Experience report
ANR:
Name:
E-mail:
Exchange semester:
Academic year:
Host University:
Country:
407724
Jasper Nijdam
Jasperoverloon@gmail.com
Fall 2014
2014
Universidad Del Pacifico
Peru
TOPIC: Admission, arrival, housing
How was your arrival organized? Did someone pick you up from the airport/station? Was an
orientation or introduction activity organized? How was accommodation organized? Does the
university provide you with accommodation? What kind of accommodation does the university
provide? Did you have to book your accommodation in advance or did you have to search for a place
to live after you arrived?
My arrival was organized by the organization I had arranged to live with for the coming semester,
APU. I had arranged with APU that some friend of the organization would pick me up at the airport.He
was there as promised, but being new in the country and new with the currency, this was my first
lesson about Peru, given to me by the organization that proved itself throughout the semester to be
“horror organization”, APU. I payed 200 soles for the taxi, together with my friend who paid the same,
in total 400 soles for a ride, that is supposed to cost 40 soles( what I learned after). I discourage you
to live in a house of APU, as you pay to much for a crappy house. The university does not arrange
any accommodation, there are a few studenthouses (Runawasi, La Jato), which are quite big, and fun
for parties and socializing. Furthermore a lot of people found people via the facebookgroup, that was
formed for the exchange, to live with. Another option is to just go there and live in a hostal for a week
or so, and find a place from there, also done by a lot of people.
TOPIC: Location of university/city
Please describe the city you lived in. Where is the university located in the city? What is the best
place to go to eat/drink/dance/do sports/etc.? What are interesting things to see and do in your host
city? What was different than in Tilburg?
Within Lima, it is best to find a place to live in either Miraflores, Barranco or San Isidro, which are the
safest districts and also the districts where everything happens. Universidad del Pacifico is located in
the district of San Isidro, and very easy accessible by bus or taxi(which is very cheap). The difference
between Lima and Tilburg is first of all the fact that Lima is around 50 times bigger. The city is very
chaotic and noisy, but it’s fantastic to see the incredible differences between lima and the
Netherlands. The city is not so beautiful but you will have an amazing experience in this city as an
exchange student, with all the benefits that looking like a gringo give you. Furthermore the nightlive is
very good and big, all clubs open for exchange students.
TOPIC: Academics
Which courses did you take and why? Which courses would you recommend? What did the courses
add to your program at Tilburg University? How does the university compare to Tilburg University
concerning the level of the courses, use of extra material, level of English, workload, etc.? Overall,
were you happy with your academic achievements during your exchange? Please describe the
campus of your host university.
As I already did a minor in the Netherlands, I only had to take free elective courses. So I took:
 Español para negocios: a Spanish grammar course adapted to business situations, very
helpfull as my Spanish was non existing when I arrived in Lima. Taught in Spanish

Politics and development in Peru: a quite interesting course, to learn something about Peru
and its remarkable history. Taught in English.
 US-Latin relations: an interesting course about the history of the relations between the United
States and the separate countries of Latin America, very interesting. Taught in English
 Relaciones Internationales: course about the relations between existing global superpowers
and the theoretical background, good course and accessible level of Spanish.
Furthermore I took the Spanish language course before the semester in Lima, it was quite usefull for
me as I only had Spanish 1 and 2 in Tilburg, which are really not improving your level of Spanish at
all, but the course in Lima was quite expensive and could have been better. The level of education in
Peru is a bit lower than in the Netherlands I would say. Also the way of teaching is different with
smaller classes, more interactive lectures and participation grades. But especially the teachers are
very helpful in the Spanish classes and really want to help the exchange student.
TOPIC: Social life
Which social activities organized by the university or students? Did you have contact with local
students? Did you have contact with other exchange students? How did you get along with the local
students and other exchange students? Did you travel to other places/countries during your
exchange?
The university does not arrange any activities for exchange students. There is a facebookgroup called
What to do peru, which arranges a few parties trips and a daily list for clubs, where you can put your
name on and that allows you to go in for free even though there are 50 peruvian people waiting
outside. I had some contact with Peruvian students but not that much in the end, some Peruvians
really try to get in to the international group, sometimes to the point that is gets quite annoying. I met a
lot of people in the language course beforehand, furthermore I lived with 14 international people and
at parties and class you meet more, it happens without any effort. I travelled a lot in my time,
throughout the semester I took a few trips, some 5 days some 10 and after the semester I travelled for
2 months. Peru is absolutely amazing for travelling, and all countries around it are very accessible. If
you intend to travel in your exchange, Peru is perfect.
TOPIC: Living costs
How did you finance your exchange period, apart from the grant you received from Tilburg University?
What were your living expenses abroad like compared to Tilburg? What did you spend most of your
money on? What would you advice future students to spend their money on? Please outline your
approximate monthly budget whilst on exchange: housing, food, textbooks, etc.
The living costs are lower in Peru than in the Netherlands. However the districts of Miraflores,
Barranco and San isidro are the richest and most expensive districts of lima and are therefore not that
much cheaper. You can find cheap places to eat and especially during travelling you will notice that
things are cheaper. I spend most of my money by far on the travelling. Monthly budget for an
exchange in Lima I would estimate at: 600 euros, not including travelling.
TOPIC: Culture
Did you experience culture shock while on exchange? How would you compare your host culture to
your own culture? What did you learn about your own culture while on exchange? What was different
about your host culture than you expected? What did you like and not like about your host culture? Do
you feel you learned a lot about your host culture, and if not, what would you like to learn more? How
would you describe your host countries culture? If you travelled to other cities/countries during your
exchange, were they different than your host city/country, and how?
Even though culture is very different in Peru, I did not experience culture shock, but enjoyed the fact
of seeing the differences. Lima is much more chaotic and uncoordinated then the Netherlands, you
will have to get used to the fact of waiting and seeing completely inefficient ways of working. There
are quite some cultural differences still between the countries in Latin America, in development,
culture and also manners. The best thing to do is just go and enjoy the craziness of Lima and Latin
America.
TOPIC: Personal development
What did you learn from the people you met during your exchange? Would you do things differently if
you had the chance, and what would you do differently? What was your best experience, and what
was your worst experience? What will you remember for ever about your exchange period? What was
the most important lesson you learned about yourself during your exchange period?
An exchange in Lima, but anywhere I think, is a great step for your development. Your independence
grows, your self esteem grows and furthermore you learn how to deal with difficult situations such as
language problems. I would not do anything differently if I were to do it again, the whole experience
has been more than amazing, I enjoyed every moment from beginning to end, and I can absolutely
recommend Lima and Peru for this experience.
TOPIC: Tips for future students
Would you recommend an exchange period? Would you recommend your host university? What
should prospective students bring with them/leave behind? What preparation is required for going on
exchange to this destination? Was there anything you should have done in preparation that you didn’t
do?
Yes an exchange period, is the best semester of your student life and an enrichment for your student
period. My level of Spanish was super low in the beginning of my exchange, so I guess you can work
on your Spanish more before going, but in the end that worked out fine for me too. Above all, just go
with an open mind and enjoy this amazing experience, before you know it, it’s over.
TOPIC: A picture is worth a thousand words
If you took any pictures or made any videos that you would like to share with future exchange
students, please include them (or e-mail them separately). Pictures that show your daily life or
symbolize your exchange period are especially interesting for future exchange students.
With the roommates!!
With the boat we took for three days on the amazon river.
Sunset in Panama City