Do NOT do this program if you have self-respect. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The amount of content taught throughout the semester would have only been one unit at my home institution. The hardest part of the classes was knowing what exactly was expected/ how we would be graded. The prof.s were new to teaching so there was a learning curve for everyone. That being said, I did not take this program for the academic rigor, so this did not bother me greatly.

On-site administration of your program

Beyond awful. The leadership spoke to students in a baby voices. Every activity was micromanaged and new rules were constantly being made. This, combined with the extreme isolation, was psychologically tasking. Though I belive that the leadership in our program was particularly bad, she chose to micromanage when she did not have to for example we were told to pick a partner for an activity then, once people had chosen their friends, they split us into two groups, it was just as a college student to have the leadership which was only a few years older get to tell me, in a degrading fashion, who I walk with on a hike through a cloud forest or when I can pee.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Not a 5 star hotel, but you are going to the jungle so you should expect that. The housing we had was nicer than most of the people in the surrounding are. The only issue is that drywall molds in the jungle. (Well, everything molds in the jungle). So it's sorta moldy and stinky but, it was fine. I heard they are improving the housing too.

Meals: There was a strike in the region which made it harder to get fruits and vegetables. However, you can always get really yummy fruits fresh from the jungle in the neighboring town! The kitchen staff are the kindest people on the earth. I am a vegetarian. A lot of times the vegetarian option was a deep fried breaded vegetable like cauliflower. Meals usually consistaed of rice and something else (maybe a stir-fry or fried Amazonian fish), and sometimes salad or beans. There was one vegan, she did NOT get enough food/ nutrients. I arrived to Peru in good shape but it's so hot and humid it was hard to workout, my BMI definitely increased and my muscle tone decreased. Snacks: Snacks are NOT provided all the time (even though they told us they would be). Don't fall into this trap. However, there was usually peanut butter available. You can purchase nature valley bars at the Iquitos grocery store sometimes. I would recommend packing some bars. We nicknamed Sunday "Day of starvation". On Sunday students are given access to the portable stove and are supposed to be provided with ingredients to make our own meals. We were not given enough ingredients for everyone to have enough (even though many people also supplemented these ingredients with their own that they purchased in Iquitos).

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Any bond I developed outside SFS was despite the program not because of it.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Because the students were so alienated by the staff in charge of us students did not feel comfortable going to the staff when we had health concerns. (Also, SFS has some weird rules about staff going with you to the hospital and what you have to pay).

The Amazon is a place with lot of different ways you can get hurt. Safety was the constant rational for the micromanagement we endured. However, this was a power play, many of the most dangerous things, like the road at night were barely addressed and things that could have easily increased student safety were not implemented. The most harmful thing that occurred over the course of our trip was the psychological hardship of being constantly treated like a child who is not to be trusted.

This program is good for people who are nervous and incompitant. You will be micromanaged and degraded. You are NOT treated like a valuable and promising young scientist. You are treated like an obnoxious and untrustworthy child. It was incredibly inappropriate and unpleasant in this regard.

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

It depends on if you're a vegetarian and on how much you eat. The main things to buy is fruit or little packages of cookies which cost less than a dollar. The beer a little under three dollars. So this depends on how much you go out. The major money draws were the vacation weeks/ days.

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• Dorm

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• Americans

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• Americans

• Talking to local people
• athe constant background noise of the jungle
• Break in Cusco

• leadership at SFS peru
• clarity and communication
• proper marketing of the program as "not cultural immersion"

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer