I wish I could study with local students Past Review
By A student (Spanish Language, Literature, Berea College) - abroad from 09/05/2015 to 12/05/2015 with
KIIS: Merida - Experience Merida Semester Program
I've met a few people throughout the semester that I would keep in touch with. Also, I took one of the most challenging Spanish courses that helped me to improve my writing skills. Moreover, I have got to visit historical places and learned about Mayan culture.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
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 |
Claudia Chapa was an amazing coordinator. She was always available for any kind of help or assistance. Her assistant Annais Quintero was very helpful as well. We never had issues contacting them if we had any questions. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The house I stayed in was great. It was clean and nice. Every week we had a maid who came to clean our rooms. However, the host mom was passive-aggressive. Therefore, I did not have a very good experience with a host family. |
| * Food: |
My host mom was not cooking. If she did, we would eat the food for 4 days straight. This is not something I expected. Sometimes she would buy food from supermarket or order pizza. I did not really try the traditional Mexican food inside the house. Most of the time, I had to eat out in order to try local food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I did not feel integrated with the local culture. All the activities we had as a big group with students from our program. We did not meet or talk to local people when we moved in to our houses, because we were placed in the north of Merida which is considered the wealthy part of the town. Our classes again were held with the same students from our program, and we did not get to meet other students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Merida is a very safe place to study. There is police everywhere. It has the lowest rate of criminal records, which makes it one of the safest places in Mexico. I did not feel in danger for the whole time I've been there. People are very nice and welcome, and are always glad to help. However, one of the reasons why I felt safe was because I would always walk with someone. My roommate and I always walked/took taxi back home together. |
| 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) |
I did nor have any issues living on a student budget. However, the fact that we did not get good food from our host family did affect my budget. I had to spend on food more than I planned. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 150 pesos per week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | My suggestion would be to spend less the first week of the program. This is where I spent most of my money. At first you think it is cheap, you buy things and then you look at your account and you have way less than you thought. Spend wisely :) |
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 |
The fact that we were as a group all the time, we always spoke English to each other and did not practice our Spanish. Most of the time the tour guides would talk to us in English because we had 2 students who did not speak any Spanish. That was frustrating. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| 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? | SPN 315 |
| 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? | Talk to your host mom and the supervisor. Your job placement might be a great place to practice your skills. Also, I would suggest visiting different universities and meet local students. This is one thing I wish I had done. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? |
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? | I wish I knew that our classes would be held in a private school with the program students. I thought we would be with local students. That fact was the main reason why we spoke less Spanish throughout the program. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
