Yunnan is my new home forever Past Review
By Jennifer R (Anthropology and East Asian Studies, The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 02/14/2012 to 05/25/2012 with
SIT Study Abroad: China - Health, Environment, and Traditional Chinese Medicine
I learned to form meaningful relationships cross-culturally and how to stay flexible and adapt to new situations. This experience also enabled me to find a clearer direction and focus in my life: I want to work in China and get involved with sustainable development. It taught me how important history is shaping and understanding modern societies: I feel I understand how China ticks a lot better than I do the USA. It was fantastically worthwhile.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | We mostly stuck to Yunnan Mingzu Daxue, but there were lectures sprinkled everywhere in Yunnan. |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The ISP was especially challenging, but the rest of the coursework was fairly strait-forward. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
|
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The dorm was pleasant and the hotels we stayed in were usually quite adequate. |
| * Food: |
Luyuan, the program director, knows how to feed us kids. We ate amazing food over and over again. It was like a foodie's wetdream: so much food to eat, so much new food to try. Chinese food is incredible! |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The homestay experiences were really effective. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
|
| 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 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
They budgeted most of our expenses for us, so outside of excessive drinking or eating, most things were quite affordable. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | If I was drinking or eating fancy, outside what they gave us, maybe 15$ a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Drink and eat cheap!! There are so many inexpensive eateries, street-foods, and beer is so cheap at convenience stores. Make a budget and stick to it. Try and buy cute but small portable trinkets as gifts. Postcards are super easy to transport. |
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 |
|
| 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? | Beginner I, but I still just tested back into Beginner I when I first came to China |
| 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? | Make lot's of Chinese friends!! Speak it all the time with everyone. Review all the time. Consumer lots of Chinese media. Get outside and involved. Talk to strangers. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I had really done a lot more prep work with "how to do anthropological research" or even just research in general. The more you know about research, the better you are from the beginning. |
