Others are assigned to public schools if English is the medium of instruction. An effort is made to place the students in geographical areas that will particularly enrich their academic backgrounds, serve their special interests, and expand their cultural horizons. Implicit in this will be a study of languages and dialects, music, folklore, and religions. Students immerse themselves in cultural values of work and leisure where the pace of life takes its cue from warm, tropical breezes and long, sandy beaches. Group-oriented cultural exchange and community development projects are supervised by OCA in conjunction with local, regional, or national community development organizations.
Projects typically involve physical labor using indigenous resources.
Academic credit for an orientation course in African history and culture is supervised by SUNY Potsdam. Although the language of instruction will be either English or French, assignments in Portuguese are occasionally available. Living standards are consistent with local standards. A personal interview is highly recommended and may be arranged at the home institution.