Samantha A. Goldstein '00 went to Chiapas, Mexico last year to do field research for her thesis.

Before she left, she "took all the pills and shots. Malaria, hepatitis A, typhoid, yellow fever."

"I was totally prepared," says Goldstein, who is also a Crimson executive. "But I got sick twice or three times because of the water. It is very hard to avoid water totally because, for instance, things might not be cooked appropriately."

Like Richards, Goldstein suffered some intestinal discomfort.

"If I could offer students advice on traveling," Goldstein says. "I would say before you go to a developing country, make sure you get the right shots, drink only bottled water and make sure your food's cooked."

Dan M. Hughes '01 experienced serious health problems while visiting Tunisia, in northern Africa.

During the summer of '98, Hughes worked as a writer for Let's Go travel guides, a line of publications that sends Harvard students to various locales and pays them to record their experiences.

Although he too took all the recommended shots and vaccines, about four weeks into his six-week trip, Hughes had lost 15 pounds and was feeling ill.