Past Review

By (Nursing., SUNY - Binghamton) for

SUNY Binghamton: Juan Dolio - Community Health in Dominican Republic

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
The study abroad program was worthwhile and i learned a lot about the Dominican culture and health care. I also learned some emergency medical techniques that i did not know before.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

We worked for the most part monday through friday 8-5. We had the weekends to ourselves and had pre and post conference everyday. We kept daily journals and had a teaching/learning project to do while we were there. We had plenty of time to get our work done without being overwhelmed.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Professor Kasey was very knowledgeable about the Dominican culture and knew her way around and the people there. Everyone we encountered respected her and welcomed us because of her. She knows spanish and has a great teacher for us.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

all inclusive resort <br /><br />

* Food:

the food on the resort was great

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I got to make friends with all the students who participated in this program that i wouldn't have become friends with otherwise.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? food was included in our resort but we did have to pack food for lunch monday through friday while we were working in the communities. We had to go to the grocery store and buy food to buy to pack and it had to be food that would be safe to eat after being in the heat all day, so i probably spent $20 per week on food. Also we went out to eat a few times while there and going out to eat wasn't mandatory but it did cost about just as much as it does here to go to a restaurant.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? the only unanticipated expenses were in the medical process to be able to go on the trip. I had the BU insurance and it does not cover a physical, shots, or the oral pills we had to receive. Also some of us did encounter unexpected fees at the airport with luggage. Also we had to buy 3 books for the course too.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

With the doctors, nurses, hotel workers, and community members we practiced our spanish skills by speaking with them. We could always depend on each other and a spanish dictionary though when we needed help.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Hotel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • International Students
  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans