Fish, Friends, and Fluency Past Review
By Regina B (Public Affairs, Ohio State University - Columbus) - abroad from 06/17/2012 to 07/22/2012 with
Action AMIDEAST: Social Innovation Abroad in Tunisia
I gained a lot of new friends and new knowledge. I made friends from 3 other US states, Tunisia, and the UK. These are people I will stay in touch with, too. I learned a lot of Arabic, and through talking to people, broke out of my comfort zone and became a more confident person in general.
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 |
There was little to no contact with the AMIDEAST country president, we met her once and then never heard from her again. Similarly, we were given messages about times and other scheduling issues after midnight from the AMIDEAST exchange coordinator multiple times. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Everything was great, except for the dorms at the Language Village. |
| * Food: |
Again, it was great except for the Language Village. I got food poisoning from the food there and was throwing up/couldn't eat for at least 4 days. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The people were extremely accepting of us as Americans, and they tried to make us feel welcome. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had to go to the dentist while I was in Tunis because my tooth chipped. While I was not happy with how it turned out aesthetically, the dentist was extremely well educated. I did have to pay in cash, but it was inexpensive relative to American dental care. The procedure may cost around 100 dinar (60 US dollars). |
| * Safety: |
The traffic is crazy, and crossing streets is really difficult. Just be careful the first week or so until you fully understand the traffic patterns. Beware of pick-pocketers on the metro, we had a girl almost get her phone and wallet stolen. Men tend to cat-call or attempt to touch you, but it's never anything more than that. You just have to be very aware when walking in crowded areas. |
| 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) |
The program itself was inexpensive, due to the fact that the government subsidizes it because of the service component. Everything in the country is inexpensive, too. Plus, both AMIDEAST and the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education gives you a stipend for a total of around 600 dinar. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Less than 50 dinar |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Be sure to haggle in the markets, and use your Arabic to prove you are a student and not a tourist. They'll give you a lower base price and you can haggle from there. |
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? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate Arabic (Arabic 401 under quarters) |
| 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? | Talk to natives, even taxi drivers. You'll be surprised how excited they are to hear to speaking their language! |
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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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| 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? |
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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 I would have brought less clothing, and some more information about appropriate clothing would have been helpful. I also wish I would have known we were getting stipends, otherwise I wouldn't have changed so much money. |
