Experiencing Post-Revolutionary Maghreb Past Review
By Katarina O (Fordham University) - abroad from 02/01/2012 to 05/15/2012 with
SIT Study Abroad: Tunisia & Italy - Politics & Religious Integration in the Mediterranean
so worthwhile. I'm more confident, cultured, better at languages, and have had an incredible experience
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. |
Not necessarily "intense" but I did learn a lot. Some academia, but more experiential, but that tends to be the focus of SIT programs and was the best way to experience Tunisia. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The two Tunisians who ran things were wonderful. Knowledgeable, accommodating, helpful, funny. I'll be friends with them for years. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
homestays were great overall - experience differed a little bit based on the families and personality of the student, but overall very good. My family was the most traditional but was still very open and welcoming, and gave me the freedom to go where I wanted. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
the experiential focus and Tunisians who were associated with our program definitely helped on this front. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I actually fractured my foot halfway through the program and was on crutches for a month, but everything was handled very well. |
| * Safety: |
by following simple rules (don't walk alone at night, don't talk back to men who cat call, avoid protests) we were able to be very safe. There are a few security issues in the South of the country and closer to the Libyan border, but the Tunis area is fine. |
| 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) |
the homestay and stipend given to students every few weeks means that students don't have to spend a lot of money unless it's for personal shopping. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $60 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | nope, the dinar is weak against the dollar which makes things easy. Just avoid over-priced cafes. You can get a good sandwich for a buck! |
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 |
Tunisia is a non English speaking country so French and Arabic came in very handy. Most of the host siblings spoke at least some English, but many of the parents did not. My answers for this section are odd though, because I was learning Arabic in class but mostly practicing French outside of it. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | homestays! |
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? | nothing really - I did my research beforehand. |
