Africa, the Beautiful Past Review
By A student (Berea College) - abroad from 05/08/2012 to 06/06/2012 with
Berea College: Accra - Traveling to Ghana: African Music and Literature
I gained some self awareness and learned things about me that I never would have known. Being African American and going to Africa to see where my people were taken from was a breath-taking experience, something I will never forget. Being in Africa even for that short amount of time brought about humility, love, and patience that I never knew I had or could have. It was worth every penny, every tear, and every struggling moment.
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. |
The visits to the slave castles, Ashanti palace, and forts in Ghana were amazing. I learned so much from looking at the artifacts and from direct contact with the tour guide. I feel it was direct knowledge, knowledge that I couldn't have gotten from a textbook. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration in Ghana was fabulous. We all developed relationships with the on site tour guides we had that assisted Dr. Mante - Ralph, Kwame, Ike, David, Mr. Richard, and Josh. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing although very different than American housing was okay. It took a while to get adjusted to but it was an experience worth having. The only trouble we had was at Twin City Hotel where the lady kept turning off the power every night because she did not like us. |
| * Food: |
THE FOOD WAS GREAT! We ate good every day - breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. We became very accustomed to the Shell gas stations for late night snacks and snacking in our rooms between meals. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The visit to the Komfueku Village for one week was amazing. We all received host families and were very involved with everyone in the village - young and old. The kids always wanted to play or just be around us and the older people were the same way. Also once we got to visit markets and interact with the people I really felt emerged in the culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Health issues were not taken lightly on the trip. Everyone who felt bad or did not feel good was taken care of by Berea Administration, classmates, and even the Ghanaians who knew one of us was sick would help. So that was something I felt very comfortable knowing. |
| * Safety: |
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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) |
What I didn't like was the changing and alteration of the budget information at the last minute. We all were told that immunizations, passports and a few other costs were already in the cost of the trip but when we returned we were told those things were not included in the cost of the trip. So more structure, organization, and clarity would be better. |
| * 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? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save for shopping and extra food money. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | How unorganized it would be once we got there To bring more shopping money |
