A Thailand experience that most tourists won't see Past Review
By Julia B (Public Health, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/16/2018 to 05/17/2018 with
CIEE: Khon Kaen - Community Public Health
I got to see a Thailand that most tourists don't get to see. We traveled a lot throughout Thailand to places where there were mostly only Thai tourists.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
There was a wide range of variety for classes within this program. The semester started out with very long lecture style classes where the work was minimal and the classes not that engaging. However, it was combined with site visits to local hospitals and health centers and the onset of our field research. Then later in the semester, we were only focused on research and had little to no classroom time. However, I went to the program staff about my concerns and they were very open to change and were very accommodating to try and make the classes what we wanted to get out of it. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were great. Provided so many resources and help for us- especially came in handy due to the language barrier when we needed to communicate with someone. Lots of interaction with the staff and theyre so great. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Air conditioning, shared bathroom, and living with a thai roommate. It was really fun and if there was ever a problem the program staff and dorm staff were very quick to help. |
| * Food: |
Thai food was great but you do have to purchase every meal and theres no sort of dining hall. Choices became limited after a while and there are not too many healthy or vegetarian friendly options. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved being able to spend time in the communities and get to know our short-term host families but the language barrier sometimes made it hard to make friends with other students at the university. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
If there was every anything wrong or a potential problem they are very quick to take you to the hospital and get it sorted out. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I think if i were to do this again I would chose to be in a host family all of the time. |
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) |
I could spend about 45/50 on food a week- it was super affordable. Traveling was a bit expensive because to go most places you first had to go to bangkok and then to your desired destination. But still very cheap compared to other places. |
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 |
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| 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 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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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? | I wished I knew more about Khon Kaen. According to the pre-departure materials I thought it would be much more isolated however there were a lot of modern and western conveniences. People are so so nice there so whenever I would have a problem anyone would be willing to help. |
