An Amazing but Challenging Journey Past Review

By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/21/2016 to 12/08/2016 with

SIT Study Abroad: IHP - Cities in the 21st Century: People, Planning and Politics (Fall 2)

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned how to better defend my beliefs as well as how to understand and empathize with others. I gained amazing friendships and experiences I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. However I'm not sure if I would do this program again if I do it all over again.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	I found the academics to be underwhelming on this program. They were the most disorganized and unprofessional courses of my college experience. The professors were not very objective, which was an ongoing challenge throughout the program.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	There were a few times when our home stays were not quite what we were guaranteed (students having to share a bed w their roommate, I slept on a floor mat in one country, didn't have any closet or dresser space in Vietnam or SA). But on the whole I loved my host families and had a great time with them.
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	It often felt like I had a surface-level experience because of the short amount of time in each place.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	In the beginning of the program, my health issues during the launch were dealt with adequately. But there were a few times that student health did not seem to be a priority (a day I was supposed to go to the doctor was forgotten about, I went to the hospital w a friend who needed medical attention and no staff was available to accompany us, etc).
* Safety:	I felt safe pretty much everywhere and in fact felt that IHP was too strict with us and didn't allow us enough freedom. However that is probably my personality and not reflective of my actual safety. I did see two separate stabbings/robberies within the span of a week in Buenos Aires, so..
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No

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)	It really depended on the country. Vietnam was cheap, Argentina was close to US prices, and SA was somewhere in the middle. Stipends generally covered food costs so our only out of pocket expenses were going out at night and other excursions
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$50
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Save your money during the program and use it on the vacation week, mine was the best week of the semester

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family Hotel Hostel
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?	0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Friends I made Places I got to see Challenging myself
* What could be improved?	Less time in the classroom Lessen the ideological divide of the classroom
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	How much time I would spend sitting in class instead of exploring the city. That we would be asked to join the communist revolution at the end of the program.