Le Camerooooooouuun Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/05/2018 to 06/08/2018 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Yaoundé
I gained both a better cultural understanding of Cameroon, better french skills, and better understanding of the continued exploitation of Africa by the west.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were very different than in the US — often only one paper or assignment was the basis of the whole grade. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Arianne - the director the program - is fantastic and works incredibly hard. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was very happy living with a host family. I became close friends with my host brothers and we had a lot of fun. |
| * Food: |
Cameroonian food is very good and very inexpensive. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Being in class at a local university, I made Cameroonian friends, and I regularly participated in social events with them and with my host brothers. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no health issues during the program. |
| * Safety: |
Yaoundé is no more dangerous than any large city in the US, and people are always willing to go out of their way to help you if you are lost, or whatever else you may need. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I had a great semester |
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) |
Cameroon is extremely cheap. A meal on the side of the room can cost as little as 50 cents. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 20 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you want American-esque bars and restaurants, you can expect to pay for it. |
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 |
The language pledge was very serious. We never spoke english, to anyone. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | FREN 230 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | The taxis and UCAC |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Africa in Minature |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Eric Wilson Fofack |
| Instruction Language: | French |
| Comments: | Fofack is a great guy, and you learn about the history of Cameroon and how it relates to the history of Africa as a whole. Plus you get a very detailed lesson in where the name "Cameroon" comes from. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Nope |
