Intern in Chiang Mai Past Review
By A student (Keene State College) - abroad from 07/05/2019 to 08/05/2019 with
CISabroad (Center for International Studies): Intern in Thailand
Yes! My experience abroad was amazing.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The academic portion was mostly learning about their culture and the way they do things. The language barrier made it difficult so it was a lot of shadowing and google translate, but I overall learned a lot and it was very interesting. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very helpful administration and interesting orientation to help get you started. I saw administration a lot and became close with them. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had a wonderful host family that helped with the language barrier and any other issues that came up. |
| * Food: |
The food was amazing but not much variety. Rice and noodles with basically every meal. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt extremely integrated with the culture. Especially being there for a whole month, you meet many people and learn a lot of valuable life information. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Healthcare was very easily accessible for everyone in Thailand. No appointments are needed and healthcare is free. |
| * Safety: |
I honestly felt so safe in the community. Everyone is extremely friendly, welcoming and wants to talk. The only thing I felt uncomfortable with is the stray dogs but I personally did not have any issues. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I really liked the staff of this program and the way they introduced us and had us stay with a host family. It made me feel really connected in the culture. I feel like the program was very organized and explained how to apply pretty well. |
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 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
5 - Very easily - The cost of living in Thailand is way less than Amercica. My host family cooked for me so the only things I spent money on were coffee occasionally, and weekend trips or souvenirs. The only thing that was expensive was the program cost and the flight cost. Other than that, insanely cheap. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 10$ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try and make a budget. Depending if you have a host family, you may not spend money during the week. Mostly on weekends. |
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 |
We took a Thai language class every Friday. It was optional, but I attended a few. My host family also helped to teach me some Thai and general ways of communicating. |
| 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? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| 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? | I used an app - there are many of them you can download. But I think I learned most using the actual language while I was there. |
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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| 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 wish I had the opportunity to talk to more people my age who did the same thing. I also wish I could've talked to my host family before I actually went. |
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.' |
