South Africa - get ready for the emotional roller-coaster of your life. Past Review

By (Higher Ed Administration, St. Cloud State University) for

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU): Port Elizabeth - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was 9 months ago that I went and I think about my trip EVERY SINGLE DAY.

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.

Again, urs was not taking courses in a foreign country, but learning IN another country so some of the questions about instruction are not applicable. However, the rigor was appropriate.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I bet we spent 10 hours of the trip waiting for something.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

OK, so I hate to even say this, but really, the apartment living on the beach was more than I ever expected. Certainly some students complained about having to shower sitting in a tub with a handheld sprayer, but really, the accommodations were exceptional.

* Food:

It was good to be exposed to the local cuisine.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There was a PERFECT balance of study and play. We had a break for about 1/2 day right in the middle, which allowed us to regroup and take stock of where we were emotionally.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

A LOT of people got diarrhea, but there's not much you can do about that.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I probably dropped $500 over the course of the whole two week trip, and only maybe $100 of that was on gifts that I brought back. Mostly I bought food.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? The money changers take a real nice chunk of your money out for "processing". Like 18%.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? In one day we visited an old fort overseeing the city (interesting), walked through the poorest townships in the world (devastating and gut-wrenching), and then went on a safari (exciting), finishing with sunset on the beach (breathtaking). Almost every day was like that. Such an emotional rollercoaster.