Crazy Past Review
By Nicole W (Villanova University) - abroad from 01/12/2012 to 06/22/2012 with
CIEE: Salvador- Liberal Arts
Extremely worthwhile. Got to see and experience so many things I never would have had the chance to see. I learned a whole new language, picked up some new dance skills, was exposed to new religions, and so much more.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | UFBA |
| 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. |
The courses were easy workload wise. At the end of the semester all the federal teachers went on strike so we had no class for the last month. We also had a month of no class in February due to Carnaval |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They are super nice and helpful when asked for information. But they did not keep us updated on a lot of things. For example, there have been several strikes while here (police, busing, teachers) and the program rarely sent out updates on what actions we should take (ie. not to go to class or to go to class) |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Love living with a host family. Also great that this program includes 3 meals a day. |
| * Food: |
Depends on host family, some people had great food experiences, others lived off rice and beans for 6 months. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Attending an actual Brazilian school helped a lot with my language skills and integration. Also the length of the program made me feel like I adapted a lot more than other programs. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Salvador is NOT a safe city. About 3/4 of the program were robbed. I've been robbed at knifepoint, had friends robbed with machetes, and one student was cut across the face and had to get stitches when a man stole her necklace. Another student was kidnapped at gunpoint and luckily escaped from the car easily. There is a huge crack problem in the city. These safety issues could be aided with better transportation funding. Most of these incidents occur from walking home instead of taxiing or busing. I know that if I had a transportation stipend I would most definitely have avoided my incident as would have many others. These incidents do not only occur in sketchy areas we know we should avoid- the kidnapping took place on the most wealthy street in the city. |
| 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) |
Life is cheap here. |
| * 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? | 25 USD while not traveling 100 USD when traveling |
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? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate |
| 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? | Make local friends! Talk to your host families, speak in class, change computer and facebook to local language |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Portuguese. |
