I will be arriving at the airport about two hours before our flight takes off.  As soon as I check in and get through security, I will go to the gate.  Please be sure to check flight status at: www.aa.com.  You can put in the flight number to make sure that the time and gate information has not changed.  Between now and tomorrow morning, feel free to email me if you have any questions.  Nos vemos mañana.

A couple of students in last year’s program set up blog pages on WordPress to keep their family and friends informed of their adventures while in Mexico. WordPress is a great place to do that! You can add pictures, videos, and write a day-to-day account of everything you’re doing and learning. Take some time to set up a page. You’ll be glad that you did.

Here is a link to Sherry’s site that she put together last year: http://sherryinmexico.wordpress.com/

Happy blogging!

1.  Students will be required to pay the following upon arrival at the institute:

Fees, onsite tuition, transportation to/from the institute  $720.00

Books and materials: $50.00

Room and Board:  $620.00

2.  Accepted forms of payment:  traveler’s checks; dollars or pesos.  Credit/Debit cards are not accepted.

3.  Excursions are optional and payment is due prior to each excursion.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  A week from tomorrow we will be in Cuernavaca!

Nos vemos pronto.

Although you probably will be enjoying yourself too much to really get homesick, there are several ways you can keep in touch with the folks. Here are a couple of ways:

1.) Telephone: You can buy calling cards at the institute so you can call home. These cards can be used at public phone booths or from home. If you use the cards at home, you get a lot more minutes than you would if you use them at a public phone booth. The difference is substantial. A $10.00 phone card will give you about 2 hours of talking time from a private phone. If you use a phone booth, you get about 45 minutes. Please remember that when calling from your “family’s” home, please keep phone calls to a minimum.

2.) SKYPE: Using Skype is one of the best ways to keep in touch. If you have friends and family members who are computer literate and who have webcams, wherever you have an internet connection, (e.g., at the institute, perhaps at your home, at an internet café), you can keep in touch. Skype is wonderful because it’s FREE and you get to look at the person you are talking to using real time video! Skype also has pay plans where you can make calls to land-lines using their service. I’ve never felt the need to use their pay service so I’m not too sure how it works.  To download SKYPE to your computer or laptop, go to www.skype.com.  There are Skype versions for both MAC and PC platforms.

3.) EMAIL: There are a couple of computer terminals at the institute for you to use. Sometimes there is a line, especially between classes. There are many internet cafés that you can use. These are downright cheap–something like 4-5 (40-50 cents) pesos for an hour!

4.) CELLPHONES: Boy, there’s not a better way to get yourself in trouble! Unless you have a great international cellphone plan, I would advise against using cellphones to call the U.S. Some people have found great plans–which, for some reason, I have not. One student from last year used her cellphone so much that her mother cut it off when the bill got up to a couple thousand dollars. So, if you are independently wealthy, or if you have a great international plan, then I recommend cellphone use! If not, BEWARE–there always appear to be hidden costs that you never are aware of until you get that bill!

5.) CONVENTIONAL MAIL!: WHY BOTHER?????

Dear Summer Study Abroad students,

Here are some pages I put together to prepare you for our trip to the Spanish Language Institute in Cuernavaca, Morelos, México. On this site, you will find information about the Language Institute, What to Pack, Information on Getting from the Airport to Cuernavaca, and what to do once you have arrived. All of these documents are downloadable in Adobe .pdf format so you can print them and take them with you on your trip.

There is also a page link above, “About our group” where I ask you to submit a small paragraph telling us a little about yourself–who you are, what your major is, what you like to do in your spare time, etc. This will help us to get to know each other a little better. 

There is another page titled, “FAQ’S: QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROGRAM?” where you can post questions that might be of benefit to other students as well.

I hope you are looking forward to our trip to México as much as I am. I am sure it will be a rewarding learning experience.

The Spanish Language Institute in Cuernavaca accepts American Express Traveler’s Checks; Pesos and Dollars. They they do not accept credit cards. ATM cards used at local machines are limited to $300.00 per day. This might vary depending on your bank! You should plan on having a couple of ways to get money. I always take a credit card, a debit card, some traveler’s checks and a small amount of cash. It’s not a bad idea to already have some pesos when you arrive; however, there are “casas de cambio” at the airport and the exchange rate is not bad.

The majority of you will probably take a debit or credit card to Mexico. It’s always a good idea to let your bank know that you will be out of the country. If they see that your card is being used a lot, they might cut it off, thinking that it’s stolen.

If you have any questions, feel free to post them to this website under FAQ’s.

The www.onebag.com site is ideal for both the inexperienced and experienced traveler. Onebag will help you determine what to pack and how much to pack. Are you taking too much stuff? Not enough stuff? Onebag will walk you through the steps of packing and tells you how to pack your belongings so you will have enough room to bring home all those souvenirs you’re sure to buy while in Mexico. Check out the site for some great tips on packing. Click on the logo below to visit the onebag site.

Below you will find the courses you should be signed up for for the Summer Study Abroad Program in Cuernavaca. If you have not been able to register for the summer classes, please do so as soon as possible. If you need clearance or for some reason cannot enroll in your course(s), please contact me or the main office of Modern Languages at 817-272-3161. ¡México nos espera!

Countdown To Cuernavaca