CIEE Jordan is a great place to get more Arabic and cultural understanding Past Review
By Rachel C (International Relations; Middle Eastern Studies, University of Arkansas - Fayetteville) for
CIEE: Amman - Language and Culture
definitely.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It was great. A lot of work in Arabic, a lot of readings in other classes. But manageable. Grading I don't know about because I haven't gotten my grades yet. But overall great. The teachers are very understanding and want you to succeed. Good teachers. Difficult enough classes |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
great on pretty much everything. Except their stupid absense policy. You can't have any unexcused absences without it knocking off 2percent off your grade. But overall, superawesome |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
|
| * Food: |
food is great and plentiful and cheap |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
there were tons - trips to petra, wadi rum, dana nature reserve, volunteer activities, jerash, and everywhere else in jordan. Literally everywhere |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
i felt very safe all the time. Just don't do stupid stuff and you'll be good. i always felt perfectly safe, even at night. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* 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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | transportation: i used public transportation, so I spent about $10 a week on transportation (they give you a $150+ transportation stipend each month). If I took taxis, I'd use up the transportation stipend they gave me). I spent about $2 or less a day on food, inc. coffee. I didn't buy much else. Everything's cheap. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | none |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | advanced 2 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
get a peer tutor. get to know your host family. only speak arabic with everyone. i had to use arabic in everyday interactions. a lot of people speak english though |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
