Rio de Janeiro: The Marvelous City! Past Review
By Sabrina D (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Wellesley College) - abroad from 07/09/2013 to 12/17/2013 with
CIEE: Rio de Janeiro - Business, Economics, and Culture
I gained independence and learned to live by myself in a huge Latin American city. I gained confidence and many language, social, and academic skills
Review Photos
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. |
I loved my PUC-Rio Professors. So accommodating and nice. Highly recommend them. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Matt Ryan and his wife Camila were absolutely fabulous! They were knowledgable and approachable. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived with my "host grandmother". Brazilians are very welcoming and friendly. When I got sick, she always there to guide me |
| * Food: |
Food is very expensive in Brazil and eating out added up quickly. So, I recommend working on your cooking skills!! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Brazilians are so approachable you can talk to anyone on the street or beach without any worries! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I lived near a clinic, however the doctors seemed unprofessional. Despite that, I always got the care and medicine needed |
| * Safety: |
Because of my Latin looks, I blended in perfectly. Nobody questioned me as an American |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 0 |
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? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | BEFRIEND NATIVES!!! Don't spend time with American students. |
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? | 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? | How expensive living in Rio would be!! |
