Perhaps the students are in better shape and have different expectations by this time. The food was cooked by a local resident and was better than in the past. We stayed an additional night here so we could explore around the Poco Sol station in the afternoon and bird the following morning. Of course, the home stay experience in the rural area for students varies greatly. Depending on the match, students found this part of the program the best or worst component.
Home stays tend to be most difficult for non-Spanish speakers.
Some students come for biology and are not terribly interested in learning culture this close up and personal. The CPI matched students with families after interviews and questionnaires. They quickly moved one student who was unhappy. The only students that suffered were those that procrastinated both their projects and the take home final I gave. In general, the final push this time seemed to be well-paced and manageable by those that organized their time well.