Amazing people, amazing country, amazing experience! July 11, 2024
By A student (Religion and Art History, Washington and Lee University) - abroad from 01/23/2024 to 05/06/2024 with
SIT Study Abroad: Indonesia - Arts, Religion, and Social Change
New families all the way across the world, new friends, an appreciation for Indonesian culture, and so many amazing memories. I would do it 100 times over again if I had the chance.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
True experiential learning experience! The classes were based mostly on experiencing the culture around us, with exams and minor tests throughout. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Amazing. Could not have had the amazing experience I had without the care, support, and overall excellence of the SIT Indonesia staff. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Host families were enthusiastic and accommodating! I felt like I gained new families all the way across the world. |
| * Food: |
As a vegetarian, my food preferences were always accommodated if possible. My host family in Bali always made an effort to cook me new vegetarian meals even though they did not have a vegetarian diet. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I unfortunately contracted dengue during my time in Indonesia and had to be hospitalized. The SIT staff were so helpful and one of them stayed with me the whole time I was in the hospital to make sure I felt safe and comfortable! |
| * Safety: |
The staff always made me feel safe. When I or any other student had safety concerns, they were addressed immediately. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The program staff, host families, environment, academic components, and overall experience was amazing and truly life changing. |
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? | 10 USD |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | Be more open minded! Put yourself out there and you will gain so many new memories. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
