Experiment in International Living
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Experiment in International Living
February 2007
My daughter wants to go to Mexico with ''Experiment in
International Living'' - has anyone had experience with
these trips?
laurie
My older son went on the EIL trip to
England/Ireland/Scotland in 2003. Several of his friends
went on other EIL trips that year, and everyone enjoyed
their experiences tremendously. I was very concerned about
my son getting lost, losing his passport, etc., and the
group chaperone addressed these concerns beforehand.
They're a very organized outfit. The family my son stayed
with in Wales was a perfect fit. They still keep in touch.
I recommend EIL highly.
Maureen
My daughter did a 5 week program with EIL a couple years
ago. Most of the program was positive but the home stay
was not. The program made a big deal about clearing my
daughter, who has asthma, for the program and then placed
her with a smoking family. Additionally, the family was
not well vetted and my daughter was put in situations
which were unsafe and not supervised.
Nancy
my daughter attended a one-month EIL program in japan,
summer before last. the program was excellent! i was
surprised that so many students attended -- i believe
there were over 100, but they were broken into small
groups of 10 each. the counselors seemed great, and the
program was very responsive when i had questions [before
she enrolled and before she left].
i understand that EIL has operated for over 40 years, and
we thought the organization was very professional. they
provided a lot of information about what to expect, what
to pack, etc.
my daughter loved her group and her counselor. the
students traveled quite a bit, had intensive language
classes the first week or 10 days, did various cultural
activities together, spent 2 weeks with host families in
various cities [meeting daily with their small groups and
counselors]. she was a little homesick, but kept in
occasional touch by email. her host family was
wonderful. she had a blast!
kathy
December 2002
Hi,
Has anyone had any experience with "Experiment in International
Living"? My daughter wants to go this summer. Is it difficult to get the
trip you want? Is this a good outfit? Thanks for any info
Margaret
My son participated in the EIL Japan program last
summmer. We decided on this program for a number of reasons:
1) it was the only program that we could find that had
language instruction as part of the program, 2) a friend who
teaches Japanese at UC Berkeley went on this program as a
high school student and recommended it highly, 3) the program
was flexible, in that it allowed for students to go early and
or stay late, 4) it is a well-established and well-known
program.
My son LOVED his Japanese experience. His family was
great, his leader was good --he understood high school
students and knew a great deal about Japan (he is a HS
Japanese teacher)--, the other kids in the group came from a
variety of backgrounds and were a truly international group
themselves. My son loved his experience so much that he has
now spent the winter break back in Japan and spent the New
Year holdiay with his Japanese family. He did learn some
Japanese, not as much as he had wanted to; but he hopes to
be able to take it next year at UC. He came back much more
mature and self-confident about negotiating the world. He
learned a great deal about himself and Japan. I would
recommend the program to anyone who wants to study and live
abroad. It was well-organized, supportive, etc. The only
downside was the cost. It was expensive; for Japan there are
a number of scholarships available, however, you need to
apply VERY early for them. If you have any other questions,
feel free to contact me.
Sally
My daughter went to Costa Rica with the Experiment last summer, after
graduating from Berkeley High. She had a great trip in all respects -
the guides, the other kids in the group, the homestay, working,
traveling and recreating. The Costa Rica trip was my daughter's first
choice, so I don't know how difficult it is to get the trip you want.
I recall that they may send multiple groups if there are enough
applicants. This is a very well-run program. I was able to get a lot
of recommendations from past "Experimenters" by asking the program for
contacts. If you call the main office, they can give you the number of
a local program leader who can answer your questions about the program.
Jil
Margaret,
Our daughter went to Costa Rica this summer and enjoyed the experience with
Experiment in International Living. She hasn't stopped talking about the
trip since. She made good friends from across the country- Wyoming,
Arizona, New Jersey, Martha's Vineyard, Atlanta, and elsewhere. It was a
very safe and yet stimulating experience. She particularly loved the
homestay and the host family as well as the new friends. It was the best
for her, given her physical makeup.
Bob and Cathy
My daughter went to Costa Rica last year also and was
disappointed with the trip. She loved the country and the
people as well as her fellow travelers. However, her host
family was problematic. They were used to adult visitors,
not teenagers and made no attempt to include or involve
her. They were surprised that she expected more than room
and board. To her credit she changed her expectations and
mode of operations, spending most of her time with the
other kid's and their families. In addition, she found
the trip very commercial. They went to three high end
resorts, full of american tourists - not what we
expected. Her group leader told her that the Costa Rica
trip is the most commercial, vacation like and the least
involving in the native culture because there had
been ''problems'' in the past. This does not mean that the
trip was a bad one. If we were more experienced travelers
ourselves we would have known to ask more questions about
the intinerary and host families.
Carolyn
April 2002
Our daughter is planning on going to Costa Rica this summer with the
Experiment in International Living. I'd like to hear from other parents
with their thoughts on the program as a whole and/or specifically Costa
Rica. If anyone's child is planning on going this summer, could they
contact us?
We are debating the vaccinations issue. None are required, but malaria,
rabies, and Hep A are recommended. Friends I have talked to who have been
there didn't get vaccinations. We are trying to figure out what to do.
Any thoughts?
Cathy & Bob
March 2002
My daughter (a senior at BHS) is considering participating this summer in a
program in Central or South America offered by "The Experiment in
International Living." The brochure looks wonderful, but I would greatly
appreciate hearing from anyone who has had experience with this program, or
perhaps names of other summer programs that offer a comparable experience.
This program offers four week stays in foreign countries that include
community service, family home-stay and travel within the host country.
Please feel free to respond directly to me, as well as to the newsletter.
Many thanks, Jil
I attended The Experiment and lived with a family in France between High
School and College. The family I lived with had eight children, aged 21 to
3. I had friendships with many of them. I spoke only French that summer, and
my facility with the language improved so much that I still consider myself
a French speaker. The program was well conceived, well organized, and a
pleasure to be on. I have friends from that summer and my French family
visited me several times in the States. I consider that summer to have been
the best of my life. So, I heartily recommend The Experiement in
International Living and I'd be glad to answer any questions you have.
Roy
Jan. 2000
My daughter, then 16, had a very good experience last summer with a
homestay in Nantes, France through Experiment in International Living.
She was connected with a group of American teens (most from the East
Coast) and a French family with a same-aged girl. The American teens
had a few days before and after the 3-week homestay in Paris. It was
well-organized and supervised. There are similar programs of various
lengths for other countries.
- William
My daughter, then 16, had a very good experience last summer with a
homestay in Nantes, France through Experiment in International Living.
She was connected with a group of American teens (most from the East
Coast) and a French family with a same-aged girl. The American teens
had a few days before and after the 3-week homestay in Paris. It was
well-organized and supervised. There are similar programs of various
lengths for other countries.
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