Oaxaca is the bomb!! Past Review
By Meaghan M (University of Calgary) - abroad from 07/13/2013 to 08/10/2013 with
Mexico Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
I got to practice my Spanish a lot! I also LOVED Oaxaca. It is absolutely beautiful, and I want to return there for sure!
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. |
My experience at the UABJO was awesome. The students from SOL were at the Facultad de Lenguas which is really small, and we had classes of 1-3 students each so it was basically like private tutoring. This gave the opportunity to learn a lot of vocabulary and I got to practice speaking a lot which really helped me. I found that in order for me to really understand, I did a lot of studying and a lot of extra work, but it paid off in the end! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was AMAZING. I loved them all so much, and they made me feel right at home! I was glad that we could communicate easily, and having real-life Spanish practice for a couple hours a day was awesome! |
| * Food: |
The food was amazing, I ate everything! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Oaxaca is nice because the centre is very small, and there are always people around, so you never really feel unsafe walking around. The only time I wouldn't walk was if I was coming home late at night; but it is very easy and cheap to take a taxi |
| 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 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Mexico is really cheap--and aside from all the souvenirs/extras I bought, I didn't have to spend too much money on anything else. Basics like shampoo, Tylenol, water etc, are really cheap |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Probably 100$ ...but I bought a lot of souvenirs! |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I would wait until in Mexico to buy toiletries and such; shampoo, soap, etc are cheaper in Mexico than in Canada/US so its easier to just buy it when you get there. Also wander around the markets a few times before buying souvenirs, a lot of stands offer the same thing and some try to give you different prices--always try to haggle a little bit! Its part of the culture! :) |
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 |
In school I had to speak Spanish all day, but when we were doing cultural activities with the other students of the program, no one was really motivated to speak it. Also it was hard because some girls had a really low level of Spanish, so if everyone spoke in Spanish, they had no clue...so we never really practiced when hanging out together |
| 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? | 323 at my home university, as well as 2 months studying grammar (4th year level) in Mexico |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Try and practice in any way you can! Spend time with your host family, so you can have real-life conversations, ask questions in class...and tour around the city! Mexicans are really friendly and love to chat with foreigners! |
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? |
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? | That there would be bugs in Oaxaca....I didn't bring bug spray! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Latin American Poetry |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Jose Molina |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | This was really challenging, as I had no experience studying poetry before. I spent a lot of time reading ahead and looking up words (poetic vocab is tough!) but it paid off as I learned A LOT of new words and a lot about poetry in general. We focused on a different country each week, so we could compare the styles and authors. I was definitely inspired to read more poetry after the course was over. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
