Difficult trip to go on for someone who cares.... Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The program was not academically rigorous. The only requirement was a paper before the program and then you have to read a chapter from a book. You present the book chapter and lead discussion while in Nicaragua. At the conclusion of the program you have to write a reflective paper. There were plenty of opportunities to learn in Nicaragua that I don't think were capitalized on. I wanted more academic rigor as I did not think I had proper understanding of the culture and industries of Nicaragua before I left or upon returning.

On-site administration of your program

The host organization we worked with, CEPAD, was amazing. The organization has strong values and their global development practices are admirable. The translator they provided was very good. He was very knowledgeable and did not have any problems translating.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The ranch we stayed at was amazing! There were full size bathrooms, reliable electricity, and the beds were comfortable. The ranch also had a variety of activities for us to participate in. The second place we stayed at was Cepana, a farm in a mountain community. The accommodations here were much worse. We found rodent droppings on our sheets and later saw a rat in our bedroom. The walls are really thin and you could hear the conversations of the people next to you. The toilets had to be flushed with a bucket of water. This was probably similar to a typical Nicaraguan house whereas the ranch is probably more like a resort to Nicaragua.

The food was really good. Be prepared to eat a lot of rice and beans. There was also fresh fruit juice at almost every meal. At Cepana, the farm in the mountains, the food was more repetitive and not that great. The food at the ranch was excellent and different every meal.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I always felt like we were isolated and did very touristy activities. I think we tried to integrate, but it did not work that well with a boisterous group of US students who don't speak Spanish.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

There were multiple pharmacies with easy access. I caught a cold on the second day and was basically sick the rest of the trip. I was always able to buy medicine at the grocery store or find a pharmacy. The medicine was easy to figure out when you have no Spanish skills. Even though we always drank purified water and ate safe food, we did end up getting diarrhea. I think it is inevitable.

Every building had bars over the doors and windows and there were security guards at almost every business. But the local people we interacted with were very honest and trusting. Even in the market, I had no problem of getting a fair price or getting the correct amount of money back in change. We were not able to go out after dark though for safety and security reasons. Nothing was stolen in our group.

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

I took $210 dollars and found that adequate. I used my card a couple of times but for a total of less than $30. I only changed $50 to Cordoba and the rest of my time used US dollars. The dollars were accepted everywhere we went but you would get you change back in Cordoba, not dollars. You will need clean crisp bills. I would also suggest taking lots of 10s, 5s and 1s, definitely nothing higher than $20 bill.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

It was encouraged to use Spanish if you could speak it, but almost no one could and so we utilized our translator a lot.

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• Hostel

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• Americans

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• Americans

• the day at the beach
• volcano boarding
• interacting with local people

• COMMUNICATION!!! from the professor to student
• professionalism, being culturally sensitive and making appropriate comments
• student attitudes, be open to learning and be flexible

The Avid Adventurer