12 Countries 109 Days: Sustainable Living Brought Home Past Review
By Keith S (Computer Information Systems, Kent State University) for
Semester at Sea Study Abroad: Make the World Your Campus
SAS taught me and inspired me to live life in more sustainable ways. Throughout the course of traveling in 12 countries I was constantly looking at the simple ways people lived that enabled them to have less anxiety and concern while also utilizing less resources. Each country gave me a little nugget that will be held onto for many years to come.
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. |
The course work was through the University of Virginia and I must sa the courses were rather challenging. Surely students could choose easier courses out of the catalog; however I choose ones that I would not be able to take at my home university. The professors stretched me with their knowledge and also with the amount of reading they assigned. The majority of the readings were interesting to me and I benefited greatly from them. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
This was all done on the ship, and the administration was fantastic...always available and ready to help! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Lived on a ship, upon arrival in countries were free to travel and see the various sites staying where we choose...hostel, guest houses, etc. |
| * Food: |
The food on the ship was decent, buffet style it sometimes became a bit repetitive. Food in the countries was fantastic and I tried as much as I could in the time we were in each country. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Gosh there were many cultural experiences throughout the 12 countries. My favorite had to be in Ghana where a group of us choose to travel out to Mount Afajad where we stayed in a guest house and were guided by the locals. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
If you were smart about travel, gave the impression you knew what you were doing, and didn't stand out with the word 'tourist' on your forehead then safety was a non-issue. As for health issues...watch what water you drink, drink plenty of water, keep hands clean, get good rest. Occasional bouts of travelers diarrhea for some, I was fine! |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
When I say it had a foreign language component I simply mean that the program had a component of learning enough of the language in the 12 countries we visited before we arrived in those individual countries. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | A student who is fit for SAS is ready to travel to many different countries and loose themselves, to give up their life of materialism and focus on the people they encounter. |
