Cuenca: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone Past Review

By (Bilingual Elementary Education, Illinois State University) for

CEDEI: Cuenca - Semester in the Andes

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Yes. I feel more confident with my Spanish and feel more well-rounded and educated about the world. Although five weeks was not long enough to become completely fluent, it definitely helped me.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The orientations were very helpful and all the staff at CEDEI were always willing and ready to help us. I very much enjoyed the weekend excursions we took. In the end, the classes were okay, but I would have liked to seen less lecture and more participation/discussion, although one class was better than the other in that aspect.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

My host mother always fed me more than enough and I pretty much liked everything she gave me.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

My group was great and I loved the weekend excursions.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

My mother always made sure I had a way to get places safely, as well as CEDEI

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Always have more money that you think you'll need. Even if you don't use it, its good to have. I could have saved a lot of money if I didn't shop as much, but there were many nice things that I wanted to buy.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

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  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Just go with it.