An Environmentalist's Fantasy Trip Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I really enjoyed learning in the field compared to learning in the classroom. I was able to better understand the culture and the problems we were studying. The university that The GREEN Program partnered with did an amazing job of making me feel like they truly cared about teaching me even though I was there for such a short period of time.

On-site administration of your program

Seeing as this was my first time out of the United States, I was very anxious to be traveling to a foreign country. The program administration did absolutely everything in their power to make me feel comfortable and relaxed. They seriously had every detail planned out. There was never a dull moment and never a time when I felt homesick. They constantly motivated our group to keep moving forward and to achieve all that we set our minds to.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The hotel we stayed at in Cusco was incredibly nice! Our trip counselors had it set up so that our roommates were the people we arrived with. I ended up being best friends with the two girls that I roomed with! I was so lucky to have them the first couple of days because the airport lost my luggage. Our overnight trip to Machu Picchu was also amazing! The hotel we stayed in there was also nice. I had no problem with the living arrangements!

We had breakfast every morning at the hotel. It was pretty basic breakfast food but the coffee was so delicious. Then every lunch and dinner we ate out. The food choices became quite repetitive to me since I am a vegetarian and there were few options but all of the food I received was prepared properly and incredibly fresh and tasty. I also love pisco sours!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Everywhere was walking distance from our hotel in Cusco. We were able to walk to our university and most of the restaurants we ate at. I felt very safe and at home walking around the town. I don't speak Spanish so I wasn't able to communicate with the locals very well, but we had translators that did a wonderful job. I felt very immersed in the Peruvian culture. Honestly, it was more of a culture shock coming back to America.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Both of my counselors were trained in first aid and had massive first aid kits to deal with minor injuries. I got 3 vaccines for this trip: Hep A, yellow fever, and typhoid. I honestly don't believe that I needed any of these vaccines but I would definitely rather have the vaccine than the disease. None of the water was potable so it was important to only drink bottled water or boiled water.

The biggest safety concern in Cusco is petty theft. I was always with our whole group or a couple of people. I never felt threatened by any locals or unsafe in the slightest. Our hotel had a gate and a guard so I also felt very safe there. My advice would be to scatter your money in different places. It's important to not keep all of it in one place incase you did get robbed.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Everything was all inclusive which was the best! I only had to worry about any spending money that I wanted.

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• Hotel

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• Americans
• International Students

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• Americans
• International Students

• The location
• The people
• The topic

• The food

The Academic or Linguist