Ballin in the Himalayas January 03, 2025
By A student (Physics, Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/03/2024 to 12/16/2024 with
SIT Study Abroad: Nepal - Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples
I learned a lot about the Nepal/Tibet (China) border and the legal status of Tibetan refugees. I also learned about Himalayan culture and language.
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. |
Not academically rigorous in a traditional sense, but students learn a lot through experience and are well-supported in their learning. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The SIT staff are lovely and well-connected within the community. We had frequent one-on-one check ins with staff about how we were adjusting, developing our research/internship plans, and what support we needed. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I stayed with a host family who spoke a lot of english and had a very nice home with a western style toilet and shower. This was not the case for some people, who had bucket showers or whose families did not speak as much english. SIT always guarantees a private room in the house for students. |
| * Food: |
I am vegetarian and it was very easy to accommodate my diet in Nepal. The SIT program site has a garden, so there are very delicious fresh salads among other things for lunch every day. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
In addition to eight American students, the program had one student from Kathmandu and one student from Dharamsala, India. It was very fun to learn alongside people with different cultural contexts and we became very good friends. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
All healthcare costs (including therapy) are covered by insurance. |
| * Safety: |
The only thing unsafe about Nepal is road transportation. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
This program allowed me to learn outside of a traditional classroom and travel while learning. I also had the opportunity to complete independent research. |
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) |
Nepal is much cheaper than the US and the program provides for most food and housing during the semester. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $20 at most, including souvenir shopping. There were many weeks (such as excursions and the independent research period) where I spent none of my own money. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | The fancy expensive restaurants aren't always the best ones! Hole-in-the-wall style restaurants can give you better local food for less money. |
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 |
Tibetan is not spoken in the specific dialect we learned by most people in the Himalayas, so it was difficult to use the language outside our host families and the classroom. |
| 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 |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none |
| 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? | It won’t be as hard or scary as you think. |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
