Academically, emotionally, and personally challenging. Past Review
By A student (Peace & Justice Studies, French Cultural Studies, Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/15/2012 to 06/06/2013 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Yaoundé
There is no way I can explain how much I believe my experience in Cameroon was "worthwhile"; it was beyond worthwhile. It changed my entire way of seeing the world, the way I see myself, and the way I live my life. About myself: I learned that I adapt very well to new settings, more than I believed I could. I finally made a decision to study international development after Wellesley. I learned a lot about how people who do not come from the Western world see the United States and Europe. I learned how much the U.S. is ethnocentric and influences the rest of the world. I learned about the daily struggles of people who do not live in the U.S. and how much we take for granted everyday. I learned that other political systems and ideologies can exist and work well in other parts of the world. I learned more about myself, my career/personal goals, and about the world than I have learned in the past two years at Wellesley. The daily challenges I faced like the water shortages/sanitation, the diseases/malaria prevalence, frequent power outages, and even the death of my host mother taught me so many valuable lessons about what really counts in life and how I should be spending my time and my energy on a daily basis. I believe this experience abroad was a blessing because it opened my eyes up to so many problems in the world I was not aware of and how difficult it is to address them...but also that it is possible. It gave me the knowledge and understanding to address global poverty and development. It taught me how to build relationships and communicate with people who do not come from the Western world and who have many stereotypes about America/Europe.
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. |
The rigor of courses at the host school were not as challenging as Wellesley in terms of the material, but my director and my Middlebury professors gave me so many resources to enhance my academic experience such as their own knowledge, access to the public library, and hands-on learning. They encouraged me to think in ways I haven't been able to in the typical college classroom. So the type of intensity and rigor took on a much different form. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Incredible. Our director was always available and accessible. She gave us the direction and information we needed to succeed and thrive in a foreign, West African country. She set us up with local organizations to do internships if we wanted to. Compared to other study abroad programs in Cameroon such as Dickinson and the SIT program, I felt much better prepared than them and that I was much closer to the Cameroon population and culture because of my director and the format of the Middlebury program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Not a single complaint. I was living with a local Cameroon family. One of my host brothers was also a student at my university in Yaounde, which helped a lot at the beginning in terms of getting acquainted with the transportation and education systems. My family treated me as a member of their own family and they became a part of my own. |
| * Food: |
I can't really write a "review" of the Cameroonian food. The local fruit was extremely cheap and delicious. I just had to wash it before eating. I loved the local foods. Sometimes it was a little hard on the stomach, but that's normal when your stomach isn't used to something different. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Extremely integrated. The only way I could have been more integrated is if I chose to marry a Cameroonian. The Middlebury program is designed so well: living with host families, an optional internship where I was able to work on the terrain in the markets and talk to locals, enrollment in a local university speaking French, taking trips with my family and friend to their villages, going to local ceremonies, reaching out to local artists and musicians. The social and cultural integration also really depends on how much the student is willing to step out of his/her comfort zone and make relationships with the locals. Staying with a host family and making friends at the university is a major factor in building these relationships because they provide the means and the social network. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Most of my health problems were either food poisoning or food-related because I went out to eat many times with my friends and my stomach wasn't used to the bacteria. I also had malaria in October. The doctor we were set up with was extremely accessible. I could send him a text message or call him at almost any time of day and he would respond immediately. He was very nice and I was very comfortable with him. However, I had a urinary tract infection (UTI) and a yeast infection at the same time, and he only diagnosed me with the UTI, and I couldn't get rid of the yeast infection for about three months because it was misdiagnosed and the local medications didn't work as well as when I finally borrowed Monistat from another American who had brought it with her to Cameroon. Malaria was very prevalent in Cameroon but it's like catching the flu in the U.S. --- it was quickly recognized and treated within a day. I took preventative medication - Doxycycline - but it didn't seem to resist the local strain of Malaria and just seemed to be a hassle to deal with. So I ended up stopping all preventative medications for Malaria around January. Yes, I needed several vaccinations for a variety of diseases. |
| * Safety: |
Safety is tricky to discuss. What we consider safe in the U.S. is not the case in Cameroon, and vice versa. For example, as soon as I returned to the U.S. after nine months in Cameroon, I felt very nervous riding the Metro in Washington, D.C. in fear of a bomb attack or some kind of gun-related incident. But in Cameroon, that doesn't happen and the only real fear I had in Cameroon was of getting mugged, which happens a lot, but I was prepared by the program how to handle a situation like that and was not really afraid of getting seriously harmed. However, the police in Cameroon do not come to rescue as quick as they would in the U.S. My advice would be to never wear expensive-looking jewelry (buy locally-designed, African-looking things), don't carry a laptop or anything valuable with you. If going to an ATM, go to one next to your house and with a male friend or family member, make sure you are aware of your surroundings and always carry at least $20 (or 10000 FCFA) with you in case somebody does want to mug you (this amount of money will usually please them enough; if you have nothing on you to take, they might get upset and get violent). In general, be very observant and make sure your host family always knows where you are, and don't travel alone at night. Many mass murders and major car bombings or attacks rarely happen in Cameroon, and when they do, the American embassy usually overreacts and makes it seem like the country is not safe at all. But these kinds of things happen on a daily basis in the U.S. That should always be kept in mind when talking about safety. |
| 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) |
Even though many things cost less in Cameroon in terms of food and transportation than in Western countries, the price of taking a taxi each day and having to eat someplace else other than my house cost a lot more than I was planning on spending. I also had a lot of health prescriptions that were unplanned. The Dickinson program gives their students some money to pay for food and to have enough money to be able to do things in the country like travel or go to a local concert. So in the future it might be nice if Middlebury supported students in this way. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Between $60-$150 per week (transportation, food, local events, health costs). **Note also that when I wanted to be able to hang out with friends, they usually don't have that much money but I wanted to do something with them anyways. And when you invite someone to dinner or to an event, you must pay for them. It is not culturally appropriate for each person to pay for themselves. This factor also cost me a ton of money (or else I would have never been able to hang out with my friends). |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If using an ATM, take out large amounts of money at a time because it costs about $5 per transaction. |
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 |
No English allowed...ever! All of the students followed this about 99.5% of the time (the other .5% was when we had malaria or if there was something urgent we had to say over the telephone and the connection was poor). Even when speaking with anglophones in the country, we had to tell them that we could only speak French. And they were usually pretty understanding. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| 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? | French 211 - the course that Wellesley requires us to take before studying abroad |
| 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? | Keep a pocket dictionary with you -- always. Constantly look up words you are unfamiliar with. |
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? | 10+ |
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? | 1. If staying for the full academic year, it is not necessary to take anti-malarial medication (it is not good for your body). 2. Bring probiotics (to help your body adjust to local foods/bacteria). 3. Malaria will not kill everyone who gets it. 4. It is great (and necessary) to be open to new people, new culture, new everything, but do not be excessively open with people and share information with them until you truly know them. |
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.' |
