Program Reviews

What a wonderful experience.
It was an incredible trip with incredible trip leaders. I would follow Gillian into the zombie apocalypse, I would follow John to the end of the world.

From the jungle to the city, the animals to the food, it was all great. Here are some highlights: big orange monkeys (I don’t know how to spell orungatungs), jungle adventure, surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, cultural immersion, food (the anjing was FIRE), Fiji, Bali, villages, and just everything. It was so good. I love this trip. You would love it too. Go John and Gillian. I am #foreverinspired.

This program is amazing and incredible and awesome and the best time ever! ARCC created such a special experience! John and Gill were the best leaders ever and this trip was truly life changing. I can’t recommend it enough! The food was so delicious, the activities were unique and pushed me out of my comfort zone, and the local partners were fabulous! Definitely do this program if you want a super super special gap year experience!

This was possibly one of the best life-changing experiences I’ve ever had. We had amazing food, amazing housing, and some wonderful adventures that I will remember forever shut out to John and Gillian our trip leaders. They really made this trip as magical as it could’ve been. They were literally like mom and dad and will forever be mentors in my eyes.

This gap semester has been incredibly interesting and shaping. I have been faced with a lot of my own ideas and how they apply to my life. This has definitely been a growth experience. I have learned a lot through the structure of the program and how it has related to what information we have been learning. I like the balance of curriculum of the area to the activities we’re doing. I also appreciate how centered arcc is on ethicality and involvement of local partners and projects. There are a lot of unique opportunities that have been presented within the program and it has been a really good way to see a new part of the world and get to know new people.

ARCC Southeast Asia is a really cool experience to be able to explore a part of the world that is hard to reach. It’s also very cool that they know local people and have guides specific to each country so you definitely get more out of this trip than if you were to try and solo travel here. I would recommend this program to anyone looking for an adventure and to stretch themselves out of their comfort zone. It’s a great way to be able to explore different cultures and ways of life. You get fully immersed in a different place and culture

To be honest my trip has been incredibly chaotic. Students leaving due to red code violations made things all the more difficult, but at the same time I think we all, including the instructors, handled it well. It brought those of us left closer together, and to be honest, the trip was made more fun. Because the group was smaller we were able to do more things than initially planned, and honestly I wouldn’t want a different experience. Despite all the turmoil, this has been the best trip of my life.

I felt that I learned a lot through putting myself in uncomfortable situations. I was able to grow a lot as a person. Though, many points throughout the trip I felt really uncomfortable. I can’t say that I really made and life long friends, though other people on the trip definitely have. The living conditions can very tough at times especially coming from my cushy home. Also, I’m not the most adventurous eater and often times I found myself craving food that wasn’t available. This trip has done a lot for my personal growth and I feel I’m a new and better person.

My experience was unique because in the last week I got tonsillitis and was almost entirely bedridden. I would suggest to future people to not get tonsillitis. Zanzibar seemed very cool and I would have loved to see and and suggest that others try and get sick before or maintain their health in order to see the final destination. Unfortunately I was stuck going in and out of hospitals and getting stuck with IVs. Overall John and Olivia were incredibly helpful and made the visits to the hospitals as pleasant as possible.

During the 70 days, I have learned so much about my self as a leader, how to work and live so close to others, and how to work as a supportive member of the group. Because of this program, I have gained the skills and knowledge to create less waste, garden and weed, and the importance of giving back to the ‘aina (land). I have found the value in traveling, trying new foods, working and meeting others. This semester has changed my life and perspective for the good and I will forever be grateful to this experience and those I shared it with.

Taking a gap year and going to Hawaii through ARCC was one of the best choices I have made. I got to escape my comfort zone and my little bubble back home to learn more about the world around me. On this program we learned about the culture of Hawaii and how to help the people and environment. Along the way we met some amazing people and made new friends that would forever change my POV of life. I recommend to anyone interested in taking a gap year and looking to find a passion to take on in the future to take a gap year and join a program. Doing this will definitely help you make a choice in what you want to study in the future going into college or university. I recommend this course of action to anyone who just graduated high-school who doesn't know what to do.