I'd do it again! Past Review
By A student (Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies., Wellesley College) - abroad from 02/26/2013 to 06/09/2013 with
SIT Study Abroad: Chile - Public Health, Traditional Medicine, and Community Empowerment
I learned that study abroad programs are really catered towards a particular student. I also learned that a lot of Americans are ignorant about global issues regardless of how much they learn inside the classroom. This particular study abroad program really tried to integrate the American students into its culture and I also saw how much effort was put into making white Americans feel more comfortable. I learned that people abroad will not give me the time of day if I'm not blond and blue-eyed. It was definitely worthwhile and eye-opening.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was always very friendly and resourceful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I received all amenities: bed, food, washing machine, wi-fi... but I just didn't love my host family. |
| * Food: |
Chilean food is bland, but that's just my opinion. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Not at all, I wasn't looking to get integrated anyway. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
No experience |
| * Safety: |
Very safe city, never felt scared or threatened during the day or night. |
| 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? | about $50 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Bring neat and clean dollar bills to exchange. Try to use your credit card whenever possible, instead of cash. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
On a daily basis, but we were always able to get away with speaking in English amongst each other. But administrators & professors were always spoken to in Spanish. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Avoid English at all times, even amongst English-speaking friends or English-speaking foreigners. Don't let foreigners "practice" their English with you. It doesn't benefit your foreign language practice. |
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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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I didn't have any expectations for my host family. When they didn't meet my expectations, I was extremely disappointed. It helps not to compare host families or hope that they'll be better than your own real family. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Traditional Medicine |
| Course Department: | Traditional Medicine |
| Instructor: | Francisco Chureo, Rossana Testa |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | This was my favorite part of the program. This isn't a biased opinion because I'm fascinated by Traditional Medicine. This is the best course offered because of the people we met and the knowledge we received. This course isn't really possible elsewhere. Our academic director has some great connections that allowed the students to learn from indigenous cultures. It was definitely a challenging course, both academically and socially. The course took place within indigenous communities of the Northern and Southern parts of Chile. The teachers were very knowledgeable and well prepared. They're some of the most respected people in their community. Our assessment for this course mainly relied on discussions. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
