Adventuring around Africa Past Review
By Rachel Dovek (Brandeis University) - abroad from 07/30/2018 to 12/06/2018 with
CIEE: Gaborone - Arts and Sciences
I learned how to be adaptive and culturally aware. Furthermore, I learned patience. It was some of the best lessons of my life.
Personal Information
| 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. |
Classes were difficult to navigate at times. UB makes it extremely difficult to succeed and does not give high marks. However the work itself was fairly easy. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Base and Lebo, the program directors are thoughtful, caring and willing to fight for us for whatever we need. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was hard to live without hot water or power at times but that is the case in the whole country. I lived with a local Motswana student and got a cultural experience that way when living in dorms. |
| * Food: |
Food options are extremely slim. The campus only has one dining hall that is open for very short hours. Only other option is food vendors that is easy to get sick from which forced us to eat out a lot which can be pricey. |
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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? |
My program sent me to an independent hospital. I was given extremely strong antibiotics that were slightly excessive and caused other problems but overall my health problem was alleviated. Going to local clinics is not an option as the standard of care is not upheld. Furthermore, they took no insurance and often only took cash which was also a problem. |
| * Safety: |
Only safety issue we had was when traveling in South Africa. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I was in a small close knit group of supportive and adventurous people. We all supported each other through academics and traveling. |
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) |
Easy except if you want to travel. There is not much to do in Gaborone therefore traveling is a way to keep yourself occupied. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $75 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | To travel in expensively use Air b n B as well as drive instead of flying. it is a lot of hours in a car but saves so much money. |
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? | Beginning Setswana |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | The food situation and all the alternative options for food. |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Setswana |
| Course Department: | CIEE |
| Instructor: | Julia Sentle |
| Instruction Language: | English/Setswana |
| Comments: | It was difficult to learn a new language but Julia made it so easy for us to learn with games, songs and other creative methods. We did cultural immersion experiences as well. We had a written exam and an oral exam. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I was not given credit for this course because it was only 2 credits. Home universities typically do not take 2 unit classes which is a problem because a lot of abroad countries don't 4 credit classes. |
