Quanajuato: I will call you home again one day Past Review
By Amanda P (History, St. Edward's University) for
Universidad de Guanajuato: Guanajuato - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
This experience made me focus my history major on mexico. I adored this place and even now 3 years later, I can say that was the last place I truly felt- at home-.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I loved this program. My host family was amazing, and even offered me a room to stay when I couldn't stop crying about not wanting to come back. St. Edward's had a home professor- Dr Newton who traveled with us and is still by far the most amazing professor I have ever had- I went on to take him for four more classes and be his assistant. I adore that man. There were tears in his eyes when he announced that the program had be discontinued due to violence concerns. The host university professors were terrific as well and the campus, city and entire experience quite literally changed my life. It was a huge financial sacrifice for me to study abroad- but with this experience I would not have changed it for the world. I cannot wait to go back to Quanajuato and I hope to call it home again one day. I am not sure what it is about other countries- maybe Americans do not appreciate or notice the history around them- or it might be that we are such a young country that we just do not have the history and culture that other nations enjoy- but I will see the ruins in Mexico again, and I will make the conscious effort to ensure that my children have exposure to such history before they are in college. |
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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? |
I was lucky in that I was placed with one of the few host families with hot water and internet but the family was lovely, and endearing and really let us feel that we were at home- Down to my host mother getting upset with my other roommates for being so disrespectfully messy- not a complaint about her- these girls were bad. I loved my family and they were very helpful with assisting us with spanish and trying to understand what we couldn't say! |
| * Food: |
The fact that I am vegetarian was not included in my paperwork,, and no one else in the home was, but my host mother tried her best to accommodate this and was really sweet about the inconvenience. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Culture- Amazing, Locals- super sweet. Bars?- a little shady- except for barflys that let us pretend we are locals |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
we were in the "bad part of town" meaning the kids bounced balls off of our walls before nine am- they were fine |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
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| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | This is a program that best suits someone who is willing to go and explore on their own- this city has so much to offer- I left the house at 7am every morning and did not return before midnight because I knew I would never be able to do this again. Museums, hiking, and so many things to see. Get up early and watch the shops open- It will open your eyes. |
