Republica Dominicana: Gaining Perspective Past Review
By Elena K (Social Studies, Western Washington University) for
Western Washington University: Traveling - Latin Caribbean Art: Exploring Race and Gender in Contemporary Art
It was worth while of course, I say no I would not chose this trip again because I felt the professor poorly organized the trip and our time, and I did not have a good or "worth while" experience in the affiliated language school. But I love the Dominican Republic, and hope to return some day.
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. |
It is not that there was too much "work", there was too much organized activity. For the entire 7 weeks I (as well as the rest of the students) felt that we were unable to engage in the culture that surrounded us because we had no free time to do so. School and/or organized activities every day, usually until 5pm, and on the sundays we had off we felt we needed to do homework, catchup on sleep, do laundry etc. This is my major critique of the program. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I experienced poor teachers. The facilities were good. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Staying with a host family was wonderful, experience, and good spanish practice. However, there were too many students in one house, with only one host mother (4:1). I still felt like I was in an American bubble. There was also poor communication between our international school and host families, house rules were not established until we had broken them. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Most of them were very enjoyable. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
My experience in the language school was awful. I experienced two very bad teachers at both schools, in sosua and santo domingo. I felt that my time spent in spanish class was a waste of time and money. I learned the most spanish when i got the opportunity to explore the city on my own and interact with locals (who mostly spoke only spanish). |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | A person who is prepared to grasp opportunity by the balls. To fully take advantage of a study abroad experience you need to be ready and excited to step way outside of your comfort zone. I would also advise staying in the country for at least a week after the program ends. I am staying 2 extra weeks, to do MY OWN exploring, and service work. Especially in a program where you really don't get anytime to do what YOU chose to do, I feel this extra time is vital. I know alot of other students wish they were staying longer on their own. |
