Once in a lifetime Past Review
By Jamila McMurry (Berea College) - abroad from 06/16/2018 to 07/07/2018 with
KIIS: Israel & Egypt
I gained a greater appreciation for diversity. It was so amazing to be able to connect with other people whether it be spiritually or socially regardless of the language barriers! It was more than worthwhile and I am grateful for my experience.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
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 |
There were definitely times were our planned activities were moved around based on various reasons. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our accommodations while abroad were great! I never felt like we were living in unsafe environments. Our locations allowed us to interact and become a part of our surroundings. |
| * Food: |
I loved the authentic food and meals that we had in both countries, however, when we arrived in Egypt I was disappointed at the lack of authentic food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
In both countries, I felt integrated enough to ask basic questions and locate sites. I wish that I had more of a background in Arabic so that I could have communicated more with locals. I personally felt more comfortable when it came to exploring and traveling throughout Egypt. Both countries had welcoming people, but I felt more at home in Egypt. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Thankfully, no one on our trip had to go to the hospital in either country. |
| * Safety: |
The host cities we traveled throughout were safe. I would highly recommend that you follow the safety precautions that your program coordinator(s) advise you to follow. Do not think that because you have traveled abroad once before that you know safety better than your program coordinators. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I had so much fun exploring the beautiful countries of Israel and Egypt! It was such a blessing to have experiences that genuinely exposed me to what life is like for a local. |
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) |
Israel was more expensive than Egypt but both places happened to have reasonable prices that a college student could afford. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 USD |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you know that you want to study abroad, start saving money up as early as possible because it will be useful for buying things (food, souvenirs, excursions, etc.) while abroad. |
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 |
Our program coordinators highly encouraged us to try to use the limited knowledge of the languages in both countries. |
| 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? | Spanish 102 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Study and try to put your knowledge of language to the test whenever you can. |
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? | 0 |
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 more of an idea of how exhausting traveling would be, especially in countries that have regular high temperatures. |
