Mind opening and self empowering Past Review
By Max T (Electrical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University) - abroad from 08/03/2015 to 08/12/2015 with
The GREEN Program: Iceland - Sustainability and Renewable Energy Abroad
Not only did I learn about the general science behind renewable energy and sustainability, I also learned about energy economics and the history of Iceland and it's energy practices. But what trumps even that was the level of self-awareness, earth-awareness, and people-awareness that I reached while spending 10 days exploring, learning, and adventuring with 43 other people who are just as passionate as I am in renewable energy, sustainability, our earth, and everything that calls it home. There is no amount of pictures or words that can do this program justice. If you don't believe me, experience it for yourself.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
In a 10-day study abroad program jam-packed with education, exploration, and adventure there is only so much academic learning that can be done. However, the beauty about this program is that even when we weren't in the classroom we were always learning from exclusive power plant tours to listening to local guides share their knowledge of the land and lore of their culture. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There was always a plan, and it was always executed flawlessly. Even when faced with unforeseen obstacles the plan was altered and implemented without fail. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing was more than adequate for the amount of time we spent in them. My only issue was packing light and not having access to a laundry facility. Besides that everywhere we stayed was just right! |
| * Food: |
I'm perhaps the wrong person to rate this category because I love food in general, but the food was DELICIOUS!!! Breakfast, as it normally is, was standard Icelandic breakfast every single day, however we never had the same lunch or dinner twice. Additionally, there was always food for meat lovers (like myself) and veggie lovers, which impressed me very much. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
With such a large group of students and such a tight schedule, integration with the locals was difficult, but our guides definitely took the time to teach a bit of the language and culture on our adventures and bus rides. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not experience a need for the use of healthcare, however there was a fellow GREENmate who did. Instead of rushing him off to the nearest clinic or hospital to be forced to pay for healthcare, our administrators asked him if he wanted to go. At first he said no, but later he decided to visit a clinic and was taken there immediately with no issue. |
| * Safety: |
Besides making sure we enjoyed ourselves and had fun, safety was our administrators' number one priority and was always emphasized. |
| 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) |
During the program itself, all the food is taken care of for you so it doesn't factor into finances. Besides that, I spent less than $50/week for snacks and gifts. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I stayed an extra 5 days prior to the start of the program which costed me around $600 for lodging, food, and personal expenses. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Food is expensive, especially in Reykjavik, so my recommendation would be to buy food from a local grocery store. It will be much more economical than eating at restaurants all the time. Try to save up $100 for every day you are in Iceland outside of the program. That is enough to ensure you have a good time while keeping yourself fed! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | Packed a little bit more clothes, or brought clothes that dry relatively fast. |
