Studying abroad is risky. You're placed thousands of miles away from home, in a culture that's foreign and obscure. You often have to learn the language before you can do basic errands and get from place to place easily.

People try to steal from you and take advantage of your naïvety just about everywhere you go. It's difficult to know who you can trust. The situation that's unfolded in Perugia these past few weeks is a scary reminder of how dangerous being in another country can be.

After I lived in Perugia for 10 months, it's hard to say there were no indications that something like this was bound to happen.

Because of the vast student population, and the fact that drinking and merrymaking are allowed outdoors at all hours of the day and night, there is ample opportunity for drug dealers to sell their "wares."

Many dealers are illegal immigrants from North African and Near Eastern countries who come not to seek opportunity and security, but easy money and sensory delights.

While I was there, two of my friends were robbed at knifepoint, and a rival gang a block away from my house gunned down a drug dealer. It's not the safest of places by a long shot.

Perugia is an escapist's pleasure island, where anything goes. The bars stay open until 2 or 3 a.m., and some clubs don't close until the wee hours of the morning. At five in the morning, the square in the center of town is littered with empty cups and finished joints.

Needles bob in storm drains filled with urine. It's not a pretty picture, especially when contrasted with Perugia's beautiful ancient towers and medieval masonry.

It's not all bad, and that's where the conflict is. Even when things like a brutal murder happen, it won't stop students from moving to Perugia to learn the language and lead a different life for a while.

The tragedy surrounding Amanda Knox will force people to be more careful.

It's unfortunate this happened in a city with an atmosphere that facilitated quick friendships and trust between strangers. But in a country like Italy that is so flippant about its laws on drug use and bad behavior in public, this is a warning sign that they haven't been doing enough to protect the people who are within their borders for honest reasons.

One way they could decisively crack down would be to round up dealers who have illegally immigrated and deport them. If you come to a foreign country simply to break the law, perhaps you should try doing it in your homeland first.

You might think that protecting and helping foreigners is of utmost concern to Italian police, but you'd be mistaken. They are notorious for their lackadaisical attitude. I once tried to get help from the police when I was lost in Rome.

When I went to the police station, they opened the steel door to their parking lot, and there before me was a circle of roughly 20 officers who were supposed to be out on patrol. They were smoking, passing a soccer ball between them and joking raucously.

They then pointed me in the opposite of the direction I wanted to go, laughing the whole time.I wandered the dirty, dangerous streets for another two hours until midnight, searching until I found the hostel on my own.

I don't mean to say that they are aiding murder with their laziness, but they also don't do everything possible to ensure their cities are safe places. I hope this incident will inspire authorities to protect students studying abroad.

It's a wakeup call for students to be more careful, but studying abroad should not be discouraged. It is one of the best experiences I've ever had, and Perugia is one of the most amazing, engaging places in the world.

I would advise future travelers to not be foolish. Stay away from drugs while abroad, especially if you don't know where or whom they're from. Don't drink to the point of incoherence. You're a guest in another country, so represent your origins with dignity. Instead of looking for an extended party vacation, see what you can learn.

There will never be a deficit of reasons to go abroad. We long to see other cultures, speak other languages and eat other foods. We must fulfill the desire to leave our doorframe for new horizons.

Equip yourself with common sense, and surround yourself with trustworthy people. The world may be a scary place sometimes, but that's no reason to keep from traveling. We grieve with Meredith Kercher's family, and hope that Perugia, in its unique brand of beautiful disorder, is never tainted by such a terrible act again.

[Reach columnist Jackson Rohrbaugh at opinion@thedaily.washington.edu.]