Tea, temples and time spent driving around the country Past Review
By Marium S (international studies, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/19/2015 to 07/16/2015 with
IFSA: Intercollegiate Sri Lanka Education Program / ISLE
New friends. Great recipes. A look at religious harmony in practice.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Homestay. got my own room and bathroom. learnt to deal with "innocent" roaches in my bednet and snails on my bathroom wall. |
| * Food: |
Lots of rice, lentils, jackfruit and always a fruit at the end of the meal (usually pineapple). Depends on the homestay family. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We didn't take classes with locals and only met our learning partners on occasion. Very insular program. Learnt the most from my homestay family but generally only talked to them over dinner. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Many people fell in ditches. Watch out for open sewage lines while walking down the 'sidewalks' (covered sewer lines) |
| * Safety: |
Civil war is over and Kandy is safe all day long. At night it seems a bit less so for women, as most people sleep early and the streets are almost empty. We were all told to be home by sunset. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Food is cheap. $2 for a meal out at a local restaurant. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $30, at most. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't go to Pizza Hut. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
All classes were in English and we didn't spend time with many locals outside the host family setting. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Sinhala 2 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Insist your host family talk to you in Sinhala. Often they try to switch to English for your benefit if they can because they see you struggling, but make it clear you need the practice. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | that I didn't need to bring such conservative clothes how to properly cook french fries (bring some skills you can share with your host family) how not to scream when faced with a giant roach how many varieties of amazing tea there would be!! :) |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Sinhala |
| Course Department: | Language |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Learnt conversational sinhala. Easy course |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Politics |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Mainly lecture based. knowledgable professor |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
