Spring Break Past Review
By Adam R (Economics, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/16/2015 to 05/19/2015 with
Brown University: Havana - Brown in Cuba
Definitely a worthwhile program. My Spanish became fluent enough that people stopped immediately assuming I was from the U.S. My social skills improved a lot. I learned more about Cuba than most people ever consider.
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. |
Professors were unprepared to lead the courses. Each class was about 3.5 hours of lecture and no time for discussion or participation. Lectures often bored people, both students and other professors, to sleep. Grading was harsh for how little was given and expected from the courses. There were some bright spots, including a field trips with a knowledgeable, warm administrator at the host institution and two lectures from an energetic professor on race in Cuba. |
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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? |
Everyone has an ocean-view room. Some rooms are small by U.S. standards, but are spacious and luxuriously furnished by Cuban standards. |
| * Food: |
Food is Cuba is bland and monotonous, but it's cheap. This is doubly true for people with dietary restrictions. There are some good things though. All the produce is local, organic, ecologically sound, etc. The tropical fresh fruit is amazing. Above-par dinners and breakfasts are provided as part of the program. There's a killer burger and shake place nearby. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I had lots of time to explore Havana. Cubans are mostly warm and forthcoming with foreigners. Sometimes it's for money and special treatment, but usually it's genuine. There's one group of people who tries to make friends with the students on this program each year. They're fun to hang out with and know the city really well. However, they can be a little overbearing and a bit of a mooch, like many Cubans. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Havana is one of the safest cities for a foreigner. There are basically no weapons of an kind and there are harsh punishments for bothering a tourist. Women will be annoyed by endless catcalls and may have to deal with people masturbating in public; mostly, they keep to themselves. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | No more than $40 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You can change U.S. dollars favorably on the black market. Otherwise, bring Canadian dollars or Euros to exchange. |
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 |
Classes are in Spanish. The rest of the "program" has lots of English. |
| 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? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish Seminar Course on Don Quixote. Wrote 30 pages in Spanish and read 100 pages per weel. |
| 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? | Speak Spanish with people in your program. Cuban Spanish is hard to understand at first. Your peers will have the most understandable accents. |
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? |
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? | This is an island program with American students. Not an immersion program. For bureaucratic reasons, this is the way every U.S. study abroad program in Cuba runs. The best academic discussions were between students in English during spare time, not in classrooms. For a freer study abroad experience, and one with better food, I'd go somewhere else. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
