Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Great Country, Pretty Good Experience Past Review

By (Anthropology., Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/27/2014 to 06/13/2014 with

CIEE: Cape Town - Arts and Sciences

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Learned quite a bit about my privilege as an American who attends a liberal arts school in a safe town--it is amazing that as a female I can walk outside after dark and feel safe (not true for so many women in Cape Town). Also opened my eyes to several aspects of white privilege that I had never considered before.

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.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I chose to live with a host family. Unfortunately, the family lived quite a ways from campus. This coupled with the fact that the family had no children, they were not home that often or were working when they were home, and transportation/safety issues required that I be home by mid-late afternoon every day meant that I was often at home by myself, instead of engaging with South Africans.

* Food:

My host family could COOK. Curry every week--yoh.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I feel that if my homestay situation had not cut me off so much from the student body, I might have felt more integrated, but then again it seems impossible to "integrate" in just five months.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Program did not really help with doctor's issues--had to figure most of that out myself.

* Safety:

Had one safety-related incident while on a wine-tasting tour with my program. Our cab was in a car accident caused by a dead cow planted in the highway, and we were mobbed by a group of people from the unprivileged community near by (can't say I blame them). I attribute this incident more to the program's inability to provide adequate transportation for their own outings than to high levels of danger. If you act smart and don't go walking about by yourself at night, Cape Town is relatively safe.

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

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? On an average week, maybe $30 dollars. Other weeks it was much higher.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Save up so you can visit Mozambique or Zimbabwe! (Trips to nearby countries cost about $1,400). I wish I had saved money to finance these trips.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Riding the train everyday--saw and met so many interesting people, learned so much about the culture(s).
  • The RA's were fantastic.
* What could be improved?
  • Housing -- especially the homestay situation.
  • Transportation for CIEE events
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I had known (in terms of daily transportation time) exactly how far away from UCT my host family lived, and how much money it really costs to do all of the cool touristy things around Cape Town. Also wish I had known that a large percentage of the abroad students go on trips to neighboring countries--I would have tried to earn some more money before going to S.A. if I had known.

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.'