A wonderful, eye opening, incredible adventure! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Through this program I was exposed to so many new topics and issues that I would never have experienced in a traditional classroom setting. While some of the courses themselves may have not been as rigorous as a typical college class, it allowed for more exploration and interaction with the people that lived in Panama and they were challenging in other ways. The professors and staff are amazing and incredibly knowledgeable in their fields.

On-site administration of your program

Superb! The staff were always willing to assist with anything that we need and really became like our family in Panama. You could tell that they really cared about the well-being of all of us and wanted us to have the best experience possible.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

We got to stay in a variety of locations (5 different homestays, hostels, hotels) and all of them were great. I absolutely loved living with my homestay families, who were all so incredibly generous and welcoming.

As someone with multiple food allergies, this was one of my main concerns at the beginning of the program. The staff in Panama made sure to communicate with families and restaurants to ensure that there would be food that I would be able to eat. Sometimes, we would not get as much food as I would have liked and they were often very limited in variety, but all tasty. There are plenty of grocery stores and small markets around to buy extra snacks, which was nice to have on many of the excursions. Many of the stores in Panama City had the same brands and types of food as in the United States, so I was able to find allergy friendly food when we were there.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Living with a homestay family made it easier to feel like part of the local culture. We got to participate is some local traditions at a couple of the excursion locations which was a very memorable experience.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I always felt safe whenever we were with the group. We had a safety staff person with us when we went on excursions. When in the city or traveling without the group make sure to use common sense and try to go in groups.

Yes, Yes Yes! This program was incredible. I gained so many new skills, grew as a person in ways that I couldn't have imagined, and had a great time doing it. The staff of this program as stellar and I will forever be thankful for this experience.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

It was very easy to not spend too much. The dollar goes quite a long way in Panama. I spent about $300 over the whole semester on snacks and souvenirs.

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

All classes were in English so we mostly only spoke in Spanish to our host families and whenever we exploring on our own. We were encouraged to practice as much as we could with our host families.

Select all that apply

• Host Family
• Hotel
• Hostel

Select all that apply

• Americans
• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Americans

• The people- my host families
• The Place- this country is gorgeous
• The subject- biodiversity conservation is my thing

• more time spent on certain subjects, some lessons were only covered in 2 days

The Avid Adventurer