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BridgeLinguatec-Buenos
Aires: • Our
host family was the best and had the best
food. There can be some variety in quality
of families, however. • If
not looking to spend all your time in the
city, request host family in suburbs, which
is farther to school, but much more relaxing. |
AUSTRALIA |
Central
Queensland: • Stay in
dorms and attend the sponsored activities
that
Capricornia College provides. • Housing
and meal plan payments were similar to NMSU's
prices.
Macquarie: • Flats
are decent, but mine was particularly
dirty and had random furniture broken.
Had three
roommates. Everything is in walking distance.
I enjoy my residence.
Newcastle: • Don't
get the meal plan.
Swinburne: • Best
staying in the on-campus apartments with
roommates. Housing was more expensive than
I thought it would be. • Live in
an apartment or house near campus, not
in a
dorm.
Sunshine Coast: • Expect
more security than you are used to. • Every
one should live at residence once in their
life, but the atmosphere is not for everyone.
First semester was enough to meet people
and be highly involved, but 2nd semester
I moved out. • Alternative housing
to what is provided (apartments, houses)
are much cheaper. Food more
expensive than anticipated. |
AUSTRIA |
Actilingua: • When
ordering water at a restaurant, specify with
or without gas. Water and juice come in very
small glasses. |
BELIZE |
FCD:
• Staying with family can be rewarding. Food
expensive, some shortages related to flour.
Ministry
of Ed Interns: • Our
housing was very far from many things such
as
restaurants, stores, laundry. • Our
housing was great but the location was
not as
good
because we were not very close to services
such as
laundry, grocery etc.
Belize Field
School Spring 2007: Would like
door on bathroom, but otherwise housing
ok. •Lodging
was fine everywhere. • Meals were great. • Lodging
great at Trek Stop and Caye Caulker,
but while Las Cuevas did a great job,
facilities
(such as indoor toilets) might be improved
for hosting guests. |
BRAZIL |
Bridge
Linguatec-Rio: • Host family
great. They go out of their way to assist
you. • If you have a problem with your
host family you can talk to the directors
to change them. • Food is great
but expensive.
Pontificia Catolica-Rio:
Find housing on your own or you may get stuck
without a place to stay. • food
is great |
CANADA |
Alberta: • Home
stay (in summer) included meals. Eat out as
little as possible. • Fill out housing
application 1-3 months before departure. You
will pay for your housing when you arrive,
the first day. If you haven't exchanged money
at that point, bring a check card/credit card
You can pay all first day, or pay off balance
later when you have more money. • Tim
Horton's is a good, easy place to get breakfast
and coffee.
Laurentian: • Use
the ISEP allowance for groceries rather than
the meal plan. • I would recommend staying
in an apartment style dormitory (SSR). |
CHINA |
Shijiazhuang: • ...I
can comment on negatively the room which
was cold in the winter. .• The housing
was quite satisfactory. The worst things
about the site is its location in an industrial
park. • Don't be squeamish about housing--rooms
are clean but you may have "company." •...the
cafeteria food which I felt was quite mediocre.
The cafeteria, though not great, was adequate,
and the plethora of small restaurants and
vendor stalls helped. |
CHILE |
Bridge
Linguatec-Santiago: • Host
family arrangements were fantastic.• Use
supermarkets which are cheap. |
COSTA
RICA |
CPI: • Eating
out can be expensive due to lots of tourists. • Host
family wonderful. • You get ... two meals
a day. • Too much plain rice, little
meat. • Lack of privacy, cot like beds. • Bring
a pillow for comfort. • Stay in/with
a host family, bring light cotton shirts.• My
host mother was great. • My mother was
shocked by the shower in her home stay.• If
you are not happy with your family, request
a change. • Costa Rican homes are different
from U.S. homes. • You will be taken
to host family from airport, and family won't
speak English, but relax, they will help you
find the school. • In Monteverde, Bellbird
Hotel is an affordable B&B ($10 per night). • Food
as expensive as in the US if staying in Monteverde
and Flamingo. Staying in a Villa is more expensive
but very nice. • In Flamingo, home stays
and bed and breakfast are about 45 minute walk
away to campus, so costly to take cabs, but
unwise to walk along. |
ECUADOR |
BridgeAbroad-Quito: • Host
families only provide 2 meals per day, so take
extra $ for 3rd meal. • Food is fantastic. |
EGYPT |
NRCSA-Cairo: I
live in the residency here in ILI, it is way
better then finding your own apartment. It
is on the 5th floor of the school and in a
very safe neighborhood. The apartment is really
big and very nice. It accommodates 4 people,
I have 3 male room mates. And as far as food
goes, your on your own. But there is a cafeteria
at the school that sells very expensive food
(for Egypt) however it is really yummy. However,
it's cheaper to just order papa johns if that
gives the prices some perspective. |
|
Helsinki: Restaurants
are highly expensive. Cook for yourself or
eat at their cafeteria (which is ok).
Turku: • People
on special diets, such as vegetarian, will
find items scarce and expensive. • No
on-campus housing, so apartments about 10 miles
away. |
FRANCE |
AFLyon: Dorms
not most comfortable living, but host families
are usually very accommodating and helpful.
I would recommend host family or dual living
situation in an efficiency apartment.
Bridge
Linguatec Paris: Breakfast is continental,
not a full breakfast.
Caen: • Would
be nice to provide a secondary way to live,
such as a host family. • Bathrooms
are unisex and the toilets have no seats. You
have your own sink in the room. Maids clean
bathrooms once per week. You might want shower
shoes. • Meals need to be improved.
Grenoble: • Make
sure you have extra funds for food, since allowance
distribution may be up to two weeks late.
Lyon3: • Cost
higher than expected since dorms not available
so had to pay for a hostel. • If staying
a year, sharing an apartment with other students
easier than living at a student residence hall. • Explore
all housing options on your own prior to leaving;
Lyon housing contracts are difficult on students. • Arrange
with housing early because difficult to obtain
apartments after arriving. • Apartments
may be old, loud, and dirty. Showers and internet
may not be available. Hot water may be limited
in supply. Furniture limited in quantity and
quality. Students need to be careful when choosing
host families.
MICEFA: • Food
in restaurants expensive, so you eat at home,
school, or cheap Greek sandwich shops. • Average
apartment in Paris may be 700-800 euros.
Savoie: • Difficult
to travel to and from food sources and can't
regularly eat there.
Saint Etienne: • Limited
hours of cafeteria operation. • You have
to pay for the electricity which is expensive |
GERMANY |
Marburg: • Buy
groceries and put food in the community fridge
because eating out is expensive.
Trier: • If
unhappy with placement, work with coordinator
to sort it out for a move.
Würzburg: • You
don't get to choose which dorms you live in. |
GUATEMALA |
Proyecto
Linguistico:• The food just
wasn't Guatemala's strong point. It consists
of a lot of beans and other hard to digest
food. • ... eat black beans and eggs
every day--you will be pleasantly surprised. • Coffee
and pan break in the afternoon is great. • The
families are very nice but generally poor. • Don't
expect silk sheets. You may have five kids
around you all the time. • ... expect
a tin roofed house |
|
Cartona: • Evening
meals served in hotels are huge, so buy a storage
container and save for lunch.
CIMBA: • Some inconveniences
in dorms such as not having hot water, but
fixed. |
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JAPAN
|
BA-Tokyo: Stayed
with host family so only had to buy lunch and
was surprised that eating in Tokyo can be cheap
if you know where to look. Quality of food
is not sacrificed for the price either.
Chukyo: • No
stipend for food during break period. • No
able to cook in rooms. • Housing
was small but acceptable. Had unexpected bills (utilities
not included in ISEP benefits).
Kansai
Gaidai: • Meal plan money not
disbursed until one month after arriving. • Had
$500 worth of housing deposits.
Nagoya: . • Dormitory
is nice, but not for an independent minded
students, with 11:00 p.m. curfew, not guest
in rooms rules. Other housing is on outskirts
of town, so have to take a bus to campus. |
KOREA
|
Ajou: Don't
expect a nice room and buy a blanket and pillow
upon arrival.
Korea U: No
host family options, so try a Gushiwan. Meal
plan has limited times for eating. Food stipend
from ISEP coordinator release 2 months late.
|
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BridgeAbroad-Playa
de Carmen: • ... food with
host family was ok but repetitive.• Housing
somewhat far from the school. Puerto
Vallarta: • A resort town
so hard to find reasonable cost housing
for Americans.
Cuauhnahuac: • Keep
in mind that you already paid for meals
with your host family, so don't overspend
eating
out in restaurants. • Food
great. • ... if not satisfied with
what family provides, talk to institute staff. • Food
in cafeteria is excellent and cheap. • My
host family was extremely wonderful to
me and my house mates. • My
host family was wonderful and the food
was great! • The
house I lived in was wonderful and the family
embraced our being there. • Bring present
for host family. • Not all host families
the same, and some won't integrate you into
their family. • Be prepared to
ask for a different family if original
placement
doesn't work for you. • My
host family was wonderful and the food
was great!
Fenix: • Hard
to get used to family restrictions in host
family when used to having lived alone for
so long. • Meals included in home stay,
but eating out in Zacatecas inexpensive for
most restaurants.• Because of the different
meal times, I found myself buying more snacks
than usual.• Food – be prepared
to eat a TON of tortillas. • My
host family did not provide very good meals.
Many persons complained, and Fenix responded
to the problem. • ... each family has
clean drinking water. • Food preparation
is real different. • .I was very cold
the first few weeks, and I had to adjust
to not having heat. (Winter break) • You
can change if not happy. Cold, so take good
pajamas (Winter break). • Families
are great, but if you don't feel comfortable
with family or other students placed with
you, ask Fenix to change your assignment. • If
smells bother you (plumbing is not real
good) take a small air freshener with
you.
ICO
(Oaxaca): • Optional
evening meal with home stay not worth the
money. • Housing cost too high
for married couples living with a family.
Pay
by the week. Apartments are cheap and
easy to find.
TEC
de Monterrey: • ...no
meal plans on campus, so if you live
in the dorms, food will be fairly expensive
(Monterrey). • No
on site on campus housing, but overall
a nice campus with many accommodations
(Mazatlan). |
NETHERLANDS
|
Radboud
Nijmegen: • Not good. • Far
away from campus. • Will live with
other exchange students and you will adapt. • food
is expensive so cook for yourself.
Utrecht: • Housing
overcrowded.
|
NEW
ZEALAND
|
Auckland
Tech: • Eat out as little
as possible to save money.
|
SOUTH
AFRICA
|
Stellenbosch) • Dormitories
are either too hot or too cold so be prepared
to not always being comfortable.
|
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BridgeAbroad:
(Sevilla) • Check into the
option for taking 3 meals, instead of 2 meals,
with the family. It might save money. • Take
towels, nothing expensive. (Barcelona) • Buy
water and fruit at local grocery stores. (Granada) • One
of the two meals provided is breakfast, which
is only rolls and coffee, so spent more on
meals than planned. (Salamanca) • Housing
isn't fancy. Take towels. (Madrid) • Shop
at supermarket and cook some of your own
meals. Most places sell packaged tortillas
for couple Euros, which are good, microwaveable
and traditionally eaten in Spain. • They
don't really check up on the host families. • Bring
own towels and an electricity converter. (Malaga) • Thought
I was getting 3 meals a day, only got 2. • No
on-site cafeteria, so expect to pay $5 per
meal at restaurants at site or in surrounding
area. • Living with host family saves
on food costs. • We
didn’t know who the apartment belonged
to. • Family
housing is not “always” best
experience. • Club Hispanico expensive
(has not kitchen), so use student apartments. • Student
housing on the campus (not apartments) nice
options because of access to school utilities. • Take
into account that campus housing will not
have a fridge or oven, but apartments will,
so students in campus housing will eat out
in restaurants more. • Host families
and apartments may be 30 minutes from the
school. Also, the school is at the top of
a big hill. • Apartments much better
for older students.(Valencia) Cheaper
to buy groceries and pack a lunch.
Complutense: • Put into an apartment in the city (Madrid), but
transportation was good so it was ok.
Murcia: • Getting to your apartment can be sketchy--for most people.
There is no one there to greet you (landlords say one thing and do another).
Jaume: • Be prepared to pay a little more for food, but it is
well worth it. • Find a flat, cheaper than the dorms.
PIEE-Ronda: • the half-board meal plan means you
will buy dinner and most places can be expensive since Spain is a major tourist
destination. Hostels are cheap, but the quality may be low.• Host
family arrangements are the best. School will change if a problem arises. • I
moved from a family to an apartment, since family has issues with using electricity
and household items. This was a common problem with other students. • Cheaper
to live in an apartment than with a family. • Host family great for learning
language and getting involved in local community. But PIEE will help you to switch
to an apartment. • Local coordinator makes all host family arrangements,
so ask them about the family early. • If staying long, might start with
host family (to know culture and use language), then switch to an apartment (to
save money). • Food
is relatively cheap.
Texas Tech Sevilla Center: • Families
are assigned by TTU but aren't necessarily permanent. • Quality housing
with excellent host families who treated us like family. • Strong possibility
that family will smoke, even if you ask for non-smoking placement.
UPO: • Make
sure housing arranged in advance. • Staying with host family most reasonable
option since they cook for you, do laundry, and treat you well.• Grocery
stores are everywhere and food is inexpensive. • Eating out is more expensive. • Take
advantage of meals provided by host families and eat out only if necessary.• Eating
at restaurants will get expensive. • Arrange before you go. • Renting
a flat not too expensive. • Stay with host family because you will learn
more. Living in a flat can be isolating. • Make sure your housing arrangements
are known well in advance of leaving the U.S. • UPO only helps with on-campus
or host family housing, not apartments. • Best way to find a roommate is
to walk the area you want and look for fliers.
|
SWEDEN
|
Orebro: • Must
buy your own food using ISEP food allowance. • Corridor
style living seemed to be ideal when integrating
into Swedish society.
Karlstad: • Average
meal costs $15 (when converted). Snacks available
on campus for less, but no other full choices
on campus. Housing incredible.
Southern Stockholm: • Food
expensive and meal stipend not enough. • Housing
wasn't that great but people were. • Some housing
areas are far from the school and require an hour
of traveling. • Accommodation was good |
SWITZERLAND |
Berne: • Studentlogierhaus,
housing recommended by university, is twice
as expensive compared to apartments in nicer
parts of the city. Take a month there then
move out when you find a place. Food is generally
3 to 4 times more expensive than in the U.S.
for a comparable meal. |
THAILAND |
Thammasat: • In
the end I was unhappy with the apartment building
I chose (which was on the list of recommendations
from my school). |
UK (England,
Scotland, Northern Ireland) |
AIFS-Richmond: • Enjoyed
Kensington campus and all living needs were
more than sufficiently met. • Found
the food to be poor.
Bournemouth: • Food
stipend wasn't adequate. Most meals will
be cooked in the kitchen of the flat. Location
and accommodation were excellent. • Be
prepared to live with other international
students, not British students.
British Studies London Summer Program: • Food
was a problem because it was expensive and
went bad fast. • Pack lunches to save
money. • Be prepared to spend a lot
on food. The Pub down the street, Wetherspoons,
has the best food deals in the area. • Rooms
smaller than in the U.S. • Bring a
small fan and you own towels. • Dorms
great, but no air conditioning and noisy
at night.
Napier: • Find
your local grocery and be prepared to transport
goods by waling or taking the bus. • Learn
to use a Hoover to clean your room.
Sutherland: • Be
prepared for substandard food. • Make
sure your living arrangements are set up
completely. |
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