Oman: Amazing People and Fun Trips Past Review
By omanfall2010 (Wellesley College) for
Noor Majan Arabic Institute: Muscat - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I gained so much understanding of Islamic and Omani culture and have completely changed my ideas on what knowledge is absolute- from the importance of individuals to free-market economics.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
My semester was the first semester with my Academic Director and there definitely were some kinks on workload and how assignments were graded. Hopefully in the future these will be worked out. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
At the beginning program staff were very very accessible and helpful and the original director of the center had an amazing presence in the local community. Unfortunately I was in a semester with new staff and there definitely were some problems with the way assignments were administered. The econ advisor came aboard three weeks into the program, and while the lectures he arranged were excellent, there were not enough. In the middle of the program, graduate students came to the center and took away some of the resources (including the time of the Academic Director who was hired to guide us) that we had previously had. Classroom time was like American higher education and the program size (15 students overall, 3 in my Advanced Arabic class, 5 in the economics seminar) was really beneficial. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Host families were arranged through the program. Transportation to and from the center for the two months of classes was arranged for us. My neighborhood was very safe, and my house would be typical for a upper middle class American household. We had two maids who cooked and cleaned (which included my laundry). I didn't need to buy any additional items. I loved my host-family. At the beginning I was treated like a guest but by the end I felt like a family member. My whole, including extended, family was really amazing. |
| * Food: |
I didn't have any dietary restrictions. Where to eat for future students for lunch: Dosteens- really amazing Pakistani food, the turkish palace near Bahja, and the Zanzabari restaurant down the street from the center. Everyone at the center knows all three of these. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
All trips (Salalah, Dubai/Doha, and Nizwa/Desert) were really really great, as well as the first iftar we had during orientation. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I got a bunch of vaccines that were recommended by my program but they proved to be unnecessary. I didn't have to go to any healthcare facilities but the program was always there for advice on how to deal with my minor illnesses and I knew they would take me to the hospital if need be. I felt so safe in Oman in terms of crime, but the drivers there were insane, and you have to be careful on the side of the street/crossing them. |
| 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? | I don't remember but I only had to take out money three times (and not very large amounts) the entire program. The stipend SIT provides you goes a long way and pretty much covers everything but souvenirs. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Keep in mind you are paying for minutes on your phone, and try to get taxis as cheap as possible. Ask advice from the arabic teachers for that. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 2 years of Arabic |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most people in Muscat speak English, but I asked my host family to only speak Arabic around me, and for the most part they did. I practiced Arabic with my host family, taxi drivers, and within classes. |
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? | KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO THE CONSERVATIVE MIDDLE EAST! There is one church in the entire country and really have to be open and able to change a little for the culture. After you get past that it is an incredible experience. |
