An incredible journey filled with fire, ice and art! Past Review
By Sarah N Bone (Fine Arts, Studio Arts, Stephen F. Austin State University) - abroad from 05/16/2018 to 08/29/2018 with
Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA): Iceland Creative Residency
I gained so much exposure to different cultures and became all around more worldly. I feel learning how to properly travel and be a respectful tourist is a very important trait to have and this trip provided me with an environment to practice that!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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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? |
Very well! I got sick and had to go to the hospital and my professor and healthcare handled it very well. |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved my program. I absolutely loved my professors. I learned so much from them as to how to be an artist and travel, how to make a living doing art and just about life in general. |
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) |
Iceland is expensive, but we cooked a lot of the time and that really cut down on costs. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Hard to tell- while staying art the art center I only left to buy more food once... so that week I probably spent $100 or less. The rest of the trip that was spent in the city, including food, souvenirs, excursions and what not probably added up to around $800. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Work together with your classmates to buy groceries together. It is easier to cook for 2 people and get more bang for your buck as far as some meals go. It really works out well when everybody pitches in. |
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 |
We learned some basic dialect on our own just being around the natives. Very simple terms. We were only there for two weeks. |
| 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? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | High school Spanish III |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | If you are going on a two week maymester like me, I would say just learn some simple terms- hello, thank you, where is the bathroom... those were very helpful on our trip. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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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? | First aid may not be as readily available in foreign countries as it is here in the US. I got severe blisters on my feet the first day of hiking and couldn't find rubbing alcohol or Neosporin ANYWHERE! Not even in pharmacies. I wish I would have known to bring a first aid kit that was more detailed than a few bandaids and tylenol. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
