Amideast Summer in Morocco Past Review
By A student (Public Policy Analysis., University of Chicago) - abroad from 06/24/2012 to 07/22/2012 with
AMIDEAST: Rabat - Summer Intensive Arabic
Yes, it was worthwhile. Morocco is gorgeous and the intricacies of how the different languages intermingle in one country is fascinating.
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The woman in charge was not at all helpful in any way and was very difficult to get answers out of. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My family was not what I was expecting. My host mom did not cook herself at all and they were both usually more interested in watching TV than other things. |
| * Food: |
My host mom never cooked anything herself. |
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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? |
I didn't have any serious problems. The host families were not always particularly attentive to the fact that we could not really drink tap water or eat most fruit though. |
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| 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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| * 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? | $50 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Haggle. |
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 |
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| 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? | 103 Arabic (One year) |
| 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? | Specifically request a host family that speaks Fus'ha and not just Dharaja. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | 0 |
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 wish that they had given us more advance information about many things. For example, right from the airport I was taken straight to my host family, which I was not expecting because the handbook said that we would be taken to a hotel where we would have a few days of orientation. |
