Stressful, Confusing, and Worth It! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes weren't particularly difficult, but I learned lots from site visits and guest lecturers!

On-site administration of your program

Some countries had a sometimes haphazard organization, and be prepared to be busy day in and day out! Overall great though.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Homestay situations in Morocco were extremely difficult, due to language barriers and the way homestays are set up in that country. Some families were great, others were not; don't expect a terribly intimate host family experience. Host families in Vietnam and Bolivia seemed to be universally wonderful.

Get used to lots and lots of bread in Morocco and strange meat in Vietnam. It's mostly always delicious, though.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

As it's a traveling program, there are naturally less opportunities to become integrated with the community in each country. However, Vietnam and Bolivia both offered several opportunities to get to know other students or friends of host families, and have a certain sense of belonging. In Morocco, don't expect any sort of community integration; host families aren't interested enough in you to try and introduce you, and most people will not speak English anyway. If you speak good French and/or Arabic, or have a particularly good host family, you may have more opportunities, however.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Get used to food poisoning. It WILL happen, and you'll learn to deal with it. Some had issues paying for health care, as reimbursement will only happen after the finish of the program.

Street harassment in Morocco is a real issue of you're a girl. Expect it, and get used to it, because there's no way to avoid it. Some parts of Bolivia can be dangerous, but my group never had issues. Beware of bus rides in every country.

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

I'm very frugal, so spending was generally not an issue. However, SIT and Middlebury College managed to screw me out of all of the extra money I had saved, which led to many difficult situations, especially towards the end.

Select all that apply

• Host Family
• Hotel

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Americans

• Travel
• Great field trips
• Huge variety

• More balanced instruction
• Transparency about cost
• Almost everything relating to Morocco

The Academic or Linguist