Past Review

By (biology, environmental science, Tufts University) for

SIT Study Abroad: Madagascar - Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was definitely an experience. It was great getting to see a completely different culture and language, as well as being able to use my French language skills. I got to incorporate biology and environmental studies into my work which was what I was looking for. It also made me really expand my horizons - we spent a week in a village where everyone just spoke Malagasy, and it made me reconsider how to communicate with people without language. An interesting thing that I hadn't really considered was the racial and gender aspects of studying abroad in Madagascar - as a white woman, my perspective was really different and the treatment I received was also really different from what I was used to. I definitely felt restricted at times by cultural norms for women that I didn't necessarily agree with. But that was also something new to deal with, that made me more flexible and understanding.

Personal Information

The term and year this program took place: Spring 2008

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Again, it was all experiential learning which was really great, but only if that's what you're expecting. A lot of students came in expecting rigorous academics like they were used to from American universities, and it was definitely a different pace and intensity. But I really enjoyed going out in the field and actually practicing research techniques as opposed to sitting in a classroom and talking about them.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The academic director was an interim head, and had never run the program before. He was really well intentioned and had worked with the program as a lecturer, but as a result not everything ran as smoothly as hoped. But he spoke English, had been living and working in the country for many years, and was really accessible on a personal as well as academic level.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Every student was assigned a host family. Living arrangements varied, but my family (father, mother, three small children) lived in a small house about a 20 minute walk from school with limited electricity, water from a spigot out back, a flushing toilet, and a bucket shower. <br /><br />

* Food:

Lots and lots of rice. But that comes with the country. Our host families provided breakfast and dinner, and we ate lunch at school. The program provided pretty good meals.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

When we were in Ft. Dauphin, there was not a lot of free time outside classes. We were in school all day, then would have limited time in the afternoon before we would have to be home with our families. However, we did a lot of traveling which was really fun and once we were on our independent study projects we were free to kind of keep our own hours, which was really liberating. We also went to an awesome music festival and did a lot of traveling the last week of the program, as a "vacation".

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Ft. Dauphin was pretty safe - I could walk around alone during the day and feel perfectly comfortable in most areas of the town. It was not a good idea to be out at night, especially alone, especially as a white woman. The program did a pretty good job during orientation addressing safety issues and precautions we could take. A couple students were mugged at machete-point the first week we were in Ft. Dauphin, but they were walking on a seedier road and there was a lot of help and support from the community (the students were unharmed, the guys were caught, and their stuff was returned). As for health, prepare to get sick as there are a lot of bugs that we have no immunity to. But the program was also really good about letting us know what was good to eat or not eat, and was really good about getting students to a doctor if something was really bad. The academic director worked in ethnobotany (medicinal plants) so he was good at helping out minor ailments. The healthcare system is a little sketchier than in the states, but healthcare is adequate and will help you out (one girl dislocated her shoulder, and got it set and was fine, for example).

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? maybe $10, if that
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? The exchange rate is very favorable, and things are really cheap. Food and housing is provided when we're with homestays, and we got a stipend for our independent study projects.

Language

Language acquisition improvement?

My language skills improved more due to the fact that everyone spoke French (and not English) as opposed to specific instruction from the program. Lectures were conducted in French (as the lecturers themselves didn't speak English) but the director almost always communicated in English. Malagasy (the native language in Madagascar) instruction was good at first, then we were kind of left on our own to utilize it and learn more.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? If deciding between Ecology and Conservation and Culture and Society, I recommend Ecology and Conservation b/c we travel around and see so much more of the country, and aren't based in Tana which is a lot more westernized. Try to learn as much Malagasy as you can, because it's awesome and so much better to communicate with people.