The Same Moon... Past Review

By (Spanish Language and Literature., University of Northern Iowa) - abroad from 07/06/2012 to 08/08/2012 with

University of Northern Iowa: Dongguan - UNI Summer Camp in China

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
This experience, like all my travels, was amazing. It was most definitely worthwhile. The difference from all my other travels is that I took on the role of a teacher, but learned that everyone involved (including us teachers) were still the students, and we all learned from each other. My students taught me about myself, about their culture, about friendship, about being a good person, being compassionate, loving....they taught me so much. I can only hope they learned as much from me as I did from them. We went into this program thinking that the teaching would be the worst part of the trip and it ended up being the best. We took away so much from that camp. We took friendships and life lessons. That in itself beats any expectations I had for the camp. The best part was seeing my students grow. They were shy, quiet and needing English improvements. By the end, we got them to come out of their shell, be very sociable, talk, speak more English and become a tight knit family. It was an incredible thing to watch develop. On a professional level, I found that I really liked the teaching and may pursue it further in my career choice. I can't be happier with my experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Leaving was really hard for everyone, there were lots of tears. By leaving, and seeing the tears fall we realized what all had happened during camp. We realized how valuable everything was...including the impacts we had on each other. One of my students told me our last night while sitting on the soccer field "We may be far away, but we will always think of each other, because we will always sit under the same moon". There isn't a day or night that I don't think about them and all the incredible moments we shared.

Review Photos

University of Northern Iowa: Dongguan - UNI Summer Camp in China Photo University of Northern Iowa: Dongguan - UNI Summer Camp in China Photo

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

It was an amazing experience. I learned more in one month outside of the classroom than my four years in college.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The administration at DongGuan University was amazing. They made sure we felt comfortable and took care of any issues we had. They could not have been better.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We were stuck on campus most time. However, we got to spend time with our students, which was the best part of the camp. I wish we would have had the chance to get off campus a little more.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

We had no problems. Any health problems were addressed immediately. No hospital visits were needed.

* Safety:

I never really felt unsafe. I have traveled a lot so many times it is unconscious behavior on how to stay smart and take care of oneself. I never felt unsafe though.

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)

Aside from our own shopping, since we were kept on campus most of the time we didn't have to worry much about money. Things were taken care of for the most part.

* 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? Souvenirs was all I spent money on aside from our Hong Kong trip. However, things were pretty reasonable.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Anything you think you are going to spend ($500 for example on personal costs), double it.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Hotel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Other
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • My students
  • Experiencing the culture
  • Teaching
* What could be improved?
  • UNI's preparation
  • More breathe time for teachers
  • Revised University teaching manual
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? There were many things I wish I would have known, however, this is a new program so they aren't things that I would blame the office for.