One of the games we made for the playground — an imaginary boat we called “el barco!”
Author: Lucie Taylor | Major: Psychology | Semester: Summer 2023
This summer, I spent five weeks studying in Puebla, México through the University of Arkansas’s “Spanish Immersion and Service Learning” experience. I chose this program for multiple reasons. In addition to completing my Spanish minor and improving my speaking skills, I was especially drawn to the service aspect. As an aspiring mental health counselor, I have aspirations to provide my services to both English and Spanish speaking communities. Thus, I believed this program would enhance my ability to connect with future clients not only by improving my Spanish speaking, but also by giving me hands-on service experience. Looking back, I think it did exactly that!
Upon arriving in Puebla, I quickly realized that my goals were going to take much more effort than I initially imagined. Unlike most study abroad experiences, this program allowed each of us to choose a service placement (either business, health, education, or community service) in which we worked outside of taking classes. Since I chose the community service option, I got to intern for a local non-profit with three other Arkansas students. During our internship, we were asked to help design and construct a playground out of recycled tires. This was an extremely daunting task, considering we did not have any experience in building things, especially not while speaking Spanish! However, with the help of the friends we made around the office, we were able to do it! I think I speak for all of us when I say that we were very proud of the final result. The playground was for a local, indigenous school. I loved getting to meet the children, and it was especially rewarding to watch them play with everything we built.
All the Arkansas students and me on a tour of downtown Puebla!
Outside of work and classes, we got to go on several excursions including Oaxaca, Cuetzalan, and Mexico City. Of these, my favorite was the city of Oaxaca. Here, we got to visit several artisan workshops for various authentic products in the area. I especially enjoyed learning about alebrijes, brightly colored figurines of magical animals. These creatures are believed to be one’s “spirit guide” into the afterlife. As someone who enjoys fine art, I really enjoyed seeing how each of them were crafted with so much attention to detail. Depending on the size and decoration, some figurines can take weeks or months to be made! In addition to alebirjes, we also got to learn about the creation of alfombras (rugs), barro negro (black clay pottery), and mezcal (agave-based alcohol). It’s impressive to think about how these careful processes have been taught and passed on through time, and how they are still an important part of Oaxacan culture today. Learning about them gave me an extra appreciation for the city, and México as a whole.
Display of armadillo alebrijes in Oaxaca
Overall, I would recommend this program to any Spanish students with a passion for serving others. Although my language skills were improved in the classroom, my experiences in community service were especially immersive and beneficial. Thus, I would recommend that future students prepare themselves to use their speaking skills as much as possible. Although many people in Puebla can speak English, they were very patient with me when I chose to speak Spanish with them. It was through these conversations that I learned the most!