The Return: Reflections of Mexico

My oh my, how the time flies.

I have been home from Mexico for over a month now, which is frightening to realize. I’ve been so busy, yet my study abroad experience feels like it just happened, still.

The last few days I was there were CRAZY. Not only did I have oodles of studying to do and essays to write, but I also finally got sick. I’d been pretty lucky to be one of the few people to stay healthy the whole time, but, of course, with my luck, I had a terrible allergic reaction my second-to-last day. Luckily, the university doctor was very helpful and, with a lot of rest that day, I managed to finish everything in time and get back rolling for the last day.

All of my tests, papers, and presentations went pretty well, and before I knew it, it was time for the Farewell Dinner. All of us students came with our families to eat together at a nice restaurant, joined by our lovely coordinators, professors, and administrators from the Ibero. They gave us all certificates and, of course, delicious comida! Our one professor, Roxana, even hired a mariachi band to play! It was crazy that all of the families knew all the songs they played well enough to sing along, and everyone even got up to dance for a bunch of them! I even managed to passably salsa (well, according to me, anyway). It was an amazingly fun time, but it was so sad to say goodbye to everyone. It felt surreal that the trip was really coming to an end, and that soon we’d all be back, doing our separate things, here in the US.

It takes 2 hours to get to the Mexico City airport by bus from Puebla, and the earlier group of travelers, including myself, got to depart at 2 AM. Everything was smooth checking my luggage and getting through security, but the rest was a NIGHTMARE. The plane out of Mexico City was delayed about 2 hours which, sadly, was enough time to make me miss my continuing flight out of Chicago. After grumpily passing through customs, I got put on a standby flight to Allentown, which my luggage made, but I was not able to board. Long story short, it then took me 2 failed flights, lots of pointless waiting (on runways and near gates), tons of distraught phone calls to my parents, a night in the creepy, cold Chicago airport, and over 24 hours since I’d left my home in Puebla to FINALLY get home here.

Since then, it’s been a blur of Harry Potter premieres, family vacations, and catching up with friends—not to mention getting ready for the Fall semester. I think I’ve been putting off writing this last entry since it means that it really is over, that I really am back. Now, though, I feel like I can really look at the bigger picture of what I encountered.

The Mexico I experienced was neither one of pop culture dreams nor of horrific news stories. I wasn’t kidnapped or murdered, and though I did visit a lovely beach, it was far from being the highlight of the program. The true highlights were much more real. The highlights were chatting with my family for an hour after each meal, walking to the tienda down the street where the workers knew my name and taught me the names of all the fruits and vegetables, stopping to play with a friendly dog on the way to the bus stop. They included standing on the edge of a pyramid built hundreds and hundreds of years before, steps too small for us nowadays, and viewing paint strokes on pieces created only decades ago.

Mexico is a clash of the past and the present. Ancient temples are found in the middle of bustling cities, and buildings are built over the remains of others. There are literally layers and layers of history, all coexisting together to make the present what it is. And it’s not just in the lay of the land; it’s in the people, as well. Traditions, old, older, oldest, are all woven finely together like a beautiful tapete in a world just blooming with New, as well. Mexico is indeed related to Europe; it was and is still a kind of New Spain, only it’s so much more. Every state, every city, and every tiny pueblo has a different personality. This is a place where poverty and wealth coexist hand in hand, where different cultures have both parted and blended in every imaginable combination. The people know their past, however confused it may be, and are willing to teach it and learn from it in ways that make me question my own historical knowledge of my own country.

In my opinion, the Puebla program must be one of the most overlooked Spanish study abroad experiences. If it hadn’t been for a chance presentation and my own curiosity, I may have missed out on the experience of my lifetime. Many of my peers tend to look to other great cultures that are an ocean away when we have something so rich, so touching, and so beautiful right below us. We earned a solid 9 credits over 6 weeks in a summer, and of course our language skills improved, but I feel like we all gained much more than just that. The families, the professors, the university, the places we traveled, the things we saw, the people we met… If there is anything I have learned, it is that there isn’t ONE Mexico. It’s layers; nothing and everything is inherently Mexican. I’ve learned to go beyond stereotypes or expectations of a place and have found so much more than I ever expected.

I miss it and all the people who I shared the experience with, but, in the short amount of time I was there, I know that I discovered something that I will take with me for the rest of my life. Here’s to hoping all of your experiences are as great! Adios!

Classes and Ibero

Well—my experience in Puebla has come to its end!  I can’t believe it! But, before I write my farewell/final post (and about my TERRIBLE travel disaster), I thought I’d write a quick one about my actual STUDY abroad experience. I’d wanted to post this before I came home, but I got sick on my penultimate day, which put me behind work and packing.

Anyhow, our program was a PSU faculty-led one, and we were housed at one of the many universities in Puebla, Iberoamericana de Puebla. It is nowhere near the size of Penn State, but I absolutely loved it!

It’s a pretty big campus with gardens and a pond—and lots and lots of birds!

We earned 9 credits during our 6 weeks here. 2 classes were Spanish-based with our PSU professors. I took Legends and Myths of Mexico with Roxana, and she alternated teaching Mexican Culture and History with our other professor (who also taught a Conversation course), Monserrat. They are both giant sweethearts, and I enjoyed my classes so much! The workload wasn’t even toooo bad (aside from the crazy last week of essays and exams). Our third class was an Art class that was taught by a professor from Ibero, Hilda. Even though I do not have much artistic talent, her class was fun, too! We had a little exhibition of our works at our last group dinner with all our families!

Hoping to put a video or something together soon and post about the great farewell/ terrible travel fiasco. It’s so weird to be home. I’m loving it, but my thoughts at the moment are still just full of my experience in Mexico.

That's right-- I forgot it's STUDY Abroad...

So, I guess since it’s my last week and all, and I’ve got three papers/ one presentation/ two tests this Wednesday, I should probably use this time wisely and procrastinate by writing about my actual STUDY abroad experience.

Our program is a PSU faculty-led one, and we’re housed at one of the many universities in Puebla, Iberoamericana de Puebla. It is nowhere near the size of Penn State, but I absolutely love it! It’s a pretty big campus with gardens and a pond—and lots and lots of birds!

We earn 9 credits during our 6 weeks here. 2 classes are Spanish-based with our PSU professors. I’m taking Legends and Myths of Mexico with Roxana, and she alternates teaching Mexican Culture and History with our other professor, Monserrat. They are both giant sweethearts, and I’ve been enjoying my classes so much! The workload isn’t even toooo bad (I’m just complaining now that all of our big projects are due). Our third class is an Art class that is taught by a professor from Ibero, Hilda. Even though I do not have much artistic talent, it’s been fun, too!

Cuetzalan: Around Town and Domingo

It was nice just to be able to walk around Cuetzalan! We made friends with the worker at the Super/Pharmacy next to our hotel, got to eat some great ice cream, and did some exploring.

Sunday was pretty awesome because it brought tons of people into town for the weekly market. There were crafts, food, clothes, and delicious ice cream flavors involved!

We also got to attend a mass at the main church in town. It was so interesting to see how the indigenous people adopted and adapted Christianity/ Catholicism to fit in with their older traditions. The blend of native culture and language with familiar texts/ rituals (I honestly feel like I've heard the same sermon in English-- loving others and showing it through works-- how fitting) was just fascinating. For instance, there was a procession beforehand and an indigenous dance before communion.

And right after the mass we got to see the Voladores de Papantla again! Only, this tree/ pole was a LOT taller than the one in Cholula. It was absolutely breathtaking.

All in all, I can't believe that we are this close to the end already. I'm starting to get really sentimental/nostalgic/sad. I'm obviously excited to back home with friends, family, and familiar comforts, but this experience has just been so incredible. It's funny, but it was really, really sad to say goodbye to our bus driver, Orlando. He was pretty much a boss. I have no idea how he drove the giant Mextur bus down half the streets he did-- and in such good time, without making us sick. Just little things, like knowing we'll never be on that bus again, are making me start to hope Thursday doesn't come too quickly.

Cuetzalan: Cascadas y Grutas

Saturday was essentially a free day for us, and we decided that the best way to spend it would be at the nearby waterfalls and caves! We hired two children as guides and a truck to tow us around, and we were off on our adventure!

It was a bit of a hike to get to the waterfalls, and rain on the way down made things pretty slick. There were a few tumbles in the mud and a lot of worries, to say the least. BUT, that being said, the actual waterfalls were beautiful.

The first one, the main one, was actually REALLY full of people. But it had an awesome pool to swim in and a rock to jump off of. I'm not going to lie; I was terrified, but jumping in was a lot of fun. The water was cold but beautiful-- totally worth it.

We then made our way up even higher to the waterfall that fed into the first one. This one was a lot more secluded (and a lotttt colder), but also very fun!

After the cascadas and the dangerous hike back, we drove to some nearby caves (grutas)! Oh, we totally got to rock the hard hats and head-lights. It was also pretty scary but a lot of fun. I think we were eventually 700m or so underneath the surface?

The scariest part of our whole adventure, though, had to be the drive back into town. The windy, twisting roads were SURGING with water, but our truck driver kept ploughing forward full steam. But, thankfully, we made it back safe and sound-- just in time to watch US lose to Mexico and head out, everyone including the professors, to Toca Toca, Cuetzalan's best and only dance club.

Cuetzalan: Yohualichan Church and Archaeological Site

Right after visiting the school, we met a tour guide who took us to the village church and archaeological site. The village visit really was eye-opening. It had none of the affluence of the cities that we were used to, only the basic necessities. We were met by a bunch of really young children trying to sell us things, and when we gave them extra sandwiches or sodas, their smiles lit up the whole sky. It felt good to visit and be able to help in some small way.

This is one of the ginormous grillos, or grasshoppers, that was at the site.

This site wasn't nearly as polished as some of the other we'd visited, but it was just as beautiful and interesting. The Totonac tribe constructed it, including pyramids for deities of the four elements/ directions, and a field for the game of pelota.

Cuetzalan: Intro y Escuela Secundaria

For our final trip as a group this past weekend, we headed to a small town in the mountains called Cuetzalan. The fact that I'm super sentimental aside, I think it was probably my favorite trip of the entire program. We were far away from the craziness of any city we've been to; it was such a tranquil place, but of course we made an adventure out of it.

The first place we got to visit was a middle school, or Escuela Secundaria, in the nearby village, Yohualichan. This was certainly a highlight of the entire trip. Many of the people in and around Cuetzalan are indigenous and don't have much exposure to educational options or mainstream society. However, this school does so much for the children of this rural area, and the teachers are so dedicated to ensuring that all of the kids get a great education.

The program at Penn State has been visiting school since it's early years and our beginnings, as well. Each year, we've been able to give a money donation. We also managed to pull together money of our own to purchase food, amenities, and playthings for the kids. To see their smiles when we pulled in, hauling all the supplies, was absolutely priceless. They greeted us with flower necklaces, and we got to play school games with them, as well as a game of futbol or two! Many of them spoke primarily Nahuatl, the indigenous language of the region, but for others, their Spanish was good, too. They were all incredible at soccer. I'm afraid to say we met the same fate as our professional counterparts as far as US vs. Mexico goes (even the little girls kicked our butts during our chicas-versus-chicas game).

Unfortunately, it was REALLY hot, humid, and we were all a tad dehydrated, so we were a bit tuckered out by the time we got to eat a typical lunch (burgers and fries). All in all, interacting with the kids there was simply amazing. It felt great to know that we were able to directly help such an awesome cause, and we're hoping to continue giving to this school in the future.