Grateful for my island time July 26, 2022
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/11/2022 to 05/07/2022 with
IES Abroad: Galápagos Islands Direct Enrollment - GAIAS
I learned about politics of conservation and human/wildlife conflict. Some classes were boring, and there were times when I felt like I wasn't learning anything, but I've definitely taken lessons with me.
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. |
We took one class at a time and switched every three weeks. Some classes piled on the work toward the end. Research projects were difficult because the wifi on campus (and on the whole island) was very slow, if it worked at all. Though the classes were less rigorous than at my home school, they taught me interesting things about island geography, conflicts between tourism and sustainability, and the politics of conservation, among other topics. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Covid rules changed constantly. Administration wasn't transparent with students. For example, we were told we'd get two weeks in the Amazon, and that was later shortened to one week. IES staff were incredibly kind and helpful. The above issues were handled by USFQ, not IES, but IES staff did what they could to support me. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was lucky to have AC in my room, but my host family operated more like an Airbnb than a host family. |
| * Food: |
Fresh fruits and vegetables were available at the municipal market, but my host family often left veggies out of meals. As a vegan, I ate a lot of peanut butter (more like peanut paste, sold in unmarked plastic sacks), bread, bananas, and lentils from small restaurants. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Many of my friends had bad experiences at the hospital in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. |
| * Safety: |
Some of my friends were followed home by creepy men. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I snorkeled almost every day and loved all the field trips (within San Cristóbal and to other islands). The town is small: you can walk its perimeter in less than 4 miles. I got a bit of cabin fever and was very ready to leave after 3 months, but I'm so grateful to have lived and learned in such a unique and beautiful place. The weather forecast lies: with humidity and extreme sun, 75*F is hot as heck in the Galápagos. The week we spent in the Amazon Rainforest was incredible. |
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) |
A basic meal at the restaurant on Playa Mann is $4-6. I saved money by eating breakfast and dinner with my host family and making veggie sandwiches for lunch. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Get a debit card without ATM or foreign transaction fees. |
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 |
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| 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 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
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? | If you like hammocking, bring your hammock! Sunscreen is hecka expensive on the islands, so stock up. Bring an ethernet cable/adapter and a thumb drive. |
