Guanajuato, the Mountains of Mexico Past Review
By Matt W (Sociology, Spanish, Edgewood College) for
Universidad de Guanajuato: Guanajuato - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
The biggest piece of learning I achieved on the trip was getting over the hump of believing that people don't speak English all the time. You have to learn how to say in Spanish what you want to say in English only you have to be aware it might not mean the same thing.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad de Guanajuato |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The people were great, the course work easy, and I had a lot of fun exploring the city with my room mate. The teachers were great and I will never forget them. I just wish I would have spent more time with them after class getting extra help. They were always there for me when I needed them though. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The size of everything was great!! I shared a room with a stranger but we became good friends and we did a lot of fun things together. Since we were both athletes we exercised and did a lot of sports together. I am grateful to my family that they were open and available to me when I needed them, but also let me stay in my room and study when I needed to do that. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The area was very safe, and my host family cooked for me. Downtown and nightlife were very accessible and added to the fun of going out since we had to order a cab everytime. Walking at night wasn't the best idea, but the rides were cheap and my family gave me a key so I could go in and out as I pleased. |
| * Food: |
Since I was living cheaply I ate at my host familie's house since it was included in the price of the trip. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There were trips planned every weekend to go to different parts of the city or country. There were a lot of very interesting spots of the town we visited such as the old mines, the entombed mummies, and the spot of an old mansion that was used for torturing natives during the Inquisition. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I received my Hepatitis B vaccine booster before going however the city was very clean and people seemed healthy overall. If you just check with the CDC's website they will tell you what vaccines you need. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
My class mates spoke English a lot which I didn't like. Everyone else though only spoke Spanish to me which was very valuable. The director was great and she encouraged us to only speak Spanish but most of the other students weren't trying hard enough. I guess you get out of it, what you put into it. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Words of wisdom would be, if you go, try not to speak English with the other students which is hard since you don't want to seem anti-social, however the best advice I can give is pick activities or situations that you are forced to listen and listen and listen to Spanish. It's the only way to learn! |
