Belize Study Abroad: Easy, fun, and informative Past Review
By Brian Z (Biology, General., SUNY - College at Geneseo) for
SUNY Geneseo: Traveling - Belize Biodiversity
it was pretty pricey for a 9 day trip but it was mostly worth it in the long run
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 |
The tour guides were excellent. Dave knew everything there was to know about the history of Belize and the numerous species of animals that we encountered. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Lived in the tour guide's house: very good accommodations with AC included |
| * Food: |
Lunch was phenomenal because it was cooked by locals while we were out in the field. Breakfast was bought at market stores and prepared by students. Dinners at restaurants in Placencia were good for the most part: some restaurants had extremely long-waits because they could not accommodate the large group. In the future, students should make sure that restaurants can accommodate the large group in advance. |
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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: |
No one really had any health issues. One girl had ear problems and was escorted to the hospital and everything worked out well. We were supposed to go tubing down a river that crocodiles inhabited so that could have definitely been a safety risk if the plan was followed through with. Even though the guide said there were never any attacks in his experience, there is always time for the first. Hydroplaning on the runway at Belize International Airport on our way to Placencia during torrential downpour was not exactly safe either. |
| 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? | no money on personal expenses really, money for food was included in the program fee. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | just gifts for family for the most part |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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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