
After graduating from college, my best friend and I ventured to Europe for a few weeks to celebrate our accomplishments and to have some fun before coming home to enter the "real" working world. Of course, our parents expressed their concerns before our trip: their daughters, by themselves, across the Atlantic on a different continent? Which parent wouldn't worry?
That trip was an eye-opening, memorable experience which changed my perspective of people and places. However, I would not have felt free to observe, enjoy and learn from my surroundings had I been constantly worried about our safety and well-being in a foreign country. The freedom to travel and experience the world is a result of security measures that contribute to a secure and safe environment.