Frustrating but Sprinkled with Great Experiences Past Review
By Reece M (Clark University - Worcester) - abroad from 01/28/2014 to 06/14/2014 with
CIEE: Cape Town - Service Learning
What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
There were an incredible amount of frustrating logistical problems and very shaky academics, but the service-opportunities and the beautiful city made those things tolerable. My opinions of my trip abroad might be very different had I not met a South African girl there, one who came back to the States with me for her break and will likely move here to be with me after we both finish school. In other words, I'm a little biased. While I didn't meet this girl through the program, had I not been in Cape Town I wouldn't have met her at all. That said, there were some great things about this program, and a lot of not so great things. We had the opportunity to be in a beautiful but troubled city, and got to see it from both sides (versus many other abroad students that just take their classes and do fun things, which we did of course too). The difference is that we got to engage in service and with disadvantaged locals on a frequent basis.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
We provided our own food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| 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? | Nothing of Afrikaans |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
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?
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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? | That it would be incredibly disorganized and hard to improve even after frequent feedback and discussions with the administration about that fact. |
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