Can't imagine a more eye-opening and fulfilling experience Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

When speaking strictly of academics, they can be about at relaxed or as rigorous as you choose. The difference is that here, you have a chance to really make a difference with your academics. It's about giving back to the community, and for that, this program goes beyond academics. You are expected to put in your full effort on your own accord, and while for some that may mean the opportunity to slack off, for others it means the opportunity to explore topics and carry out projects in the most creative and impactful way possible.

On-site administration of your program

The onsite administration goes above and beyond their average duties. They are there for you when you need them and will help you however they can with anything you need. Although there's no way to prepare students for everything they might experience, the administration does a great job preparing students for possible experiences in a very open manner

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was lucky to have a great and loving host family who were happy to cook for a vegetarian like myself. It was however different from what I was expecting. You are typically put with upper-middle class families (which is great for safety/amenities/etc.), and I think the general image of a cultural immersion program inspires an expectation of more traditional and/or rural families. Not bad at all, just different from my initial expectations.

I was lucky to have a great and loving host family who were happy to cook for a vegetarian like myself. There, I never had a problem getting enough nutrition. It was a lot more fried food than I was used to, but all in all very good.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We were always surrounded by local culture, however, outside of my host family and my friends host families, I didn't meet many bolivians my age.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

While in the main city of the program, cochabamba, healthcare was more easily accessible. I never needed it, but heard from other students that while the administration was very helpful with healthcare and did everything they could, the actual hospitals were not very good or accommodating to patients and some students were ill for much of the program

The host city itself was fairly safe. The worst was that you could get pickpocketed in the market or if you're a woman maybe whistled at. There were a couple small incidents that made students feel uncomfortable, and while the program informed us well of the risks, you can never fully prepare someone to predict what could happen in a given situation in a new and unfamiliar country

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

Bolivia is a very affordable country relative to the United States. I ate almost every meal at home so my main cost was riding the bus to and from class every day which cost me about $1 or 2 a day. The program also gives a stipend to use for academic trips and the month long independent study. My biggest cost was definitely souvenirs...

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

Our host families never spoke english. Our classes were also in spanish most of the time

Select all that apply

• Host Family
• Hostel

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• Host Family
• Other

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• Americans

• it challenged me as a human being
• allowed me to choose my own independent project
• forced me to adapt to new environments

• more safety preparation
• a little more preparation on cultural expectations
• a little more emotional preparation for certain excursions

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer