Highs and lows, so emotional! Past Review
By A student (Communication and Media Studies., Berea College) - abroad from 05/07/2012 to 06/06/2012 with
Berea College: Accra - Traveling to Ghana: African Music and Literature
The slave trade. And slave history. The connections between Africans and African-Americans.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | University of Ghana- Legon |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
We talked about hair a lot. I enjoyed the music part but the literature discussions were definitely lacking. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I liked that our documents were secure and the money exchange was easy. Our administrator of the trip did not seem professional, especially during our lectures when he was present. I was a bit disappointed in him although he is a funny guy. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Thank you for making sure we were taken care of in this area. I am aware there is not much you can do when on a budget, but most days we had water running in our facility or there was a place where we could get it in a bucket. MUCH appreciated. |
| * Food: |
The food was great and spicy!Had to alter my taste buds. But the chicken was great and the plantains were my favorite. I was also happy we got fresh fruit with every meal. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt we could have been more integrated. A lot of it was just our group going around and I would've liked to spend days just immersed. Although we had some great culture invites, with the ceremonies, I feel we could have gone out more in the cities and whatnot. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had traveler's diarrhea, or so I thought, and I was given Cipro every once in a while by our administrator of the trip. I was not told that I needed to take it every four to six hours. When I came back, I went to the doctor in Florida and was told I had an intestinal parasite called endolimax nana. |
| * Safety: |
I felt safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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Finances
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* 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) |
I balanced my budget reasonably. The biggest bust was buying a traditional mask and gifts to my host family in the village. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 600 in total. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't buy everything you see your first week! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | The impact of the slave dungeons. |
