Learning a new culture and a different reality in an academics-light context Past Review

By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/21/2017 to 05/13/2017 with

Brown University: Havana - Brown in Cuba

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I gained an understanding of a different world and met people in what I found to the nicest community I've ever been a part of. It was very light on academic rigor, which I enjoyed because I found the goal of my time there just to live and experience living in a completely different place.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	To me, more than the content of what I learned in the classroom, which was minimal, was how I learned within not just a different political-economic system, but a different set of facts.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	There were tons of events, tours, lectures, and opportunities for us throughout the semester.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	There are limited traditional homestays in Cuba, which I would have preferred. I lived with 2 other students and one older woman. We didn't eat
* Food:	The food we had was plentiful and better than most Cuban homes, but Cuban food is limited due to their unique political standing in the world.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	While safe, the culture fosters an environment of catcalling that many women and people of color find very uncomfortable.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes I think that the Brown program had the most opportunities for us to get out and do things, which was very good, especially at the beginning. I wish we had a language pledge like the Cross Culture program though

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)	Easy to not spend much money, but you need to bring all the money with you for the entire semester in CASH.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$20-$40, excluding trips outside the city.

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	The program lightly encouraged us to speak in Spanish, but there were no rules, not even in the program classroom, which made it easy to usually speak English if you wanted.
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program?	Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	Two Spanish low 300s courses
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans Host Family
* 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?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	The group programming: tours, lectures, salsa classes, and trips Other foreign students were all top notch
* What could be improved?	Stricter use of Spanish Getting individual students connected to opportunities
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish that I had been more aggressive in finding things to do in my first few weeks. Although it would have been a lot to assimilate to off the bat, I found myself happiest when I was busy teaching English classes and taking boxing lessons, two things I picked up after a month or two there.

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 Nearly Native or Trail Blazer Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Cuban Film
Course Department:	CASA
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	It was an easy class by a wonderful professor who lead great discussions about the films and overall Cuban history and life. Very interesting. There were a few short essays during the year and a final presentation on a film idea.
Credit Transfer Issues:	None.

Course Name/Rating:	Inequalities
Course Department:	CASA Cuba
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Boring, easy course. We didn't learn much more in the last 3 months than just from the first one. Lectures and readings were both unnecessary to do well in the class.
Credit Transfer Issues:	none

Course Name/Rating:	Political Economy II
Course Department:	Sociology
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Wonderful class on the trajectory of Marxism through a revolution. Fantastic to learn about the system and how it's taught in the Cuban context. Students had a great rapport with the teacher so it was always a lively, dynamic class.
Credit Transfer Issues:	none.

Course Name/Rating:	Cuban Economy
Course Department:	Sociology
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Cool teacher who wanted to teach students the reality, not the government line. He was especially excited to have foreign students in the class.
Credit Transfer Issues:	none.