Johannesburg: Where I Learned About the World and Myself Past Review
By Sophie G (Peace and Justice, Wellesley College) for
University of Witwatersrand: Johannesburg - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I jumped off waterfalls in Zambia and pet crocodiles in Botswana. I dealt with issues of rape, pregnancy and hate crimes and have come out of the experience a new person. Maybe a bit more jaded, but also a bit wiser about the world. Go on this program if you want to change your life.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Lecturers were caring and somewhat interesting. Workload was minimal leaving me a lot of time to travel which was nice. Learned some nice facts about human rights but never had to really analyze/give my own opinion about concepts. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Director was FIRED in the middle of the semester. Left with two administrators to take care of everything. Gossipy office. The administrators tried, but failed to organize group activities. IHRE needs to get itself a good SA director or it will fail in the coming years. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
AMAZING dorm- was like an apartment. Kitchen, bathroom, skylights, internet. Gorgeous and safe. Had house cleaner 3x/week come in and clean- luxury housing. |
| * Food: |
Dining hall- disgusting but I can't cook! Food court- cheap yummy food, not healthy tho Salads, healthy foods in general are not very common. Meat, meat, meat 24/7. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Jo'burg Pride Salsa Dancing at Cafe Mexico Dancing at Vacca Night Club Love and Revolution coffee hangout Lots of social stuff to do- a nice break from Wellesley... |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Healthcare- health service on campus was great. Timely, inexpensive, helpful. Malaria drugs are needed if you are going to travel. Safety- Jo'burg is really dangerous. You cannot walk by yourself, cannot drive at night. We had a few minors incidents of violence and one major one. Advice: always have a friend with you, preferably a male one and know where you are going. Looking lost and looking foreign is the worst combination. Again I stress, even though it was very unsafe, I learned a lot about personal safety and being grateful for what I have in the States. |
| 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- SUPER CHEAP, 50cent lunches. Transportation was the biggest expense- taxis add up quickly |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Travel- save money so you can travel! Its not too expensive but the worst thing to do is stay behind b/c of money reasons while the rest of your friends go to Zambia. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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? | You will experience some really hard challenges, things that you have never faced that will force you to grow up really quickly. Rape, poverty, discrimination are all things that you are going to talk about in the classroom and perhaps deal with outside of the classroom. This program is good for a strong, independent person who is flexible but intelligent. Someone that can handle discrimination but also be able to defend oneself at times. Be ready to be cautious and daring. Be ready to be subtle but strong. Be ready to question your limits while challenging others'. |
