Cusco, Peru: Cradle of a Civilization Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The grading system wasn't anything that was too incompatible with my home university and because this was a new program there are some kinks, but the host university was quick to respond to suggestions and made accomadations as soon as possible. The Professors were wonderful and diverse, I feel they held up a standard that was both professional and worthy of any American university.

On-site administration of your program

The computer lab was always open and useful, but when it came to requiring printed papers, it was a bit excessive especially for not providing a printer on campus to accomodate us. Lockers would have been useful and as it gets very cold in classrooms and the lab, more heaters would have been nice. Office staff was helpful, but again didn't appreciate student use of the only printer on campus. Program size was small and helped with getting to know students quicker in a foreign environment and was conducive to healthy student-professor interaction (something that is not readily available in large public universities, U of F included).

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was particularly unlucky in this sense, my first host family was going through a divorce when I arrived and the family size was entirely too large to swallow. The bathroom was not maintained in a sanitary manner and helped in my decision to leave the first household. My second homestay was nice, it was just an elderly woman and her aid, they were welcoming and the bathroom and living situation was much cleaner.

Awesome. Food is a large part of the the cultural immersion and with the homestays I was able to partake in many meals that I wouldn't have known how to look for in formal dinig situations. The best places to eat out were probably Paddy's Irish Pub, Don Estebans & Don Panchos, The Frogs, Yuraq, Bembos, to list a few.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The Cusco city tour and Sacred Valley Tour were the first, but most certainly not forgettable. Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca trips were amazing, well-organized, and provided insight into other cultural regions in Peru.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

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

the opportunity to use the language was mostly in the homestays or with interactions with people navigating through the city. I didn't improve much, but that's mainly because I already speak Spanish and wanted mostly to work on grammar and writing composition. What true beginners were able to achive is quite impressing and this program is useful for that group of students, but advanced students didn't feel like they improved very much either.

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Host Family