While this trip is exciting and fun and educational, there definetley are parts of it where I wish I wasn't traveling around in a group so large. Sure, the immense amount of Americans made the initial adjustment to the culture really easy and eliminated the first shock of being completley confused by a foreign language, they also tend to inhibit some of the travel experiences. The worst part of traveling around with a group this large is the tours. Although these tours are partly at fault of the university for assuming that we actually are so interested in culture and history that we would like to spend our days doing nothing but touring museums and churches...followed by more museums and more churches..., but partly at fault of the fact that when you have to design a ... read more

I think one of the most amazing things about driving through Mexico is realizing how little of the country you actually know. I've been here almost 6 weeks, completley immersed in Mexican culture, living it, breathing it, eating it (which as you've read has come with several of its own trials and tribulations), yet somehow, as I rode the bus from my little enclave of Cuernevaca, Mexico towards the capital of the country I've come to call my second home, I noticed how much more of this culture I've yet to experience...how much of it I never will. We left for Mexico City bright and early Saturday morning. As if hiking a half a mile up to school to catch a bus at 7 am wasn't hard enough, doing it on a little less than an ... read more

Now I'm sure when most people out there think of La Comida Mexicana (Mexican Food) the first thing that pops into their mind is tacos, enchiladas, rice and beans. I have to let you know though that since I've been living in Mexico (already 2 and half weeks) I've yet to put my mouth on a single taco, enchilada, or a plate of rice and beans (except the low quality, sticky yellow packaged rice I've had in the cafeteria at school). Instead, especially when eating with my house family, I've encountered my fair share of very interesting cuisine. The first thing I ate my first night in Mexico was a melted ham and cheese tortilla. Not quite the culinary adventure I was expecting. It was also at this first meal that I encountered my first Mexican ... read more

Besides learning Spanish and getting credits for school, part of the reason I decided to partake in this study abroad oppurtunity was to experience the culture. One of the downsides to this particular program is that with so many other American students on the trip, it's really easy to just fade into the background, stick close with your english-speaking comrades and never really experience the culture at all. Since I've gotten here every excursion, orientation session, welcome party, bar, restaurant or club we've gone to have all been in the presence of at least 10, if not all 50+, other American students. It's really hard to experience culture when you put yourself in this little isolationist enclave. Local people tend to stare, laugh and point, instead of actually come up and talk to you. In situations ... read more

Never in my life, no matter how many sports I've played, have I endured the type of workout I got yesterday. At 7:30 in the morning we woke up and had to be at school for what the coordinators described as our "Welcome Party"of sorts. They said it would involve food, shopping, and a "short hike" up to the top of a mountain that would give a superb view of the city...HA! Well after a relaxing 45 minute busride we stopped in this middle of nowhere bus station and unloaded into what at first seemed like somewhere that civilization hadn't existed in years. From there all 50+ students started a treck into town. This time it wasn't too bad, almost interesting to walk towards the city...and the weather was newar perfect because it was so early ... read more