Amazing Internship Experience in Armenia Past Review
By Araxie Cass (University of Chicago) - abroad from 06/13/2018 to 07/29/2018 with
American Councils (ACTR): OPIT Internship Program
I learned a lot about working in a non-profit from my internship specifically, but equally valuable was learning from the experience of navigating another culture. My host family was very valuable in this as they had a very different style of living than my normal family and navigating that was a little challenging but so worthwhile in the end. Would absolutely recommend because it gives you an opportunity to experience living abroad but also build your resume and work experience.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I had an opportunity to work in a local non-profit which is what I hoped for, and it was really informative for my major and career decisions. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Staff were very receptive and checked in on us regularly to make sure the experience was good and see if they could help us improve it in any way. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Really nice host family, gave me a lot of opportunity to practice Armenian language. |
| * Food: |
Lots of good, homemade food whenever I wanted it and eating out is also very delicious and very cheap. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
You definitely stand out as a foreigner and I had some trouble with the language barrier, but Armenia is a very friendly and welcoming country and culture so it is not really a problem. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
We had insurance and the staff was ready to help us with any health concerns even on short notice. |
| * Safety: |
Yerevan is very safe, I am a young woman, but I found that I was able to walk around even at night and feel very safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I really wanted to intern in Armenia and OPIT gave me the opportunity to do it even though I could not speak professional-level Armenia. It also made the experience so much more accessible because Armenian culture is very different from what I am used to, so having staff and other peers there was really helpful to deal with any problems. |
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) |
Armenia is extremely cheap for Americans. For instance, you can buy a loaf of bread for $0.50, most meals for $3, and public transit fare for about $0.20 |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $20 or less |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you are traveling try to do it in a group and ask your host family and other locals for cheap options since a lot of information goes by word of mouth there |
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 |
The program was not language-based so you could definitely get around without knowing Armenian. However, I took language classes and spent a fair amount of time with locals so I had an extremely valuable opportunity to practice and my language skills got SO much better. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I had finished the first year course at my university |
| 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? | MEET LOCALS. You have to go out of your way to do this as a non-Armenian speaker, but the program staff can connect you with local students, and you may be able to meet people through your host family or work. |
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? | I wish I had thought more before about what I wanted out of my internship and what type of projects I could do with them because it would have improved that part of the experience. |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
