Northeast Brazil Social Justice Program: Faulted but Ultimately Unforgettable and Rewarding. Fortaleza - Social Justice and Sustainable Development Past Review
By Claire d (Economics., Wellesley College) for
SIT Study Abroad: Reviews from Former Locations
Even though I was bothered by many aspects of the program, I ultimately learned a lot from it academically and personally. I already had international exposure and had traveled extensively, but living in Brazil made the experience entirely different. I am more aware now of justice and political issues that I didn't pay attention to quite as closely before. I have a better understanding of political relations and social issues.
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. |
The grading system was fairly arbitrary, yet somewhat fair. The workload was less demanding but varied a lot (times of extreme amounts of work and others that were empty). There was basically no teaching method because we either were traveling or listening to guest lecturers--I would have prefered more discussion time with lecturers and to have started more debates within the group. |
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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? |
The male head of the house in my first homestay made a move on me and so I left, even though I had become greatly attached to the mother and daughter. The second homestay family was dull and did not significantly aid my learning. |
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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: |
n/a |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $170 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Textbooks and other expenses the school did not make us aware of before we arrived |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | N |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Practice with homestay family, locals, staff etc. I used Portuguese every day. Most people did not speak English. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | n/a |
