Although many University of Wisconsin students studying abroad have received harassment because of their citizenship, some say they have experienced periods of discomfort in their host countries specifically due to tension between the United States and Iraq.

UW junior Andy Fein is currently studying in London and witnessed antiwar protests first-hand earlier this month. Fein lives on Gower Street — one of the main avenues the protests Feb. 15.

Gower related what he saw from his perspective as a Madison student.

“The street was packed, as far down as you looked — people covered every inch. Think of State Street on Halloween on steroids,” Fein said of one such protest.

UW senior Lindsey Jeannides, who studied in London last semester, said she was surprised so many Londoners turned out to protest.

“[The British] don’t demonstrate as the people in Madison do. I was stunned when so many showed up at the protest,” Jeannides said.

Katie Casey, a junior at UW who returned from a semester in London in December, said some in the United Kingdom still hold bad memories from the second World War.

“They keep looking back on World War II, and they just do not want to get dragged into any kind of war,” Casey said.

Ryan Osterholm, a UW senior, just returned from studying in Sydney.

Osterholm said he noted a change in the Australian attitude after the October bombing in Bali, Indonesia, in which many Australians were killed.

“Most people were against Bush’s position, but on the whole, most Australian’s viewed the conflict as ‘not their problem,'” Osterholm said. “I did see a change after the Bali bombing. They were able to see what the Americans went through on Sept. 11.”

Fein said provocative picket signs were a main feature of the Feb. 15 protests in London. “There were some funny and interesting slogans about anti-U.S. sentiment, but for the most part it was anti-war and anti-Bush, not anti-America,” Fein said.

McCormick said that in Dublin many protestors missed the scope of the issue.

“For some people here, they really do have a problem with the administration, but for some people it’s just an excuse to hate on the United States.”

However, McCormick said that the Irish appeared to embrace American culture.

“The Irish don’t have a problem with the American culture; “The Simpsons” airs around eight times a day.”

Osterholm also said he could feel a general dissatisfaction with Bush’s policy from the Australians. “I’d say there is definitely anti-American sentiment in Australia, but not so much on an individual level,” Osterholm said.

Osterholm did encounter many stereotypes that Australians held about Americans.

“I heard the term ‘wild wild west’ a lot. The Australians think Americans are gun-slinging, going for whatever we don’t like,” Osterholm said.

Jeannides said she thought the British were “less politically aware” than Americans.

Both Jeannides and McCormick found a great fear and respect for U.S. military power.

“You don’t even know how powerful people in other countries think the U.S. is until you’re in another country and they expect you to represent and defend what your country is doing,” McCormick said.

“In the small towns, where Americans are less common, the people marvel at how big and powerful your country is. They wonder how you handle it,” Jeannides said.