I had a positive experience outside of the program. Fortaleza, Social Justice and Sustainable Development Past Review
By Kathryn S (International Studies/Spanish, Trinity University) for
SIT Study Abroad: Reviews from Former Locations
My experience with Brazil was incredible. I connected with the local culture, became fluent in Portuguese and made many friends. But this had nothing to do with the SIT program. The program was very frusterating, disorganized and many of the activities were an absolute waste of time. Our final projects were poorly monitored and the classes with the exception of Portuguese were really lacking in substance.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There are wonderful people in the administration, but the whole program was very disorganized. Our schedule was constantly changing and we had classes with other American students from nine to five or six everyday. The classes offered by SIT were entirely lacking in substance with the exception of Portuguese. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
SIT intentionally places students with families from the lower to middle class. This was a very positive experience for me and my peers agreed. |
| * Food: |
Make sure all veggies that are served to you are cooked or washed with bleach/sanitizer. Its easy to get parasites or just really sick. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Some of the field study trips were wonderful while others were pointless and we literally did nothing once we got there due to lack of planning on the adminitration's part. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Fortaleza is a dangerous city and you must be very careful with all of your belongings. Don't carry your laptop with you ever, leave it at school. Don't wear anything that draws attention to you. The city is still a great place to live. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I spoke Portuguese mostly with my host family. We were with the American students a lot and English was spoken. |
| 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?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | To be honest, virtually all of the students on our program, including myself, were disappointed in the program. Fortunately, my host family was wonderful and I was able to seek out opportunities outside of the program so it was all worth it. Go to Brazil, but chose a different program. |
