Italy/Greece: Tons of Fun and Some Slight Over-stimulation Past Review
By Richard L (Biomedical Sciences, General., St. Cloud State University) for
St. Cloud State University: Italy & Greece - PSY 330 – Cross Cultural Psychology
It was so worth it for me because I got what I went for - I was so impressed by the Italians and Greeks and what they had accomplished in ancient times, I get to say I saw all the amazing sights and it was mind-blowing, and I got to share all my experiences with really fun people. It has not changed my academic plans, but it created a lifetime of memories that I will always treasure.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
This trip was more of a learning experience in seeing a new country and people. I honestly wasn't that impressed with the course during the trip (before and after it was good) |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I assume this means tour guide? Anyway, our guide Mikelas was absolutely fantastic; he literally made the trip so much better with his knowledge friendliness and humor. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We also stayed a few nights on a boat. Hotels were decent, but we had to book so many and travel so much that I cared about location more than having a super nice hotel. One was really nice though. |
| * Food: |
Italian and Greek foods are excellent. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Pretty much everything was memorable. The Vatican is mind-blowing, Greece is beautiful, to be extremely brief. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt safe most of the time. Just travel in groups at night and you are fine. |
| 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? | I can't remember. Maybe $250 a week? I bought a lot of stuff and it's only two weeks so... |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Everything is pretty straightforward, food and souvenirs are your main expenses. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I didn't take any language courses |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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? | Ideal traveler: One looking to explore and be amazed by beauty, cover tons of stuff in few days, and possibly drink and party with locals at night :) |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Cross-Cultural Psychology |
| Course Department: | PSY 330 |
| Instructor: | Melcher, Joseph |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course was certainly not difficult. The only real work was doing the country report before the trip and reading the book from the foreign country and writing a book report afterwards. On the trip we only got together a couple of times to discuss what we noticed about the culture. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
