Time well spent in a transitioning, post-Soviet country with a rich history! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classes are mostly taught in English and are definitely not as rigorous as they are in Middlebury. Most of my classes just assigned two articles to read (anth and polisci classes) per week. The essays are not too long either. None of my final papers were over ten pages but were around 5-8 pages. While these classes are not as hard, they are not as easy, especially for people who may need to do interviews (anth) classes. That was the harder part to fulfill for me. Academics are not a problem and the resources were available in my case.

On-site administration of your program

I cannot be thankful enough to for the on-site administrator (Iliyas) doing a lot of work and on time. He was really busy with other international students but he kept up with our paperwork and tried really hard to help the students whenever they got into trouble or just needed recommendations for something to do. He took care of many people and was really helpful.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My Dungan host family was absolutely amazing.

Food here (most of it anyway) is organic, inexpensive, varied, and delicious!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Well, it was hard to get into the Kyrgyz group because the groups were more or less exclusive but individually, many Kyrgyz people were nice and helpful. I hung out with many of them. Afghan students are usually very welcoming and they ask people to come and spend time with them. Of course, this all depends on you as well and how much effort you will make! Don't blame the locals if they aren't welcoming--you may part of the problem! If you make effort, they will do so as well, although many possess the curiosity for meeting a foreigner.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I was sick with the flu and was advised to buy the appropriate flu medicine but nothing worse, so I don't know about the more serious stuff.

During the day, I feel really safe but during the night, I was a little paranoid because in some places, there weren't many lights, especially those away from main roads. I advise students to walk in pairs during the night or return early. Also, don't get into fights and don't get drunk too much unless you really trust the group surrounding you. That should be a no-brainer.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Food here is cheaper than in the U.S. In seven months, I spent about $800 while living with a host family, so I think this was not so bad overall. If you can control your coffee-drinking and chocolate-eating habits, then this shouldn't be a problem for you. This of course only applies to foreigners from wealthier countries. For most locals, they cannot buy coffee every day or go to restaurants every week, so please keep this in mind.

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• Local Students
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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Location (whoo hoo it's in Central Asia!)
• Location (whoo hoo it's in the capital and in AUCA)
• Trips (they were all over Kyrgyzstan and well-planned in my opinion)

• Better internships (especially for the summer one)

The Networker