Great learning and great fun Past Review
By A student (Computer Science, University of California - Berkeley) - abroad from 06/09/2012 to 06/30/2012 with
Mexico Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
We learned LOTS of Spanish, enough to no longer be afraid to use it when interacting with native speakers. That was huge for us! We also learned so much about Oaxaca and the wonderful people there and how families live from the cultural programs and from the host family.
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 had an awesome educational and cultural experience in Oaxaca. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Our host coordinator was there for us when we were confused and needed help and set up really fun cultural adventures. She helped make the 10 of us that month feel like a mini-family. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My son in high school and I stayed with a wonderful family. As a mom I wasn't prepared for being taken care of by such a warm and wonderful family. We each had our own room with all our basic needs, nothing luxurious but just fine. The mama in our house felt it was her duty to cook us all sorts of different Oaxacan and Mexican foods to try. It was yummy and fun! |
| * Food: |
Yum and the home and yum in the cute town! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We were very presently surprised at how warm and friendly all the people of Oaxaca were. The locals all were kind and smiled when we said "Buenos dias" or whatever. The people who were parts of the cultural programs were all giving and accepting of us and our questions. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
We didn't need a doctor but another woman in our program did. She was totally taken care of by our coordinator and got better in a few days. |
| * Safety: |
We felt so safe walking around the town even in the evenings. The only glitch we had was when we met friends for a movie that got out late on a Saturday night and we couldn't find a taxi. We called our director and she would have bailed us out but a taxi drove up that we shared with some locals we had just met. I wouldn't want to do it again so I'd plan our ride home or go way eariler to the movie so we could take the bus home. |
| 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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| * 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? | Less than $100 for the two of us. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| 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? | Spanish 2 in high school |
| 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? | Jump in and use the language! The local people and families that you stay with will help you along and your Spanish will soon be rolling off your tongue much more easily. You will progress faster if you just TRY anything, the folks who didn't try much didn't progress much. |
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? | If you are going to learn Spanish at a beginner or intermediate level make sure you understand which level you are placed in after your placement test the first day. We lost some time being placed at a more beginner level than we really were based on that test. We were really low intermediate and didn't realize for a week that we'd been put in a lower level than we wanted. We worked with the school to have our teacher go at a faster pace and push us harder. Bottom line advise is if something isn't going the way you want you have to TELL someone or they can't help you. |
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! |
