First hand experiences: My life in Cuernavaca

Hi, I’m Dr. Elliott, Director of the Summer Study Abroad Program in Mexico. Last summer 17 UT-Arlington students and I went to the Spanish Language Institute located in Cuernavaca, a beautiful colonial city in the heart of Mexico known for its eternal spring-like weather. Studying abroad is a great way for you to experience Mexican culture firsthand in the classroom, on the cobblestone streets or in the market. You, too, can live, learn and interact with native Spanish speakers on a daily basis while you attend classes, improve your Spanish and learn about Mexican culture. Heritage and native speakers of Spanish can benefit from this program as well! This coming summer, students will be able to take classes at the 2000, 3000 and 4000 levels. For more information about the program, go to our website. There you can get more information about the program, download applications, and access last year’s website. So pack your bags and come to Mexico for an experience that will certainly have a positive impact on your life and will change the way you view the world! Now, I’m happy to present the following article by Sherry Brouillard on her experiences studying abroad. Enjoy!–Dr. Ray Elliott

My Life in Cuernavaca by Sherry Brouillard

Choosing a major can be difficult and about three years ago, I decided to double major in Spanish and English so that after graduation, I could move abroad. I planned to go to some mysterious and tropical country in South America and use my love of language to help others in need, children and adults alike. There was just one problem. My Spanish was terrible! For that reason, as well as my extreme desire to experience the life and culture of another country, I decided to participate in a study abroad program. I chose Cuernavaca because of the proximity to the United States, the program cost and the dates that best met my needs last summer. And, for my first experience, I thought that it might be better to go somewhere that I can still get home in two hours if I find that the life of a world traveler is not for me. Besides, Mexico couldn’t be THAT much different than the United States, could it?

The answer to that last question is yes, Mexico, contrary to popular belief because of our living in Texas, is absolutely, unmistakably, another country where life is worlds away from life in the United States. And that’s a good thing! Living in another country for over a month reminded me about what is amazing and glorious in the world. I took advantage of most of the excursions offered by the Spanish Language Institute and they led me to adventures at a fresh water spring ecological park (with a natural lazy river!), to ancient ruins and pyramids that we simply don’t have in our young country, and of course, beautiful Acapulco, among many others. All these excursions were inexpensive, which made them even more appealing when I think of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities at mere pennies of what they would have cost if I had booked a special trip from home. Living in the United States, it is very easy to misunderstand the historical wonders that the world has to offer and study abroad programs provide a glimpse into the magnificent world outside our borders that existed, and thrived, long before Columbus, in 1492, ever sailed the ocean blue.

One of the most memorable excursions was to Teotihuacán, one of the major pyramid sites in Mexico. There we met a guide who taught us about the cities that had lived centuries ago and the people who built and lived in them. We saw the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon, both of which we were able to climb. In 800, the Aztecs arrived at Teotihuacán to find it empty, which means that it had been built by people before the Aztecs. I didn’t even know there WERE people in the Americas before the Aztecs! And for one, all too brief moment, I was able to be there, to stand in a place that is so magnificent and full of history, and know that mine was only one of a million moments that the place had seen. The experience was absolutely unforgettable.

Also during my time in Cuernavaca, I participated in the home-stay program. My roommate and I lived in a bungalow style room above a garage and shared our meals with our Mexican Mama, Ana. Each day, Ana prepared tasty meals to introduce us to Mexican cuisine before taking us to school in the morning and after picking us up in the afternoon. During our meals, we talked about cultural differences between the U.S. and Mexico, about our Spanish language questions, where to go while in Cuernavaca, as well as Ana’s many experiences in the world. One Saturday, she even took us to a local market and introduced us to foods and vendors that we’d never before experienced (or perhaps even heard of). In fact, we built such a great relationship, that when Ana visited Dallas in September, we were able to have dinner together and catch up. And, whenever I visit Mexico, I always have a friend to call on while I’m there.

I could go on for days about the amazing people that I met, the food that I ate and the places I went. The experience made that much of an impact on me! The people at the Spanish Language Institute were so interested in helping students learn that my speaking improved so much that a professor I knew from last year mentioned how much more comfortable I am with the language now. So I earned college credit, I immersed myself in a foreign culture, I visited places I’d only read about in books and I came back speaking Spanish so much better than when I left. I no longer get that feeling of panic when a professor makes eye contact! I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to study abroad and thinking about it now make me miss my little neighborhood of Vista Hermosa. Well, it’s almost graduation – I guess I’d better dust off that passport and see what’s next. ¡Buen viaje!

Reprinted by permission: UTA Spanish Section Newsletter, Fall, 2008.