Program Reviews

I had the most amazing experience, I made new friends and learned about a culture I never really thought about. I expanded my views of the world and how even people living in the same country can have different ideas, habits, and beliefs based of of where they live and what they have access to. We got to ride horses, stay in gers (yurts), ride camels, visit monasteries, help out at a school, and learn the language. I also made 15 new life long friends, we had our ups and downs like all groups do and came out stronger and more united because of the conflict we resolved. This program has changed my life and me in the best ways possible

Traveling to Tanzania was truly a memorable experience for me. The moment we arrived to Dar es Salaam I felt good about where I would be for the next days. The first week while we were there i can't express in words how much we were able to do. We went on a bike tour around the city where we visited different neighborhoods and got o learn about the people who live there. We went to Dar's beautiful beaches, we went to carving classes and learned about their detailed and hard work put into their art pieces. The food at each restaurant was so good, and taking Swahili classes really helped when we wanted to do some local shopping around the city. My home stay experience at Stahabu, a village near the coast of Tanzania was unspeakable. Spending time with my home stay family made me realize a lot of things about myself and my relationships with my own family back at home. Working with the children from the village for our community service project was o much fun, and a worthy experience to share a space with kids eager to learn. Working at a construction cite to help build a school made me realize the importance of having a space where everyone can have the opportunity to an education. When spending time with other members of the village and dancing along with them, I felt connected to their community and at home. In Arusha, I was surprised with how much history was behind the community center in which we stayed. I had the opportunity to paint a mural with other members of my group and I was amazed by how it turned out, we really went beyond our expectations. At the Massai, the complete different environment that i was exposed to caught my eye the moment we arrived. Meeting our mommas, dancing with them and beading them are of the many memories I will forever keep because of how kind and energetic they were. Learning about their daily lives, their chores, their traditions amazed me in so many ways because they lived such simple lived and yet they were so happy to share with one another without any problem. The safari in Kilimanjaro left me speechless, the view there was more than beautiful, the animals we got to see were very exciting and truly out there in their habitat, it was nice to be able to see them out in the wild instead of closed in in cages or glassed rooms. I fell in love with Tanzania as a whole. The landscapes were huge and different from another making each of them unique in their own ways. The sky was so clear sometimes, you could see so many stars and even shooting stars if you got lucky. The people were so warmhearted, full of energy and their happiness was easily contagious. Their culture was so interesting to learn about and to be a part of, I do hope and I know I will see myself going back in a few years.

I honestly didn't think I was going to change as much as I did. Not only getting to practice my Chinese, I was also getting to be myself on the trip. I matured, and embraced a love for learning new things. From learning about the culture, ancient culture and rural culture, as well as seeing the modern youth culture versus the American youth culture. It was amazing to see all of this, all while I matured as well! This trip, I will never forget. I highly recommend this trip. It was amazing.

Being able to study abroad with the experiment program was a great experience. You meet new people, try different food, and learn to be more independent. The leaders are fun and understanding, we all just became one big family. If there’s something you and some of your members want to see or do, all you have to do is talk to your leaders. They want you to have fun and will do all they can to make you comfortable.

Being able to study abroad with the experiment program was a great experience. You meet new people, try different food, and learn to be more independent. The leaders are fun and understanding, we all just became one big family. If there’s something you and some of your members want to see or do, all you have to do is talk to your leaders. They want you to have fun and will do all they can to make you comfortable.

After going on this trip, I had more appreciation for culinary chefs! The whole trip was amazing and definitely an eye-opening experience everyone should get to experience. You definitely learn to be independent while you roam the streets of Paris and Lyon with your group. We also went at a wonderful time, we had front row sits to see Tour de France and it was my first time experiencing a country win the World Cup and celebrate so enthusiastically. I really can not stress how enjoyable this was for me.

In the beginning, the introduction of the Spanish language was eased into our daily duties, such as ordering food or buying things. Then, during the homestay is where I learned the most since my host family solely spoke Spanish. Towards the end of the trip, I was able to have full conversations. After returning home, I was surprised when I realized how much more Spanish I came back with compared to when I left. Overall, I believe it's a great way to learn a language, because of the idea of being thrown into it and having to learn.

I have been to Vietnam before when I was a little girl, but going into this program I have experience the ecology and conservation part of Vietnam. I felt connected with my culture and I felt proud of having some knowledge about it. I was kind of a translator in my group when the Vietnamese leader was not around, and it was cool to speak 2 languages going back and forth. I would say that this experience in Vietnam has change the way I think about life and that is you should take care of your environment and also take care of yourself. As a Vietnamese American I am proud that I have a culture to be a part of. What I realize is that I need to work on my skills in the Vietnamese Language and expand on more knowledge about Vietnam. Some of the favorite places that I have visited was Da Lat because I love how the agriculture is so engraved into the local community, also Con Dao island because it is beautiful and I had the chance to go canoe for the first time, which is funny because I live in Minnesota :) Another part of the program that I enjoyed was being able to visit the indigenous people of Vietnam and having a short wild party with them. SOME TIPS - please bring a hoodie just in case, MOSQUITO REPELLENT!!, try new things, bring at least 2-3 pairs of longer pants because you gotta watch out for leaches.. they suck literally, at first you would feel crappy from the flight/culture shock but that's part of the experience and that is to challenge yourself to this cool adventure. FAVORITE kinda memory of mine was when 2 of my friends was walking in Cat Tien park and we walked far and it started to drizzle rain so we went back and it was a waterfall. I could not see anything and it was scary, my friend was screaming and complaining and I was scared but also laughing about how she was complaining. Another memory was when the group is going back home. My friend had lost her passport for about 30 minutes I think and I suddenly had her passport and then It was my turn to look for mine. At that time it was time for boarding and I was freaking out. I did eventually find it after like 15-20 minutes and I started to cry because it was the scariest thing I have ever experience. TIP - please keep your valuables safe. Okay this is long so.. Lastly I would like to say that if you are interested in learning about the environment or learning about Vietnam's culture, you should join and learn more in this program. Good Luck.

Despite the slight cultural variations in different parts of Japan, Japanese people homogenously value cleaniliness, respect, and productivity. Due to their desire to full fill their social responsibility, they make sure that foreigners, irrespective of their own personal beliefs, are welcomed and treated well. Apart form the welcoming atmosphere, there are a plathera of places to explore and things to do. Every corner has something to offer, so don't limit your journey to just touristy destinations.

*The more you make an effort to learn the language, the more they make the effort to assist you in doing so.

During my time abroad in Argentina this past summer, I learned so many valuable lessons about both myself and the world around me. This was an amazing program, from the places we stayed, to all the fun activities, as well as my fantastic group leaders. After returning, I felt like there was a whole new side of life that was available to me, and in the month that I have been back, I have become so much more aware of the world around me