP director Jim Coffin has told students to avoid wearing anything overtly American, such as university sweatshirts. But most people believe they stick out anyway.
"They have told us things such as, 'Don't look American, don't travel in large groups,'" said sophomore Michael Getty in an e-mail from the London Centre. "Basically, make yourself as inconspicuous as possible and hope that no one realizes that you are an American. This is ridiculous. Everyone that sees us most likely thinks that we are Americans by our looks. They certainly do when we open our mouths."
"They-átold us not to be 'blatantly American,' which is a little silly," said Jacob Moore, who is studying Down Under. "Aussies can identify us by our accents in like three seconds. Most of the advice is sound but more applicable in a non-Western country."
The CIP is currently taking heed of State Department but has, of yet, made no changes to any programs because of the war.
Students report they have few worries and say they've been treated well by their international hosts.
"They (the British) are fascinated to hear whatever we have to say," sophomore Sarah Blankenship said in an e-mail from London. "I don't think they dislike us because of the war. They understand that we aren't the ones making the decisions."
But there have been a few signs of hostility.
One night we were at a club and the tickets were sold out, but there was a guy who said he would sell us some," Blankenship said. "We told him we didn't want them, and he said, 'I hope your f***ing country gets bombed.'"
"I have had some people say things like, 'I can't wait till your country gets bombed,'" Getty said. "Most of the people that do this though are poor, drunk people on the streets. I have not had any negative run-ins with people that are violent or aggressive."
Though Britain and Australia do support the U.S. war effort, patriotism in those countries has been subtle. The war was greeted with mass protests on the streets of London and Sydney.
"The Aussies were like 80-20 against military action, but once it started it immediately went to 50-50," Moore said. "They're as fickle as we are, and the vast majority of that 80 percent wasn't incensed or particularly passionate about it."
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