My semester in Bolivia with SIT Study Abroad was a very positive experience for me. Living with a host family and having all my classes in Spanish helped my Spanish improve immeasurably, much more than I would have been able to improve in a single semester

at my home university. The SIT staff were incredible, I felt like I could go to them for any issues I was having while in Bolivia, no matter how big or small!

The program did a fantastic job at promoting alternative ways of thinking while challenging western perspectives. The staff did a great job at pushing students out of their comfort zones both academically and creatively. The program was unique in the

fact that it pushed students to pursue creative ISP projects, such as an art piece, film, or publishing a kid's book. I chose to film a documentary and presented it in front of the program staff and students. The process of filming a documentary in approx. a month was a one of the most challenging yet most rewarding projects of my life, and I'm so thankful to have had the tools to pursue the project from the program's coursework and supportive staff.

I knew I wanted to study in a Latin American country, but I was a little nervous to commit. All of my friends were doing programs through my university and I was the only one going on an approved program to a non Europe/Australia destination. But I am

sooooo glad I did! My program was only 12 students which allowed us to click pretty well and learn from each other. We all lived in separate host families, so our Spanish improved quite a bit because we couldn't use English as a crutch! We had semi-private Spanish classes due to our size and they were mostly conversational which was really helpful. Our research methods class was mainly in English and then our other two were in Spanish and mostly taught by guest lecturers. We went on trips to Potosi, Sucre, La Paz, Santa Cruz, Samaipata, and two village stays in Lake Titcaca and the Amazon region. The last month we did independent research and I lived in La Paz at La Casa de les Ningunes where I lived as part of the community and interviewed the people I lived with. I can't wait to go back to Latin America, hopefully Bolivia, in the near future!!!

During my Fall semester of my Junior year, I decided to study abroad for a semester in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Living in a city was definitely a new experience for me, especially riding in a Trufi (taxi) to class every morning. However, I learned to navigate

quickly and was able to be independent. I was fortunate to have a great homestay family who welcomed me into their life and invited me to everything. As a result of traveling to Latin America before, my abroad experience was less of a cultural one. Instead it was an amazing academic experience. The SIT program gave me the opportunity to learn from a non-western ideology and to constantly question what I think I know about the world. The most valuable things that I took away were from conversations about colonization, decolonization, and race relations in the world. I soon became extremely aware of how little I really knew about the way the world work because I had learned about it in such a western and white narrative. There were obviously so many other voices that needed to be heard. And throughout this program I was able to hear them from government official, indigenous leaders, and my own peers in the group. What I learned in Cochabamba is still present in my daily life at Kenyon College and will continue to be throughout the rest of my life. SIT also gave me the opportunity to explore my passion for documentaries. I was able to live in a indigenous community for ten days while filming their lives. This program enabled me to find interests of mine that I will continue to pursue in my future.

SIT Bolivia is unlike most other study abroad programs. Although it is a highly structured program (you will take all classes and travel on various excursions with the same group of 15-20 people), there is plenty of opportunity to explore all that Bolivia

has to offer, especially during the ISP period, where you can learn more about virtually any aspect of Bolivian culture or society. Another unique aspect of this program is the opportunity to publish your own children's book with the Kids Book Bolivia collection!