Best decision I made! Past Review
By Emma Kauffman (Grove City College) - abroad from 02/09/2019 to 05/04/2019 with
Ecuador Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
I learned a lot about the South American and Ecuadorean culture, improved my Spanish language abilities, and also learned a lot about myself. I highly recommend this study abroad for anyone interested in a small family like relationships who have an interest in Spanish!!
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. |
Classes where all taught in Spanish, there was a good variety of class options, all professors where very good and helpful. The curriculum was perfect for study abroad experience, I felt I was able to learn quite a lot from the classes but also had enough time to enjoy the country and culture. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
All the administration was wonderful, they were so helpful and genuinely concerned with making sure I was comfortable, it felt like a family! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The host family I lived with were incredibly kind and welcoming, and was in a very convenient location, I was able to walk almost everywhere I needed to, and felt very safe. |
| * Food: |
Living with a host family, I had two meals provided per day and both were very filling and delicious. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt very immersed in the culture, and learned so much! Living with a host family definitely helped, I also spent 3 weeks interning and volunteering with an indigenous family in a rural town which was a wonderful experience I learned how the indigenous people live, their culture, traditions, food, and language. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did get sick while abroad, but with the help of the administration, it was very easy to get the help and care I needed in a very timely manner. |
| * Safety: |
Overall, the city was safe, of course at night in certain areas it is very important to be aware of your surroundings and be with a group and friends. Pick-pocketing was the biggest concern, so make sure you hide your phone and valuables while on the street. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
My experience abroad was wonderful, I made many friends from all over the world, and the school, teachers and administration where so kind and friendly. There were many included trips and I never left alone or lost. |
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 did end up spending more money during my study abroad than I expected to, but I do not have regrets on what I spent, since most of my extra costs went towards trips and more memories to experience what the country and culture had to offer. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Learn how to budget, try to keep to it, spend less on things like eating out and nice food, and more on trips, and experiences. |
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 my classes were in Spanish and I spoke Spanish with my host family and the administration at the school, although if I needed, there were many who did understand English if there was something more important to communicate. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| 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? | Take a class at your school before leaving, or sign up for Duolingo or another type of language app that you can practice in free time. |
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? | The spring semester in Ecuador is more of the off-season, so there were much fewer students at the school than I expected, but was still fun |
