Past Review

By Regina L (Economics., Rice University) for

ISA Study Abroad in Lima, Peru

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

Studying abroad in Peru was amazing! I would highly recommend it for anybody considering Peru, whether or not you speak Spanish. Learning how to get around when you don't speak the language is quite an experience and you definitely learn a lot about yourself. You get to see how people live in other parts of the world and come face to face with some hard, sad realities. You will be exposed to other ideas and ways of thinking, sometimes challenged in what you have always believed. Overall it was incredible and I can't even begin to describe how studying abroad has influenced me by exposing me to so many new things. Some other random notes: don't let the grey skies get you down. Travel outside of the city on weekends and go exploring. It was a little bit chillier than anybody expected in the beginning of the fall, so be sure to take a warm jacket.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here:	Universidad de San Ignacio de Loyola
The term and year this program took place:	Fall 2009

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	If possible, i would definitely recommend taking as many classes as possible in spanish. The classes are definitely more challenging, and you won't have as much free time, but it will really help your spanish skills if that is what you are looking to improve. The english classes were designed more to teach the english language, so you might get rather bored.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I lived in a rather quiet district, San Borja, with an awesome host family. There were three kids in the family, 17, 21, and 23 in addition to the parents. The house could almost be considered a "pension' because there were ten other students living in the house, 5 Americans, an exchange student from Japan as well as Sweden, in addition to three Peruvians. The family had hosted students for years and knew how to make you feel at home. They also really ttried to help you with Spanish, and there is a Spanish only rule in the house. Breakfast and lunch were provided. It was awesome because there was always someone to talk to or people to go out and do stuff with if you wanted. <br /><br /> Housing was taken care of by ISA, you could choose either host family, student housing, or independent living. My house was close to the school - 15 min bus ride - and a 20 minute bus ride or taxi ride in good traffic to the happening areas. This is kind of random, but the water there is really hard on clothing so take stuff you don't mind getting worn out really quickly.
* Food:	There is a huge variety of Peruvian food. Definitely try to eat as many different dishes as you can. The fresh fruits and fruit smoothies are amazing!
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* 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)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Some good advice that they gave us was try not to spend too much at the beginning because you will get to the end and want to do lots of stuff, but have no money. Also, travelling around Peru is pretty cheap but can add up if you travel extensively. If you plan to travel to other countries, just be mindful of visa fees which are often well over $100 USD. Also, it can happen anywhere, but just have a backup plan, some way to access money while waiting for a replacement card to arrive, in case your debit card is eaten by an ATM.