Extremely expensive waste of a semester Past Review

By (Macalester College) - abroad from 08/28/2016 to 12/15/2016 with

Arcadia: Havana - University of Havana

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned how to drink rum directly from the bottle, I learned how to reject prostitutes, I learned that I cannot speak spanish, I learned that cuba does not offer much vegetarian food. I didn't really learn anything else. It was not worthwhile

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I had 4 classes. 2 were regular economics classes delivered in spanish. I did not understand a single lecture in these classes for the entire semester because my spanish wasn't good enough. I would show up to class and sit for an hour and a half and stare at a wall while the professor spoke unintelligibly. I could have learned more from watching paint dry. this is emblematic of my overall academic and social experience while in cuba,

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Our program director Elena is a saint. We all love her and the great lengths she went to to help and support us.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in a luxury house with 9 other americans. This meant I had little exposure or immersion in cuban culture or spanish language. Also it separated us from coming into contact with regular cubans. However the house itself, and the servants, were really good.

* Food:

Not a huge fan of cuban food in general. the breakfast and dinner provided by the program weren't always great but they were reasonable and pretty good.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I spent 3 and a half month in cuba and during that time I met and had conversations with only 3 cubans. Mostly I was surrounded by other americans at all times. I have no idea what most cubans are like or how to talk to them. I barely got the chance to practice spanish as Cubans seemed uniformly uninterested in interacting with me, other than to sell me things. I never experienced culture shock because i never came into contact with cuban culture while in cuba. My spanish was too poor to communicate with cubans and so I remained completely separated from locals and their culture by the language barrier.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Disregard how many stars I gave it. I didn't need any healthcare while I was in cuba so I have no idea but the survey won't let me continue unless i give it some number of stars

* Safety:

Havanna is safe

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

It was a bad experience. I did not have sufficient foreign language skills to manage taking classes or interacting socially. Basically I spent the semester sitting in my room watching american movies because there was nothing else to do in havana besides drink, which I refrained from doing because I didn't want to become an alcoholic. I truly believe that not becoming an alcoholic was my biggest achievement while in cuba. In general I was miserable and lonely the entire time. Maybe the situation would have been different if my program included a homestay or conversation partners

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

spent maybe $65 a week not including souvenirs and similar

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 65$
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Don't bring US dollars to exchange because they'll charge you a fine. Bring Euros, pounds, or canadian dollars. Also keeping a budget helps.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

It was weird. The program did not include a home stay or conversation partners. I was surrounded by english most of the time. I had insurmountable difficulty with spanish while I was there and limited opportunities to practice spanish. The program director was very supportive, though not all that successful, in terms of helping me with spanish. She encouraged me to arrange to meet up with this one student who could act as a conversation partner and also encouraged me to watch the news in spanish. I still wasn't all that immersed though.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Beginner
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? I completed the class that's one step above intermediate
How many hours per day did you use the language? 0
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? If you are a woman, you can easily practice spanish because cuban men won't leave you alone. It's harder for american men because cubans just aren't that interested in talking to us. My advice is choose a program that has a home stay or make friends with some prostitutes

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Hotel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Supportive program director
  • US Cuban Relations class
  • It was warm there
* What could be improved?
  • Making it a homestay rather than a hotel full of americans
  • If the program arranged regular conversation partners for students
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That cuban spanish is really hard to understand, even for other spanish speakers. That Cuban cheese is awful. and that homestays are important for immersing you into cuban culture

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Intermediate Spanish

Course Department: Spanish
Instructor: idk
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: We sat in a classroom and did worksheets and talked in spanish, it was pretty basic. Most of it went over my head. The teacher was helpful though
Credit Transfer Issues: I ended up getting a C in intermediate spanish but they let me put it down as getting an A in elementary spanish
Course Name/Rating:

Cuban Economy II

Course Department: Economics
Instructor: Juan Triana
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: Class was unintelligible, not just because it was in spanish, but because there was no organization to the assignments and readings and the professor was extremely unhelpful. Whenever I asked him about assignments or readings he ignored me or didn't answer. Then he lied about it. Awful experience. Did not learn anything. Honestly not sure how I passed
Credit Transfer Issues: Not sure yet