Amazing experience in Peru Past Review
By Bianca B (Economics, Harvard University) for
Harvard University: Lima - DRCLAS in Peru: Spanish & Service Learning
Yes definitely - improved my Spanish a lot and also got to visit Machu Picchu!
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. |
Nice workload for a summer experience. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Only weakness is that they did not help with planning of outside trips we wanted to do. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Lots of carbs, limited vegetables personally. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Traveled with friends a lot and loved it - there are a lot of places to visit in Peru! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Was given advice on not to travel alone at night, to call taxis etc. However with health, my friend was bitten by a stray dog on one of our required trips and she was not helped too much with the rabies shots she needed to get afterwards. |
| 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? | $75 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Lots of trips were relatively cheap but they added up. As well with going out expenses and restaurants. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish c - intermediate spanish |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Host family did not speak English so perfect to learn - most people on street/in community did not speak english neither which I enjoyed. |
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? | Plan on taking lots of trips as there is a lot to see in Peru. Also be prepared to speak in spanish a lot - if you don't want to have to speak spanish a lot and feel uncomfortable at the beginning, this isn't for you. |
