Beautiful but Challenging Past Review
By A student (Berea College) - abroad from 09/01/2017 to 12/09/2017 with
ISA Study Abroad in Cusco, Peru
I learned a lot about God and how I can depend on Him in all circumstances. I learned a lot about a different culture and another way of life. I also had a wonderful time working with children during my experience abroad and this made the experience very worthwhile.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
In general, the classes that I took through ISA were not very difficult. The classes with this program have too extreme. Either they are too easy and do not require much learning, or they are very difficult and require an excessive amount of work. However, the teachers are very nice. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Overall the administration was helpful. The service-learning coordinator was especially great! However, when I had to go to the hospital and when I had issues with my host family, the program administration was not as helpful as I would have liked. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had my own bedroom and I shared a bathroom with my host sister. My host family helped provide for certain things that were necessary, such as a new shower (when it broke) and a towel. |
| * Food: |
My family always cooked for me but they did not like it when I expressed that I did not like a certain food. While there were only a few foods which i struggled to eat, this was always a battle with my host family. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The ISA school is composed of students from the United States, so it was a bit difficult to make friends with local Peruvians. My host family also was not very interested in doing things with me which made it hard to integrate with them and their culture. Even so, the ISA program provided a lot of opportunities to learn about the culture and to be immersed in it. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Towards the beginning of my program I got very sick and had to go to the hospital. My program assisted me in taking me to the hospital but they left me in the hospital alone and did not communicate to me what was going on. This was disappointing. However, the program did help me figure out my insurance. |
| * Safety: |
Cusco is a fairly safe location. I always felt safe in the town that I lived in. Since Cusco is so touristy it is very important to keep all of your stuff close to your body and safe. Many people in my program had important items (phones, credit cards, and passports) stolen from them. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
While I enjoyed the excursions I did not particularly like the classes, the people in the program, and I had many issues with my host family. If I could do the experience over again, I think I would choose to live in an apartment and I would find more ways to meet locals. |
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) |
Cusco is a cheap place to live. The food is fairly cheap and most tourist activities are as well. I had no problems living on a student's budget. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $15 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Apply for as many scholarships as possible! |
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 |
I was encouraged to use the language in the classroom but outside of the classroom and on excursions, this was not encouraged. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | An advanced conversation classs |
| 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 find an activity that you can do where you are surrounded by people who are native speakers. Or attend a university that also have students who speak the language that you are learning fluently. |
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 wish I had known more about the culture of Peru and about the family that I would be living with. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
