SFS: Kenya Memorable and life changing Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload on teh first week is very intense, but only so that you can get the information that you need for the rest of the 3 weeks that you are there. The teaching was very good, but very different from what I was used to at my university. The papers were written in a much more scientific manner and really helped me to improve my scientific writing for my research in biology. It was a different and very benificial teaching method that helped me to learn how to learn from not only a different perspective, but also write in a different and more diligent style,

On-site administration of your program

The administration was amazing, they organized many activities and events for us to participate in, but also allowed us to decide which of the programs we would like to do and if we had ony other new idea for programs. We were able to experiance an elephant sanctuary and giraffe sanctuary as well as some local wonders like Kitengela glass which is a whole small town constructed of recycled glass products it was truely beautifully.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

We lived in Bandas which are small huts because we were located right next to Niarobi national Park. The housing was still very nice with security agianst the outdoors. The entire camp was within an electric fence to prevent wildlife from entering, but the monkeys did manage to hang out around us quite often. It was a truely amazing experiance and close experiance with the wildlife. We could hear the lions roaring at night and knew they were very close to us, but I still felt safe within my banda. We did stay with one roomate, but the days are very busy spent in the parks and watching teh wildlife or on other projects so there is little time spent in the Bandas besides sleep.

The food was delicious it was very different from what I was used to, but wonderful. We ate varyiung fruits for all means and they were all very good. The cooks would also cook dishes from our home to help us, like grilled cheese and while it wasn't quite the same it was a kind reminder of home.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I cannot express how this experience changed my whole life. I thought I could put myself in other peoples shoes but I truely had no idea. This experience opened up my eyes and my world and also surprized me. I had never seen families so happy and communities that worked together so well. Everyone helps one another and looks out for one another and the whole village was so welcoming it truely felt like a second home.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

We were completely safe the entire time we were in this program from the moment we left the plane to when we got back on we were protected. There were constantly people guarding the camp and the only real issue on the whole trip were mosquito bites.

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

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• Dorm
• Other

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• International Students