A rewarding and inspiring experience Past Review
By Christina C (none, none) - abroad from 09/01/2014 to 11/27/2015 with
Connect-123: Cape Town - Volunteer/Intern in South Africa
From my experience I learned how to be creative again, I learned how beautiful multiculturalism is, I learned about entrepreneurship, I learned about resourcefulness, I learned about many more things.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The educational experience that I gained through this internship were invaluable. I learned practical skill and knowledge that I will be able to implement within my own future plans. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration of my programme through Connect-123 was excellent!! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I opted to find my own accommodation and in hindsight I should have stayed in the program rentals, they are central and have locked parking. My rating doesn't reflect the housing provided by Connect as I did not stay there. |
| * Food: |
The food in Cape Town is awesome, it would impress any foodie. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Although it took a while, I felt very integrated into the local culture. By the end of the internship I felt like a local and not a tourist, I wished I was! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no health issues so my rating does not reflect this question |
| * Safety: |
I had a mixed experience of feeling safe and unsafe during my time in Cape Town. In the first instance my preconceptions of the city influenced my sense of safety but as time went on and I started to get to know the people and places, I then felt very at home and did not feel unsafe at all. My advice would be to be sensible, aware and cautious but not scared. I did not have any major safety related incidents other than my car battery being stolen from my car...actually another piece of advice..keep your car in a locked place :) |
| 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) |
Cape Town has very low living costs, although petrol can be expensive. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent about 400 rand a week but I was eating breakfast and lunch out every day. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | -- |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | I wish that I had better planned my accommodation situation and gone with the rentals. |
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 BlazerCraving 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.' |
