What happens in Roraima, Stays in Roraima Past Review
By Alexandra L (Anthropology., Pitzer College) - abroad from 02/14/2014 to 07/30/2014 with
Universidade Federal de Roraima / UFRR: Roraima - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
It was absolutely worthwhile. I learned how to be more independent, how to bug people until they help you, how to get out of my comfort zone, how to cook more dishes, how to take care of my health, how important your health is.
Review Photos
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 only challenging or difficult aspect of the classes here were that they were in portuguese. The classes were very, very easy. Participation is not part of the grade and the Anthropology classes are formatted so that we read something and then all we do in the next class is summarize what we read. I do not feel like I learned much at all from the classes. I could have learned all of that on my own by just reading the texts. The portuguese classes are also pointless because the class is geared towards people who need to take a certain type of exam so the way in which the class is taught is not productive for someone who actually wants to learn how to speak, read and write in the language. It only helps in knowing how to answer the specific kinds of questions that will be on that test, which I don't need to take. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Since I was the only student and it is an exchange, not a program, there was no guidance or help from anyone, except for the help I got with the paper work during the first week. In fact when I tried to ask for help on my independent study, which was supposed to be me helping a professor with their research, no one helped me. I asked Leda Martins, Professor Cirino and even my host mom who is somewhat involved with the anthropology department. The only person who tried to guide me to the right path was my host mom who in the end couldn't do anything about it. The lack of administration on this exchange was also unsettling for my host mom who felt completely helpless and worried all the time because she felt like if anything were to happen to me she would be responsible. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Everything went smoothly at my home stay for the most part. I was provided with everything I needed and felt like I could turn to my host mom or host sister if I needed anything. I didn't give this section a rating of five stars because I think that if it were anybody else besides me living here they would have a much harder time in the house. The family doesn't do many activities together and if you aren't independent than you aren't going to get anything out of your stay here. |
| * Food: |
The food in this region and in my home stay are delicious. It is veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy difficult for anyone who is vegetarian or vegan to survive here because there is meat in almost everything. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I feel like I almost completely integrated with the culture. I made many friends and went to many places in the city as well as outside of the city. The people here are eager to meet new and foreign people so it is easy to make new friends. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had a painful skin infection for the majority of my time here and encountered the worst medical situation that I have ever seen in my life. I went to four different hospitals and only the two private, expensive ones ended up giving me the correct medicine that finally worked. My host mom did not help me that much in the process either. |
| * Safety: |
This is a small city so it is very safe. I heard a lot of stories about robberies and such but never witnessed or experienced any myself. The one part about this city that is dangerous is the amount of car and motor accidents. |
| 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) |
This part of Brazil is not very expensive. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $40-$55 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I ate as many meals as possible in my home stay. |
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 |
Nobody here speaks english. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | portuguese 22 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | If you are on a program with other students that speak english, then go make as many local friends as possible and speak to them in their native tongue! Or better yet, make a deal with the other students on your program to only speak in the language of the country you are in! |
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? | Bring more mosquito repellent, be ready to have to figure out what to do on your own, and plan a trip for before classes begin. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
