SIT Madagascar: the Best of Times, the Worst of Times, and entirely unforgettable. Past Review
By Lindsay W (Anthropology, Trinity University) for
SIT Study Abroad: Madagascar - Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management
YES! One of the best, most intense experiences of my life.
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. |
Compared to the workload at Trinity, the work we had to do during this semester was much more manageable. We didn't have homework except in the beginning of the semester, and then the biggest papers we had to turn in were the Environmental Studies Project (mine ended up being about 20 pages), and the Independent Study Project (approximately 40 pages). The teaching methods were more of a briefing, before you were let out in the world. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The weaknesses were the formal language and ecology training, which was inconsistent and sometimes contradictory to say the least. The strengths were the connections of the program directors and thus the number and variety of encounters, guest lecturers, and activities we were able to do. SIT professes to prefer to instruct students briefly in a particular subject, and then allow the students to learn the bulk of the subject themselves, or to learn as much as they want to, and this program was well-designed to give students enough opportunities, free-rein, and support to figure things out for themselves. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The first six weeks we lived with our homestay families, in houses. The second six weeks we were mostly on the road, our sleeping arrangements alternating between hotels (when we stayed in towns) and camping in tents (when we visited national parks). The final six weeks, during the independent study period, I slept in my tent in a village. |
| * Food: |
If you're vegetarian, by the end of the program you will be an omnivore. Don't come here if you can't eat rice and beans. The seafood here is the best I've ever had, so it would be unfortunate if you refuse to eat fish or shellfish. You'll never go hungry, but the timing of the meals is somewhat irregular. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The entire trip was a memorable cultural event and field trip! When you live in a place like Madagascar for 3.5 months, everyday is a new cultural encounter, everyday objects and activities all new and fascinating to see. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
If you're a girl, don't go walking about the streets at night alone. And you should really go with more than one friend. If you're a boy, its safer with a friend, but if you're big and imposing enough then you should have no problem. Some towns in the north have problems with gangs, and you shouldn't study some subjects like rosewood (mafia issues). |
| 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? | It depended on how many meals we got with the group. If we were in Fort Dauphin, all meals were covered. Also, it depends on what kinds of food you want to buy when you're providing for yourself. A pile of cucumbers costs 400 Ar, which is 20 cents (American), and a hot bageda (sweet potato) costs 200 Ar. I was often fine with munching on a cucumber and a bageda. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | The suggested budget given to you in your pre-departure meeting worked well for me in figuring out how much to bring. The only unexpected senses that I can think of were the $20 paper deposit, money here and there to pay for transportation, and some money to cover expenses on the ISP. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced French with my peers, with my homestay family, and with my professors. Malagasy was a little more difficult, as the homestay family were less than dedicated teachers and the formal lessons with the professors were sparse. However I could have put more effort into learning the local language. As it was, just my vernacular French improved. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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 did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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