Incredible Skill-building Opportunity for Careers in International Development ! Past Review

By (Sociology and Anthropology., Brigham Young University) - abroad from 04/23/2012 to 07/23/2012 with

Brigham Young University: Multi-Region - Project Evaluation and Assessment Team - PEAT Internship

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Absolutely worthwhile! I learned an incredible amount about research, international development, and the worth of souls.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

No program is perfect, but the PEAT experience was pretty close!

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

This question is not applicable - we didn't have onsite administration other than the CHOICE country director, who was great.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Excellent! Stayed with families and at the CHOICE center.

* Food:

Varied house to house

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Extremely.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I got sick, but it was my choice not to seek care, not anyone else's responsibility.

* Safety:

I felt safe, especially while in the villages. Students do need to be careful, though.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $30
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? There is no program fee, really. You pay all your own expenses, so the cheaper you decide to live, the cheaper it will be.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

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

It wasn't exactly "encouragement," but we had to use the language every day to do our job.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Fluent
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Spanish 339
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Other
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?
  • Skills I gained
  • Relationships I formed
  • Career opportunities I received
* What could be improved?
  • slightly more direction from NGO
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That I needed to work extremely hard up front to make my results as good as they could be. I would have taken more research classes before going.