Peru: A magical place unlike anything I have ever known before Past Review
By Lauren G (Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General., Tufts University) for
IFSA: Lima - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
THE BEST!
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. |
The experience was VERY different than an American university, but as long as you could be flexible it was very do-able and rewarding. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program director, Laura, is the best in the world! We all loved her like she was another host mom. Nothing bad to say. Program was small and intimate which led us to speak more Spanish and make more Peruvian friends. This was one of the best organized programs I have ever heard of! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I got along GREAT with my siblings and they were some of my closest friends in Peru. |
| * Food: |
Peruvian food is AMAZING, but it is hard to get used to the meals that consist only of rice and potatoes. I would sometimes try to supplement with more fruit. It was hard to be a vegetarian in Peru, but my host family was very accommodating. It was much harder outside of the house. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
AMAZING trips! Peru has almost all of the world's climates all contained in one country- it's amazing to travel around! And of course the program takes you to Machu Picchu, which is, for good reason, a modern wonder of the world. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Lima is not the world's safest city, but we received a VERY thorough safety training during orientation and I never had anything stolen. I also, luckily, never got very sick. |
| 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? | Peru is wonderfully cheap! You will save so much money by going there! For example, lunch is a maximum of $5 and a minimum of $0.60. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Nothing special to advise. Don't bring too many clothes as you can buy them very cheaply once you get to Lima. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Advanced Literature courses (I am a Spanish major) |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I spoke Spanish almost all the time- with my host family, students in the program, Peruvians in my classes, etc. I think I spoke more Spanish than any of my friends on any other program. |
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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | This is not the Eurotrip experience. You will have fun, go out, meet Peruvians, dance salsa, etc, but you will also learn what it is like to live in a developing country where there is widespread poverty and grave inequality among citizens. This program won't just show you the ritzy parts of the country- you'll get a much more overall and balanced view. |
