Monte Albán, Oaxaca, México
Author: Alejandra Gomez | Major: International Business | Semester: Summer 2023
After more than a year of looking into Study Abroad programs and falling in love with the U of A Faculty-Led: Spanish Immersion & Service Learning in Puebla, Mexico five-week summer program, the day of departure on May 28th finally came. I did not sleep at all, an early flight last minute packing and the fear that Popocatepetl would suddenly erupt and cancel everything ensured I went without sleep until I arrived at the apartment I would be staying in with a roommate. My roommate was someone who went to the same junior high although neither of us had ever spoken to each other, by the end of the trip we would have shared various moments together as we reminisced our junior high years and helped each other through this new journey in our lives.
As someone who has a Spanish minor, I was searching for a study abroad program that would allow me to learn more Spanish and give me a chance to experience everyday life in a Spanish-speaking country. This program was perfect in that not only did it allow me to take classes over my specific interest in business, but it also had me placed at a business in Puebla, Mexico where I could not only practice my Spanish but also gain further experience with the business work environment. The Spanish for business classes were with instructors from our host university, The Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP). My instructor was very informative. I felt the class was a great review over concepts learned in my previous international business courses but in Spanish. The instructor Juan Miguel knowing English helped to ensure we understood what was going on. The class allowed me to learn Spanish vocab and business terminology while also focusing upon the differences between the United States and Mexico in regards to the economy and how business is conducted. I found my classes while in Mexico to be a lot more interactive with the teacher asking us questions. Rather than lectures it felt like a class. This was aided by the fact that, including myself, there were only three of us that signed up for the business course of this program and the other two were from Wisconsin.
We were given multiple chances to dive into the culture of not only Puebla but other states in Mexico with weekend trips sponsored by UPAEP. We had four trips: Cholula, Oaxaca, Cuetzalen and Mexico City with each offering us time to experience the food and observe life in each of these places. When thinking of Mexico, it is common to think that no matter where you are in Mexico, everything is the same but there are differences. I have spent the majority of my life in Springdale, Arkansas which has a pretty significant Mexican population and therefore despite myself being not Mexican, I was familiar with some Mexican cuisine. However, the food was different than I imagined. For example, Burritos are common in North Mexico but not as common in Puebla where we stayed. Tortas I was astonished to find in Puebla are considered something only served in the morning compared to in the United States where they were available at any time or even compared to Veracruz, that although I did not visit my teacher who is from there told us, Tortas are only served in the evening. Pozole is an ancient indigenous Mexican soup that dates back centuries. I have had the red version of it and knew of a green version but the pozole in Puebla was white. I remember messaging my Mexican American friends and they themselves did not know that a white version existed. It wasn’t until Mexico City that I was able to have the red version I was accustomed to having in the United States.
Other than the food you could also see the differences between the artisanal crafts. In Oaxaca, we saw the use of black clay, in Mexico City we saw the use of obsidian, in Cuetzalan we saw the same symbol representing the hat of the voladores in the “Danza de los Voladores” used. Each of the trips gave us time to explore these places through visits to artisanal workshops, museums, local markets or just the environment (such as the waterfalls of Cuetzalan). With the trips to Cholula, Oaxaca, and Mexico City we were able to see the ruins of indigenous pyramids that gave us a glimpse into the past. With Oaxaca we were fortunate to be placed in the center of Oaxaca city where a worker’s strike was occurring. I did not even realize it was a strike until asking our UPAEP supervisor about it as it looked more like an event with music, food, speakers, and performers compared to the strikes in the United States. I mistook it for a celebratory event. Our trip to Mexico City lined up perfectly with when the city’s pride parade would occur. Although we were in Teotihuacan when it did occur, it was wonderful to be able to see from our hotel window the celebrations throughout the day.
I would highly recommend this program to other students as it serves not only as a great learning experience in regard to Spanish and your chosen service learning, but it is also a personal learning experience. I know for me it was the first time I was alone and in another country without my family which allowed me to truly learn to be independent. It will also serve to break any previous biases Mexico had. Mexico is often seen as not being safe, but I know all of us while there, despite parents being worried, all felt relatively safe being by ourselves. When I return home, I will be sharing my experiences with my family and enjoying public drinking fountains while missing my local volcanos in Puebla (although the ash in the air will not be missed).