The best 5 months of my life Past Review

By Michael K (spanish, Wesleyan University) - abroad from 08/15/2015 to 12/15/2014 with

IFSA: Merida - Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

A ton. I learned a ton of slang and normal vocabulary, I made many local friends that I will keep in touch with, I ate amazing food, saw amazing things, and had a blast. More worthwhile than anything I've done.

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.	Everything was good except for the Spanish class that was given through IFSA-Butler; there were too many varying levels. However, the worst part was that there was no option to test out of the class even though I got maybe 10 minutes worth of learning out of the hundreds of minutes that I spent in this class.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	40 dollars...? that's a total guess, I honestly have no idea.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	Fluent
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program?	Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	literature courses
How many hours per day did you use the language?	10+
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants?	Always talk. BUT, above all, USE ANKI. It's a system for spaced repetition so that you keep learning vocabulary. LEARN AS MUCH VOCABULARY AS YOU CAN!!! Also, LEARN SLANG!! IT HELPS YOU INTEGRATE INTO THE CULTURE, THE LOCAL PEOPLE LOVE IT!

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
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?	Food Taking classes with locals CENOTES
* What could be improved?	The awful spanish class. Such a time suck and didn't learn anything. the awful spanish class. the awful spanish class.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	That I only have 4 months and should therefore spend as much time as is humanly possible exploring and hanging out with the friends I made, as well as just talking to random people in general.

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 Academic or Linguist You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!