Surreal Past Review

By (Politics and International Relations, University of Manchester) - abroad from 07/11/2012 to 08/28/2012 with

Connect-123: Cape Town - Studies in Social Entrepreneurship, Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained insight into different cultures and got the opportunity to network with different people from all over the world. I also got the chance to explore interesting historical places

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The connect 123 programme was extremely helpful and ensured my needs were met

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The accomodation was comfortable

* Food:

You provide your own food, grocery stores were easily accessible

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I was able to engage with the locals socially especially on noghts out and of course at the organization where I interened

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Healthcare was extremely accessible as numbers were provided for GPs incase of an emergency. The GPs/hospitals were very close by and connect123 was able to book in appointmernts for anyone who had any health issues. Vaccinations were only needed if you were a passport holder of certain countries

* Safety:

Cape Town is not the safest of places, however connect was able to advice wisely on how to stay safe. It is imporatnt not to drag attention to yourself eg: never pull out your phone on the streets carelessley and always walk in groups at night or take a taxi it really isn't expensive especially if you are splitting it with 4 other people

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)

Living on a studernt budget was quite simple, however it depends on the lifestyle of the individual. If you are a student who likes expensive living then you might want to add more to your budget

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? Yes
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Roughly 200 rands. However it depends on if you eat out or do home cooking
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? My advice is to always budget, because at first it seems like you aren't spending that much when you convert the rands to dollars or pounds, however it all adds up. I'll say eat out less and do more home cooking saves alot more!

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Made me more independent
  • Broadened my perspective on different cultures/people
* What could be improved?
  • The wireless internet connection in the apartment
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew that we would have to pay electricity bills so I could have added more to my budget