Past Review
By Hayley D (International Relations And Community Health, Tufts University) for
CIEE: Dakar - Language & Culture
Absolutely. I never could have imagined what I would find there and I laughed cried and everything in between about everything. Nothing like America which I guess is exactly what I wanted.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2009 |
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 |
Under-staffed but they do what they can. Its really hard to have strict rules in a country like Senegal. You will definitely know that you ARE NOT in america. Everything is slow. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Ouakham was my neighborhood. 3 sisters around my age (2 more abroad in France), little brother, older brother and his wife lived with us. Mom, Dad was there sometimes but he had 3 wives so he traveled between their 3 houses. Muslim. <br /><br /> It was really educational and turned out to be one of the most authentic and unusual and reassuring and enlightening experiences of my life. |
| * Food: |
Not a great place for vegetarians or people who dont like fat. They fry everything. The street food is great though and you'll miss it when youre gone ;) |
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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? |
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| * Safety: |
Not because of the program, just because of the country. |
| 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? | You get a stipend from CIEE but inevitably spend more on clothes, souvenirs, TOILET PAPER, and food. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Travel (spring break, etc), your family might ask you for money. PHONE CREDIT Still though life is cheap. I travelled a decent amount and went out fairly often and still only spent $1,500 during the whole semester |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
The only difficult part is that you are learning Wolof at the same time that you are trying to improve your french. Not all senegalese people have the patience to wait for you while you learn. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Don't expect anything and you'll gain a world. Expect a lot and you might walk a way with nothing. Learn to love the little things and embrace a slow lifestyle. |
