speaking Arabic and bussing to the mountains Past Review
By Leila Awadallah (University of Minnesota - Twin Cities) - abroad from 01/23/2017 to 05/18/2017 with
American University of Beirut: Beirut - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
This experience was absolutely worthwhile. I feel during my time abroad that learning was not isolated within the classroom / homework experience, but that learning was everywhere. You can learn about history and politics at school, but also through casual conversations with people who experienced these things. Going to events and performances and connecting with an arts community that is intimate and overlapping really made me feel grounded during my time abroad.
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. |
There were so many incredible classes and professors to choose from, it was hard to choose what to put in my schedule! For the most part, all the classes I chose to take were challenging and wonderful. I had one professor in the Arabic department who did not always show up to teach with a plan / energy to teach, which was a bit frustrating, but otherwise my academic experience was stimulating and intense. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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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? |
Yes
Lebanese people are so generous and kind. The country's landscape is beautiful when you travel outside of the city. The AUB campus is safe, gorgeous and relaxing. The sea is close by, there are plenty of music, galleries, and performances to go to in Beirut. The food is incredible. The professors are brilliant! My language skills improved - I wish they improved even more, but the only downside is that I wasn't surrounded by Arabic as much as I wished to be. |
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) |
I found ways to live cheaply, you just have to eat and transport wisely. There are very expensive places to eat / taxis get expensive. But if you figure out the bus system and eat falafel you can get by nicely. Things within Beirut can get quite expensive if you are not careful. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | It depends on if I went to cultural events / out to eat. On average, I would guess $50 a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | A lot of bars and restaurants in Beirut have a 'appealing look' to them, but are unreasonably expensive. Talk to locals and find out where the less commercial spots are. And more than anything, LEARN THE BUS SYSTEM! Its not hard, and very cheap. You can use buses to get around the city, but also to go North / South / East and this allowed me to travel and see so much more on a low budget! |
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 |
My language professors encouraged me to use the language a lot! I definitely improved on speaking and learning a lot more about dialect and words / phrases that applied to every day life in Lebanon. However outside of the language department, the program in a broader sense did not encourage me as much as I wished. Being an American University, English was used a lot. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic |
| 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? | Outside of class, I used Arabic in taxi's and markets most often. I taught English to Syrian refugees which allowed me to use the Arabic I had to translate how to teach English. And also, just getting out of the city and traveling helped me use the language a lot more. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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? | I enjoyed my experience in the dorms, and met a lot of wonderful people by staying there. But I think if I were to do it again I would have tried to find an apartment. It is not too hard to find one, and as a student who has lived on my own for quite some time, it was a bit difficult to go back to 'dorm style' living. That being said, I made some of my most 'local' (Lebanese, Palestinian, Jordanian, Syrian) friends in the dorms. So that was a big plus! |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
