Lima Opened my Eyes to a Whole New World! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes were very easy, I think the professors tried to not give us a lot of work. Classes were interesting.

On-site administration of your program

ISA was there for you whenever you needed them. I always felt safe, like if anything were to go wrong the office was there to help you no matter what. They also gave us good preparation for shifting into the new culture. They had Peruvian students that hung out with us and showed us around and this really helped as well.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My host family was wonderful, I lived with one other girl from the same program in their house and they treated us like family. I did not need to buy anything really to settle in, they had pretty much everything I needed that I couldn't bring. They also had WIFI which was nice. I lived in a safe, quiet neighborhood, I never felt threatened around there. I lived a couple blocks away from school so I could walk, but other students had to take the bus. We had to go a little further away to reach the nightlife, though, there was not much in Jesus Maria.

I am a vegetarian, and my host family did a great job of preparing food for me. They were wonderful cooks and the food was amazing. I went in the winter and you had to get used to drinking un-refrigerated soda and water. My house-mate from the program started to get sick of eating rice with every single meal but I liked it. As for eating out, being a vegetarian was a little difficult, but the food that I did find was also really good.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Taking trips to the little shopping areas around town are always fun, and it's usually quite an experience because it's not really like shopping in the US. I also really enjoyed our trip to Ica, the desert, and riding through the sand dunes. Cusco and Machu Picchu of course were amazing as well, Cuscu is a great city to go out and experience the nightlife in.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not have any bad experiences with overall safety, you just need to be smart and never go anywhere alone. The only time something bad happened was when a friend of mine had drank too much. I did get sick, I got traveler's sickness first, but I just waited it out at home. I also got a cold. I didn't go to the hospital but I did go to the pharmacy, which was different. You don't walk around a store and pick out what you need, you tell the pharmacist what you want or what your symptoms are and they give you something. I first went by myself and I told them my throat hurt and all they gave me was an over-the-counter pain killer like Tylenol. I went back later with my host-sister and she helped me get throat lozenges. I did need a lot of vaccines before I went, I needed a hepatitis vaccine and typhoid.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Most of the other students spoke English only. Looking back, I should have done a semester program to get better practice with the language. I did speak Spanish all the time at home with my host family, though.

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• Host Family

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• Americans
• Host Family