Peru - beautiful and diverse Past Review
By Alex K (Sociology and Anthropology, Carleton College) for
SIT Study Abroad: Peru - Indigenous Peoples and Globalization
The program was amazing. I am hoping to go back to one of the communities we visited for my comps research.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes vary - some are good, some not so much - but the independent study project is amazing. Four weeks to go where ever you want, study anything, and then put it all together yourself. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The overall plan for the program was very good; the places we went, the things we did, the discussions we had, were generally excellent. There was a lot of inefficiency and unnecessary long-windedness that bogged things down and got frustrating at times. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
You better like potatoes... |
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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? |
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| * Safety: |
If anything, a tendency towards excess caution. |
| 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? | I spent $250 during the entire semester. But I am not very into shopping and did my independent research in the jungle, where things are very cheap. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Peru is cheap. Just don't get your wallet stolen. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | A 200-level Spanish lit course. |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Host families. People on the street. Professors. Advisors. The program director could speak English, and did so occasionally, but nearly all classes and all assignments were in Spanish, as was our research project. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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