Challenging but Rewarding Past Review
By Deborah O (Trinity University) - abroad from 01/03/2012 to 04/27/2012 with
CIEE: Santo Domingo - Liberal Arts
I learned so much about myself, my culture and my country while I was gone. I also learned so much about the culture, country and people of the Dominican Republic. It was an amazing experience and definitely worthwhile. Some aspects of life in DR were difficult but in the end I think I gained an invaluable experience that I would hope everybody could have.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo CIEE Study Center Instituto Filosofia de Pedro Francisco Bono |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes were not very academically rigorous or challenging but I did feel as though I gained very valuable lessons and experiences through the classes I took. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The CIEE Santo Domingo staff was incredibly helpful in every situation. They provided any support needed and were very friendly and approachable all the time. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my host family. They were very welcoming and always went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. The living conditions were very different from in the U.S. but I had an amazing home stay experience. |
| * Food: |
The food was delicious. Not as much variety as in the U.S. but my host mom was a great cook! |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
In many ways I think I Integrated into the culture but in other ways, I definitely did not. I made a lot of Dominican friends and did different things with them, I took local transportation and ate the local food, among other things. However, many social values in the DR are very different than in the U.S. and I chose not to involve myself in many activities that would have been culturally acceptable for Dominicans because of personal opinions. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have too many health care issues and never needed to see a doctor during my time abroad. |
| * Safety: |
Santo Domingo is a very big city and therefore, does have some safety issues. There was a few days during orientation set aside for discussing safety issues and at anytime during the semester when safety concerns arose the program handled them very well. |
| 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) |
A tight budget could easily be doable in DR. Public transportation is very cheap and all meals are provided by the host families if you choose to eat at home. If you are willing to by Dominican brands, toiletries and school supplies could be purchased inexpensively. |
| * 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? | $10 to $20 if I didn't travel outside of the city |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Buy Dominican brands. Imported items from the U.S. can be found but are generally very expensive. Also, eating meals at home helps. My host mom was a great cook and I hardly ever ate out so it was very easy to save money. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
|
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
At the beginning of the program, the staff encouraged us to speak Spanish and throughout the program, if students were at the study abroad center and overheard speaking English, the staff would remind us to practice Spanish instead. |
| 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? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 3000 |
| 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? | Speak Spanish at all times, even with other students from the program. Some students in our group decided only to speak Spanish for the entirety of the program and personally, after only speaking Spanish even with other Americans, my Spanish improved a ton! |
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 |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I think the program provided good information prior to going. Some things you just really have to do/see/experience in order for it to sink in and to really be able to understand. |
