Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Aye-Aye Loved Madagascar! Past Review

By (Environmental Studies and Literature, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/25/2012 to 05/09/2012 with

SIT Study Abroad: Madagascar - Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned to deal with being the center of attention, and to deal with embarrassment, failing at silly little things. I also became so much more comfortable with talking to other people about myself. I found that my interest lies more with human lives than with the environment. I also saw how difficult and complex the problems facing the world are, and was occasionally discouraged by this, but remain hopeful. It was the most worthwhile experience of my life for sure.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

It was a very good experiential learning experience and SIT had a lot of resources. However, a lot of the actual classroom time was not rigorous enough.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I loved my homestay family, and they were genuinely excited to have me stay with them. They treated me amazingly well and cared for me through everything.

* Food:

We didn't have very many options and frequently were hungry between meals.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I got malaria and my program coordinator immediately drove me to the doctor for medicine and checked in on me constantly.

* 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)

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? Yes
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Very minimal. Fruit was a matter of cents and cookies/crackers cost me about $15 a week.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Be careful-- I was pickpocketed and lost a lot of money. Hide money in different places. Also don't carry your debit card on you! To save money, try and use the internet more rarely so you don't have to buy a soda every day for an exorbitant rate.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
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? French 221
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? Brush up on the basics. My advanced literature classes in French were not quite as useful as things like "Where's the bathroom?" Also, you will learn so much about things like biodiversity and how to say "leech" and "lemur" in French, among many other new vocabulary sets.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Other
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
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?
  • Parties with my homestay family
  • Exploring Fort Dauphin and swimming at Libanona
  • Support systems in place
* What could be improved?
  • Less driving
  • More variety in food sometimes
  • Speakers who were sharing more specific information about their areas of expertise (we had many very general lemur presentations)
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I should have been a little more prepared for the long bus rides and the many camping trips, but at the same time, I am glad I didn't know some of the things because they would have scared me. Once I was there, everything unfolded in a wonderful and exhilarating way.