The Experiment in International Living Reviews

This Northern China study abroad trip was one of the best experiences of my life. It made me realize that the best way to travel is to be immersed into the culture completely. I loved exploring different parts of China and learning their way of life. It was so different from what I was used to, which is what made it so amazing. I enjoyed communicating with locals and learning about China's extensive history from all the sites we visited. The host families I had were also so kind and welcoming and I am so glad I had the opportunity to make memories with them. I never once felt unsafe during this trip, and I owe it to EIL for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I will always cherish the memories I made with my group and others in China. I have made best friends for life and would 10/10 recommend EIL for studying abroad.

During the first lessons we had in Mongolia at the SIT office, we lame that the country was also proudly referred to as the "Land of the Blue Sky." As the trip continued from there on, I truly experienced the authenticity to that phrase through 4 o' clock morning hours to see the sun rise and just looking out from the hills in the Gobi Desert.

From traveling to the ger camp in Khovsgul (largest freshwater lake in Mongolia) through a 5 hour horse trek to doing community service with Mongolian students, I was able to take in parts of the culture through everything that we did. In this experience, I not only learned what it meant to look out for myself and grow in my independence, but I also learned about teamwork and looking out for my whole group. By traveling as a group and doing stuff together day in and day out, I really came out of my shell in just a few days and made such great friends on the trip that just made the whole experiment all the more amazing.

Mongolia truly is a big and a whole new different country that has a lot of things to offer. As my group and I traveled to the different regions of the land, we came to understand that even if we are all under the same blue sky, each part of Mongolia had different things to offer. The weather changes are drastic and all of the sudden there can be a sand storm with rain coming down, however, that just makes the experience all the more real and enjoyable when the sun came out.

The part of this trip that made the biggest difference in the world was knowing that you could find trust in the leaders from the program. Both in country leaders and from the states leaders had great experiences in the country and were able to answer all sorts of questions that we had(and trust me, it was a lot). One of the greatest memories was just sitting around in a circle with all the students and all of the leaders as we went around telling funny stories and horror stories under the beautiful night sky where stars were actually visible. The dedication that they showed us is something that is truly unforgettable.

Honestly, who can ever say that they went to Mongolia and did all these things? I can genuinely say that I fell in love with the land and traveling and I can't wait till the next time I go back.

When I first learned that I would be traveling to Argentina, I didn't know what to expect. I hadn't known much about the country other than the fact that the people speak Spanish. So I think you can tell that I didn't have high expectations for this trip. However, the moment I met my group in the airport, I knew this was going to be a life-changing trip, and it was. Together as a group, we helped communities through community service, navigated the cities without supervision, stayed with host families, and more, all while speaking in a foreign language. This month gave me a new outlook on the world and how I interact with people. Once I returned to the States, I made sure that I treated people with the utmost respect because that is how Argentains treat their fellows. In addition to gaining more social skills, I also gained a family. During this month, I've grown so close to a group of people from different backgrounds and ethnicities and they will forever be apart of my life. So all in all, this trip wasn't what I imagined it to be; it was so much better, and I will forever be thankful for this opportunity that the Experiment has provided me with. I am eternally grateful.

Throughout my six weeks in this program I have changed in more ways than what I expected. Everything about this program made me realize that I am much more privileged than what I thought (especially in the rural homestay). I have met people that have motivated and continue to motivate me and, with them, I discussed issues that affect both me and the world. Throughout the course of this program, I have learned more about myself, the country of South Africa, and my own world in ways that opened my eyes. I have learned from many topics ranging from international relations to grassroots movements and from youth leadership to South African politics. I am very appreciative of everything the Experiment in International Living has done in terms of bringing a passionate group together and giving us the opportunity to be leaders. I have felt so impacted by the beautiful diversity of our student group and, as a result, this program has given me an opportunity to be more comfortable in my own skin. EIL chose the perfect location to study peace, politics, and human rights since South Africa has a lot of interesting history surrounding these topics. My summer with EIL's Leadership Institute is one that I will always remember! Overall I would HIGHLY recommend this program to anyone who wants to commit in creating change and to anyone who wants to learn more about social justice!!!

My trip to Costa Rica was unforgettable. During the four week program, I have tried many things in Costa Rica. Some highlights would include zip lining and kayaking for the first time. These two highlights but there were many more. Living with my host family for two weeks was an amazing experience because I felt like I had a second family. They were so caring that it made me feel like I was at home. I've learned a lot about the Costa Rican culture through my family and through our trips around the coast. Overall, I would recommend this trip to anyone that is looking to expand their comfort zone and knowledge about Costa Rica.

I attended EIL’s Japan: Language and Cultural Traditions program this past summer and I could not dream, of a better experience. The people, the culture, the food, the experience was one that seemed out of a book, but what I found most amazing was how my view of myself changed over those four, hot summer weeks and even more once I returned.
Throughout the program, there were always new challenges being presented every time we changed location, ate at a new restaurant, or met a new person. As a study abroad student in Japan that does not know a significant amount of Japanese, this was extremely challenging, but also incredibly rewarding. It became an essential survival skill to have to put yourself out there and face the difficulties. Never before in my life have I had to do that and eventually it became comfortable to be uncomfortable. I learned new ways of communication not just through language, but with hand gestures, body language, and facial expressions. Other challenges, like behavior, also changed the way I saw myself. The people there had different customs and social norms for behavior that I was not used to. Sales associates bowing, only being able to use the left side of the elevator, showing politeness by keeping your hands on the front of your body, and the manner in which you gave and received money was all brand new to me, and it taught me a lot about cultural sensitivity and customs. I had to fight against by basic social instincts because I did not want to be rude to anyone. It opened my eyes to the way others receive culture and how people adapt to the change. I saw tourists and other students either be completely fine with the shift or have this great internal war with themselves like many others were probably feeling at the time too. I began to understand the importance of culture in its most natural form. I had to experiment with my Experiment.
The way I view myself now was not the way I viewed myself before those four weeks. There were a few moments in particular where I saw this shift. The first was during my homestay in Nanae, Japan. I was having a delicious dinner with my family when my host father began to tell me how “Japanese” I was in character. He praised the way I addressed people, showed respect by bowing, got along with others, and in general how I acted. Never in my life have I received such praise, and at first I didn’t know what to do with this information. It was like looking at a mirror, recognizing the way you always looked, except your reflection began to tell you things you never knew about yourself. It was a confidence boost that will survive for the rest of my life. The other time was at the end of my program during the closing ceremonies/activities. As a group, each person would tie a string around another person’s wrist and tell them something you would remember them by, or what you appreciated about them. When it came time to exchange ties with one of my group leaders, she explained how she was grateful for my quiet leadership. As a socially shy person, the idea that I could be a leader in any shape, way, or form was insane, but the sincerity of my leader’s words caught me off guard, and I realized she truly meant it. Coming home I was expected to be bombarded by questions about my experience abroad, which turned out to be an understatement, but I was still questioning myself as to how I was going to receive it. I found it very easy to answer peoples’ questions, not just because I had the time of my life, but because I had more confidence in myself to talk to people and explain what happened and what I learned.
After my experience abroad I want to do so much more. I want to explore more, talk more, explore more, and learn more. My perspective on myself and the world has changed, and I couldn’t have had a better way to spend my summer than doing my program with the Experiment.

Going to Mexico with all these amazing people from around the world has been life changing. Not only have I learned so much about Mexico and Marine Biology but I have made life long friendships with not only my group but with my host family, our Marine Biologist guide, and many other people. I felt like I was at my best when I was in Mexico with these wonderful people. I would do all these essays over and over again because this program was most definitely worth it.

I went into the program not knowing what to expect and I came out with experiences that will shape my life forever. In this program I was pushed to view my American sexual education in a different light when comparing it to the education in the Netherlands. From an exhibit about sex in the Amsterdam Children's Museum to the sexual education that begins in kindergarten, I fell in love with the open attitudes people have about sex. We had amazing speakers in the classroom who were all so knowledgable in their field. But really the best part of the trip for me was the people I went with. The group leaders were so good about making sure we safe and having fun. And the other students were some of the most open minded and inclusive people you could ever meet. By the end of the three weeks I felt like I had created a family with them. I will never forget the late night talks with my roommates about everything from gay hookup culture to police brutality. Before lessons in the morning those early to the office would have coffee together and talk about activism and queer* culture and sexual education. That is the kind of environment that this program fosters. This program was full of learning both inside and outside of the classroom. The ability to really get close to the other participants in the hostels was probably my favorite part. Although we didn't get much sleep, I learned so much about other people's perspectives on the word. Because everyone had such diverse backgrounds, we we all able to come at topics with a different perspective. My favorite memory was the last hostel stay where we all stayed up just talking about life, death, body image, activism, queer* culture, kink, sex, private schools, institutional racism, and so much more. The people that want to be having these conversations are the ones that go on this trip. Be prepared to share your perspective and have it pushed by others.

The title of this trip was LGBTQ+ Rights & Dutch Culture, but I would say it leans much more heavily on LGBTQ+ rights and human rights. We spent very little time on Dutch culture (not including our own explorations of the city which were amazing but more of a self learning) and had only one lesson in Dutch. However, I do not think that this negatively impacted my trip an any way. We learned about the African Diaspora though music, and got to visit an interactive museum about the challenges and hardships of immigration, and have a tour of everything queer* at the zoo (fun fact pretty much every animal has gay sex). And those experiences I would not trade for a lesson in Dutch that I wouldn't be able to remember after a few weeks.

Going to Mongolia was the best thing could have happened to me this summer. I grew so much as a person and really learned to appreciate the life I have in America. We got to explore the capital city and saw a new part of it each day we were there. It was amazing to the see how each region in Mongolia was so different from each other yet all had the same central values. The homestay was the most fun for me! My family was awesome and I loved helping them with their daily chores like herding sheep, milking cows and helping to cook! This was an experience that I will never forget and will truly cherish for the rest of my life.

I would definitely recommend this program.
I went to Morocco in the summer of 2017. I was an amazing experience! I enjoyed this trip so much. At first I was worried because I didn't know anything about the culture and I wouldn't know anyone. But everyone was so kind and welcoming that we quickly bonded to become a close family. We learned so much about Moroccan culture, language, history and food. We learned how to weave, cook, speak Moroccan Arabic. We rode camels in the Sahara and went shopping in souks. There is a homestay, where you get to experience the Moroccan lifestyle. You will do community service and teach English to the local children.
Everyone was so friendly. The group leaders were very helpful and made sure the group dynamic was always positive.
Through this trip, I learned how to be more independent and outgoing. This trip made me grow as a person.
The Experiment in International Living definitely has some of the best summer abroad programs! You won't regret going on one of its trips!