Study Abroad South America: Best Trip Ever! (So far) Past Review
By Laura M (Forestry, Stephen F. Austin State University) for
Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA): Traveling - Jaguar Conservation, Argentina / Brazil
I was able to see the same industry from another point of view. Forestry is a global entity, and we need to work together to keep our industry going, in the most economically and environmentally friendly way possible.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
All my expectations were met. The only thing was being clear on how much money we would want to bring. We were given an estimate from the point of view of someone who had been to that country before, not someone going for the first time. Not a big problem, just a clarity one. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Breakfasts are mainly sweets and pastries, which got kind of old after a while. But there was always plenty of everything and it was all delicious. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The BBQ social thrown by the other University students for us was fantastic, the tango show was amazing, the trip to the University forest was cool, as was meeting the indigenous Guarani family. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The parts I went to were very safe. I was careful and never had a problem. |
| 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? | food varied. At the nicer restaurants I maybe spent 60 pesos. then there were street food places and souvenirs. I spent maybe 300 USD on things during the whole two week trip. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If its your first time in the country, you're going to want to try the steak, the beer, and get souvenirs. PLAN ACCORDINGLY |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
We were able top communicate fairly well thanks to our professor interpreting, and a few of our students who knew minimal Spanish, and the few people we met that knew basic English. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Students that are into the environmental and social aspects of schooling. The focus was how changes could be made to boost the economy, while preserving endangered habitats and cultural history. |
