You NEED to do this program. Past Review
By A student (Public Health., Tulane University) - abroad from 06/20/2012 to 08/12/2012 with
ThinkImpact: Rwanda - Institute for Social Innovation
I gained a whole new perspective, I gained confidence and leadership skills, and I started a business as a 20 year old with Rwandans--how cool is that?
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Seminars were rigorous without being overwhelming. Some exercises and seminars were more effective than others, but ThinkImpact was great about collecting feedback and improving the things that didn't work as well. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Both the country adviser and program manager were excellent, as were the advisers. Any issues that came up were handled professionally and quickly. Even though it was ThinkImpact's first program in Rwanda, it was very organized and I felt safe and comfortable. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The homestays were extensively vetted by the program manager, and pretty much everyone had a great experience. My family was wonderful, and we had a nice living situation (quality of the houses varied, but my homestay partner and I had our own beds, we had some electricity in our house, and a fairly nice latrine). If homestay situations didn't work out for some reason, ThinkImpact has backup families on call so the students that needed to switch were able to do so the same day. I still keep in touch with my host family, and several of us have gone back to visit our families in Rwanda. Living with a host family is the best way to immerse yourself in a culture, and this experience was no different! |
| * Food: |
The food is very very carb-heavy. My family really wanted to make things we liked, but it was still a lot of potatoes and plantains. I am also a vegetarian, so that didn't help, even though my family didn't eat a lot of meat anyway. I brought lots of energy bars, which were really helpful. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
As a white American girl, I definitely stood out from the villagers, I still felt integrated into the community. My family was very inclusive, and understood the importance of sharing cultural traditions with us, as we did in return. You never really get used to all the attention, especially from the kids, but it was basically all well-intentioned. You may even get a wedding proposal or two! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Some people had stomach problems (just a normal side effect of traveling) and TI was great about transporting them to the hospital and checking in on them, bringing them anything they needed, etc. The health problem that almost everyone had were chigo fleas or jigas, which are little fleas that get into your feet (It's not as bad as it sounds!). I think now families are teaching their homestay kids how to properly clean their feet so they don't get them, but the program manager also would treat them for us. |
| * Safety: |
Kigali was pretty safe, as was the community we lived in, Bwana. It was still unsafe to go out at night alone, but there really wasn't any need to do that anyway. Just be smart with your money and belongings, don't bring valuables with you, just general travel (or any urban envionment really) safety precautions should be fine. |
| 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) |
Minimal cost, only expenses were souvenirs, snacks, and optional excursions (which I would definitely recommend). |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $10 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Bring some preservable food from home, because american and imported food is really expensive in-country |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
We had a couple lessons of kinyarwandan, but we weren't necessarily encouraged to use the language. We always had translators with us when we were working. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none of kinyarwandan |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | I made myself a little dictionary, where I would write down vocab words as I learned them, and carried that around with me. |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | The challenge of the program is what makes it worthwhile! |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
