Merida, Mexico: Lo que pasa en Merida, se queda en Merida Past Review
By Vince R (Business Administration/Marketing, Trinity University) for
IFSA: Merida - Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan
Yeah it was! I learned to be more accepting and I also was able to step out of my comfort zone, learn new things about myself (both good and bad qualities) to improve upon or eradicate.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
My Spanish improved significantly while over there which is phenomenal for only 6 weeks |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
With the exception of lack of air conditioning, it was a great house, I was provided with sufficient privacy, my own bathroom, a pool and lots of food. I wish I could've got a hammock for those really hot nights, and there was some mosquito invasion in the room here and there |
| * Food: |
My host mother always provided enough food in the morning |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Great people, Merida on Sundays was interesting, the night life is always booming and the food is terrific. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
One girl had a nut allergy and she was promptly delivered to the hospital to be treated so that was handled great. I actually felt pretty safe in Merida while there, probably moreso than some American cities at night. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Food is incredibly cheap by comparison to the U.S., especially tortas; beer also, incredibly cheap, cheaper than water in some places (Cerveza Sol - 20 pesos, bottle water - 19 pesos); taxis I never paid more than 100 pesos for a ride; |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I would not recommend buying clothes there, it's just as expensive or worse than here in the U.S. Take your own nice stuff. Extra money for bus rides and trips you may want to take for weekend trips to the beach, hostels, hotels, etc..those can tend to be a bit pricey relative to other things there. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I was able to practice everyday with my host family, especially my host mother and the people we met at clubs and bars and what-not. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Become good friends with the administration, they love to hear that you're having a great time and that you're enjoying yourself in their home country |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Advanced Spanish |
| Course Department: | Spanish |
| Instructor: | Jose Lopez |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Great teacher with great discussion |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | None so far |
