In the midst of bombings on March 22 in Brussels, Belgium, two students traveling through University of Oregon programs were reported safe.
The attacks at a metro station and the airport left at least 30 dead and more than 200 injured, according to CNN.
One of the students is studying abroad in London, but was traveling through Brussels at the time of the attacks, Chakris Kussalanant, director of marketing and communications for the Office of International Affairs said. This student is not a UO student, but from a partner university studying through a program offered by the UO.
The other student studying in Brussels is Jennifer Eyler, a junior majoring in international studies. She lives south of downtown Brussels, so she wasn’t near the attacks, but felt their effect at the time and during the aftermath.
Eyler is attending Vrije Universiteit Brussel and said that on the day of the attacks, a bomb squad was sent to the area of her school after a suspicious package was reported. Her classes were cancelled for the rest of the week, but her program is running as normal, Eyler said in a message to the Emerald.
Eyler said security was still high throughout the city, and that the day after the attacks you couldn’t enter a metro station without a police search.
“When talking with other students in my program, we all noticed in the following days that when we were on public transportation, there was complete silence,” Eyler said. “Hardly anyone was talking and it didn’t sound like the average metro or bus ride.”
The day after the attacks, Eyler went downtown to Place de la Bourse where a memorial is set up to honor the victims.
“Many people were gathered to pay their respects to the victims and some were singing or would give a little speech,” Eyler said. “It was truly beautiful because you saw everyone from this diverse city come together.”
Kussalanant said that they have “no other concerns” for the students traveling abroad. The UO sent out an email to students traveling abroad encouraging them to inform loved ones of their safety and providing safety tips.
“Our safety is their main priority so they’ve kept us updated on everything that’s happening,” Eyler said about her program.
Eyler maintained she isn’t in fear for her safety going forward.
“I don’t feel scared or unsafe because things like this can happen anywhere in the world,” Eyler said. “It’s scary to think how close I was to it all but it doesn’t change my perception of Brussels whatsoever.”