Past Review

By Jillian B (Biology, General., Hamilton College) for

The School for Field Studies / SFS: Tanzania - Wildlife Management Studies

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

It took a few months post-abroad experience for me to truly realize how incredible my 3 months abroad were. The opportunity to live on another continent and experience an entirely new culture was life-changing and I recommend to everyone to take advantage of living and studying abroad. The SFS program was only held in Tanzania for the Spring of 2008, and is generally held in Kenya. The conditions are similar, however I feel that the program in Kenya would have been even more fulfilling, as SFS has close ties to local communities and is very familiar with the area. The staff are incredible and I loved my time spent abroad.

Personal Information

The term and year this program took place:	Spring 2008

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The Wildlife Management program has a very intensive academic program where you are versed on everything from the history of your host country to the scientific names and tendencies of the diverse wildlife native to the area.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The program was fairly organized considering the last minute change from operating in Kenya to being in Northern Tanzania. Sometimes I felt that too much was still centered on Kenya and not as relevant to the fact that we were in Tanzania, and security was often too tight to feel like you could gain a true Tanzanian experience.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	We lived in canvas safari tents. Each student had their own cot and mattress and we lived out of our suitcases. We had running water and working bathrooms, which was a plus. I loved being outdoors for 3 months.
* Food:	Our cooks were Kenyan and I feel that we were fed authentic cuisine. There were a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, and we were given traditional Kenyan/Tanzanian meals.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Unfortunately, the program was not flexible in terms of allotted time to explore independently or in small groups and I felt at times that, although in Tanzania, I was only interacting with the other American students on my program. I largely felt that I missed out on achieving genuine cultural experiences and interactions with the local community. However, the final month during Direct Research, I was able to interview members of communities and this final portion was by far the highlight of my abroad experience.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	SFS was very strict and we were not allowed to do many things on our own or in small groups. Any health issues that students had were addressed immediately and taken very seriously.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* 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)

Language

Language acquisition improvement?	The Swahili language course was not very effective and I did not feel well-equipped to interact with non-English speaking Tanzanians.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Other
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I had an amazing experience and learned an incredible amount, however if a more culturally-focused experience is desired as opposed to an academic one, I would suggest a different program, like SIT.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Public Policy and Socioeconomic Values
Course Department:
Instructor:	Salaton Tome
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Professor Tome did an incredible job of providing the necessary background to understand the history of Tanzania, the various laws and regulations in place on which wildlife were managed, and the major obstacles facing the community element of the human-wildlife conflict. It was interesting to consider how people were affected by the Tanzanian wildlife and national parks system, as opposed to solely how wildlife is affect by human development.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No, everything was able to be transferred.