South Africa: the most stunning and unique experience of my life. Past Review
By Will A (Travel & Tourism, St. Cloud State University) for
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU): Port Elizabeth - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Being in SA gave me a new outlook on life and made me relax and stop letting little stresses in the day-to-day get to me.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Was difficult to get used to, but the difference in their system helped me become a better student without a doubt. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff there was extremely helpful and fun and we all loved them dearly. I have had problems since my arrival back home though with credits transfering back that still have not been resolved five months later. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
The food in SA is excellent and Port Elizabeth has some great local places to eat. The best places were Steers (fast food), Barney's Tavern, and Blue Waters Cafe. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program trip to Frontier Farms was an absolute blast that EVERYONE loved, Bungee jumping is a MUST, Hogsback and Cape Town are also musts for travel when time permits. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
We were told prior to leaving that safety in SA is an issues as is crime and were given tips on how to stay safe that worked. Some students were the victims of crime but no one got hurt. Simply use common sense with safety when there: dont walk alone at night, don't flash around expensive things or money, dont carry your wallet in your back pocket, etc. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Food: around $50-60 every week or week and a half. Other money was spent on trips or shopping: clothes there are cheaper depending on which stores you shop at and transportation is MUCH cheaper in SA, especially bus and taxi. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | SAVE BEFORE YOU GO AND BUDGET! Many of us ran out of money before the end of the trip and had to get money from family. Just don't spend wrecklessly and save buying gifts, etc for the end of your trip so that you have money for yourself! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Almost everyone in South Africa spoke English and it wasn't required to learn a local language, but it was an option to take language classes there so I took Afrikaans and it was fun to learn a local language and learn about the Afrikaaner population. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Don't be afraid to select South Africa because of its distance from home, crime that you hear happens there, etc because when you get there you realize that those issues are not what will dominate your experience. SA is one of the most amazing places to visit in the world and has a uniqueness to it that cannot be explained in words. It will without a doubt be one of the highlights of your life. |
