Reflections From Students Studying Abroad on April 16

Perspective comes from many angles.

Isaac Barnes was studying in Rabat, Morocco when he learned of the school shootings last April. As a Virginia Tech student studying abroad, Barnes’ world immediately stopped as thoughts of classmates and friends rushed through his head.

“Initially I saw that it had taken place in Norris Hall, and I kind of relaxed a bit because I thought that was mostly an engineer building,” said Barnes, an international studies major. “Then on Tuesday morning, I saw that Madame Couture-Nowak was one of the people who didn’t make it out, and suddenly being so far away was difficult.”

Just the semester before, Barnes had studied intermediate French under Couture-Nowak, a Virginia Tech French professor.

“It is crazy to think if I hadn’t been studying abroad then I might have been there because I always try to take the earlier classes,” he said.

However, according to Barnes, finding out that he knew several people who were victims was not the only serious event he had to deal with. On Tuesday morning, April 17, there had been a suicide bombing in Rabat.

As his study abroad group discussed whether to stay in Morocco, Barnes was forced to deal with two traumatic simultaneous events.

Barnes’ experience is one of the many untold stories of students who were in a foreign country on April 16; a condition which instantly changes the depth and perspective of the school shootings.

Similar to the multiple experiences that students on campus had, each study abroad student had a different mentality about the events, trying to come to terms with it while being thousands of miles away.

The immediate responses from the students included a reluctant feeling of being fortunate while stunned, shocked and confused at the same time.

Matt Sparacio, a history major, was studying in Riva, Switzerland when he first got word of what had happened.

After getting the initial reports, Sparacio began talking to friends on instant message and using streaming news sites such as CNN to keep informed.

“As well connected as we were there, it was still a strange feeling,” said Sparacio. “It was about 9 p.m. [in Riva] before I was able to get my head wrapped around what had happened.”

In Bloemfontein, South Africa, Christopher Whitney’s first reaction to the shootings was one of fortunateness.

“I was thankful not to have to go through it directly, so I could focus on the work that I had to do,” said Whitney, a crop and soil environmental sciences major.

However, he said that this feeling did not completely detract him from the entire situation.

“I was glued to the Internet for new information about what exactly had happened on campus,” said Whitney. “Initially it was hard to focus on school work, and I felt very detached from Blacksburg, like I should be there.”

Also studying in Bloemfontein, South Africa, Rohit Manaktala, a biology major, expressed similar feelings.

“I was very glad not to be there. My family was very glad I was not there,” said Manaktala.

Manaktala had a worldview perception upon hearing about Virginia Tech, saying that “there is huge societal pressure in America,” which he believed might have been a factor behind the shootings.

After the shootings, the Blacksburg community created a bond of support while trying to come to terms with what had happened. Similarly, each of the study abroad students found support in the countries they were in.

“Everyone was extremely supportive all around the world. They provided consulting if needed and held services for our students,” said Jeremy Billetdeaux, the senior program coordinator of education abroad.

“Everyone was really nice and encouraging and provided more time with assignments if I needed it,” said Barnes.

In Bloemfontein, according to both Manaktala and Whitney, they watched the convocation ceremony at a friend’s hostel on April 17 and heard a men’s choir while at a service at a private Catholic school, on April 18.

“There was thought, sincerity and empathy towards complete strangers,” said Manaktala.

The initial reaction was only part of the study abroad students’ experience of April 16. The decision whether to stop their study abroad trips and come home was a major choice to make as well.

“Initially there was knee jerk reaction to come back and be a part of the collective experience here,” said Billetdeaux.

Nearly half of the Tech students in Riva decided to changed their itinerary and come home as soon as possible according to Sparacio.

“British Airways made a significant effort to be accommodating,” said Sparacio.

Sparacio, Barnes, Whitney, and Manaktala decided, individually, not to change their itinerary and fly home earlier.

However each felt the one year anniversary would be their “official” time to reflect on the events.

“Coming back to Blacksburg last August, there was a sense of having missed out on some corporate bonding experience,” said Barnes. “That’s why I think the anniversary [is] especially important for those of us who were not here.”