Unexpectedly eye-opening, empowering and completely life-changing! Past Review
By A student (Environmental Studies., Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/16/2013 to 05/15/2013 with
CIEE: Khon Kaen - Development and Globalization in Thailand
What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained a better understanding of how the forces of 'globalization and development' are affecting Thailand as well as South East Asia and many less economically developed countries around the world. I also gained a greater awareness of how issues of Human Rights and Environmental Activism are often intimately related. Last, I learned the value of alternative-experiential education and the importance of being connected to and understanding the place(s) you grew up in. It may be too soon to tell the ways in which the experiences I gained and the lessons I learned abroad are going to shape the rest of my life, but one things for sure- they were incredibly worthwhile.
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? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | It definitely varied depending on what activities I participated in on a given week, but somewhere around $25-30 a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Figure out exactly how much money you have for your entire time abroad and then make a rough budget for each week!! This really helped me to gauge how much money I was spending. Don't forget to add in travel costs if you plan to do any independent traveling during/after your time abroad! |
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 |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I had never taken Thai before, but had taken 3 semesters of Intermediate-Beginning Spanish at Middlebury College. |
| 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? | Try to speak as much Thai as you can with your Ajaans (Thai teachers), your Thai roommate, KKU students, market vendors, homestay families, etc. It is amazing how quickly you will pick it up if you do this! Don't be afraid of making mistakes when speaking to most Thai people- in my experience Thais were extremely excited to see that you were making the effort regardless of your ability! |
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? | I realize now that I had no idea what I was getting into before I arrived in Khon Kaen, Thailand. For me this turned out to be a blessing- I might not have been as excited about the program if I had known I would be doing so many home stays and immersing in alternative education, yet these turned out to be some of the most rewarding parts of my experience abroad! Thus, there is nothing I wish I had known before going on this program- a leap of faith can be life-changing. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Beginning Thai I |
| Course Department: | Thai Department for non-beginning Thai classes |
| Instructor: | Variety of different Thai Language Professors from KKU |
| Instruction Language: | Central Thai |
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| Course Name/Rating: |
Social Research Methods |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Program Facilitators, Students |
| Instruction Language: | English |
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| Course Name/Rating: |
The Directed Research Field Study/Practicum |
| Course Department: | NA |
| Instructor: | Guest Lecturers, Students, Program Facilitators |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | |
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| Course Name/Rating: |
The Human Perspective on Development and the Environment |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Guest Lecturers |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
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