Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Hands-on lab projects and learning Kiswahili language were great! Past Review

By (Biology/Secondary Education, Birmingham-Southern College) - abroad from 05/27/2018 to 07/15/2018 with

SIT Study Abroad: Public Health in the Tropics Internship (Summer)

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
During the hand on lab projects with Kenya Medical Research Institute and the Center for Disease Control, KEMRI/CDC, I learned the value of coordinated teamwork.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* 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

It has always been my dream to explore public health policies and how they affect the local and international populations. By living with a host family and participating in hand on lab projects with KEMRI/CDC in Kenya, I came to realize that SIT takes a coordinated team works and community involvement to help students appreciate the depth of the course being offered. Through such coordinated approaches, the staff ensured that students are immersed into the worldview of the community so that they can appreciate the complex beauty and crisis embedded within, and how such beauty and crisis can influence public health, culture, or politics in the community. I would definitely choose the same program if I had to do it again.

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)

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? None
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Intermediate
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
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?
  • The hand on lab projects and learning Kiswahili language were great inspiration during the program.
  • I love living with my host family. My host mum helped me gained valuable understanding about the culture, and daily ensured that I had variety of local foods, such as "Omene" (Sardine like-fish cooked in milk). The host family also helped me honed my passion for speaking Kiswahili.
  • The excursion/Safari to Masai Mara to see wild animals was breath taking, and a visit to traditional healers/herbalists was an eye-opening, and had inspired me to appreciate how public policies from grass-root level can influence the community.