China Reflection Past Review
By Sarah S (French, University of Northern Iowa) for
University of Northern Iowa: Dongguan - UNI Summer Camp in China
I have never been to Asia and it was a great experience. I encourage others to go, but try to focus on positive aspects of the trip. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed and upset when things don't always work out the way you'd expect.
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. |
I enjoyed the experience very much and I learned a lot about my own abilities. It was a great opportunity to challenge myself and see what I could do. There was a lot of work to prepare lessons and to grade papers and tests, but it definitely paid off. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I feel as though there were a lot of unanswered questions and the other teachers and I did our best under the constraints we had. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing facilities were very clean and orderly. They were on campus and close to the classrooms. |
| * Food: |
The cafeteria served a teacher line and the student line. I preferred eating from the student line because of the variety of food which was served. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved the weekend trips - it was a good way to spend time with students outside of the classroom. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in the city, and especially on campus. I had no health issues. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Almost all the interactions were in English but during down times I was able to hear and practice some Chinese. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | It takes some courage to study abroad as well as some degree of flexibility. Be prepared to have some plans change and be open to them. |
