Amazing Experience in Kenya Past Review
By Kara S (Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography., Rollins College) for
The School for Field Studies / SFS: Tanzania - Wildlife Management Studies
It was an amazing experience that I am so lucky to have participated in. It gave me a whole new outlook of the world and of my life and really made me thankful for everything that I have. It was absolutely incredible and I would recommend it to anyone who was interested.
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. |
I think I learned a lot about another culture and I was able to make comparisons to my own culture. I definitely enjoyed the game drives and field work in Kenya and I think that really made the program so enjoyable. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
We had our students affairs manager on site with us at all times. She was amazing at keeping us safe and helping us with any problem we encountered. She was also there for us as a friend who knew what we were going through. She was absolutely perfect for the program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We lived in small huts that had beds, mosquito nets, and shelves. It was actually really nice except there were no lights past 10pm and it was very scary at night since there are a lot of snakes in Kenya. |
| * Food: |
They always had vegetarian dishes available and we were actually able to cook things for ourselves (brownies) when we asked permission. The cooks were very nice and listened to our meal suggestions. They even made us mac and cheese one night. They mostly made traditional meals for us to try and we all really loved them. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I had a great time with the other students, we became a small family. We went on many field trips to see the elephant orphanage, a giraffe sanctuary, a ceramic bead-making place. We were able to experience a lot of different things during the month, it was always so much fun. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
No one got sick during the program. A few students had trouble with caterpillars that left very itchy rashes on their skin but it was taken care of right away, even though it was at 2 in the morning one time. I felt oddly safe in our campsite considering lions were roaming around. There was an electric fence around us and we always had guards walking around at night. The guards had crazy stories about run-ins with wildlife so I trusted they were capable of keeping us safe. |
| 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? | It differed each week, depending on what activities we had planned. Everything was really inexpensive compared to what they would be here. I'd say that I spent about $15 a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | My friends and family at home really appreciated the gifts I bought in Kenya. Buying from locals is much better than buying from stores because that money goes directly to their family and it really helps them out to buy their hand-crafted goods. I would definitely recommend bringing more money than you plan to spend because you can always bring it home. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Someone who really wants to learn more about the wildlife in Kenya. I would recommend it to students who are passionate about animal rights and want to work in conservation. |
