Stress Past Review

By (Kenyon College) - abroad from 08/27/2018 to 12/21/2018 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Yaoundé

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned a lot about myself and about global and economic relations

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.

I only liked my Director (Ariane) as a professor. I didn’t like my history professor because he was very condescending and he didn’t act like a professor, ie he would try to rewrite my French essays instead of simply correct them because he thought my French wasn’t natural enough.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Program run very well

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I liked my host mother but not my host sister or father. They didn’t seem to like me either. Not a good match.

* Food:

My many choices because there’s not much diversity in the city

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

It was very easy to access healthcare, but I had really bad anxiety about my health, so taking the medicines in Yaoundé (just imported from france) made me more anxious because nothing felt familiar to me. I wish I could’ve talked to a therapist while I was there.

* Safety:

I never felt like I could go out alone, no matter what time of day, and not be harassed or followed.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

I was too anxious to enjoy anything

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)

Everything was very cheap but I ended up spending a lot of money on healthcare

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 100
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Give yourself a budget and only spend that budget money

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? Advanced
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? I’ve taken the highest levels available at Kenyon since Freshman Year
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? Talk as much as you can with actual language speakers because the other people on the program and you aren’t fluent, so when you only speak in the target language with each other, you start to make up your own very flawed version of the language

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

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
  • Americans
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?
  • Classes
  • Exposure to different learning experiences
  • Director Ariane
* What could be improved?
  • History Professor Fofack
  • Host family selection
  • Mental health ressources
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I didn’t need to worry so much, I just needed a therapist

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!