The program I have applied to is in Queretaro, Mexico through the University of Oregon. In Mexico, I would be staying with a mexican family and taking classes at the Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro.
So far, I have met a lot of resistance from many people about my wanting to go to Mexico. The truth is, I am fascinated by the country and want to learn more about it and its people. Due to a war between drug cartels and the Mexican government, the country is under a travel alert by the state department. So I understand the danger, but I have spoken with professors and people in charge of the program in Mexico and all the violence is far away from where I am going to be. The violence is along the US-Mexico border, while I will be more toward the center of the country, two hours outside of Mexico city.
Before I would leave in June, I will (hopefully) work in the restaurant back home that I have worked at for the last few years. I do not know if I will be able to wait tables since I have always been a busboy, but that is my goal. I also want to try to substitute teach, but I realize that my chances for doing that are going to be slim because I have heard that there are more subs than ever in Va Beach now because of the unemployment rate and bad economy.
In conclusion, I hope to continue my blog from Mexico this summer. I have applied for a few different scholarships, which would help me pay for the trip as well as update my digital camera so that I can fill up my blog with pictures. Going to Mexico will give me a better perspective that I want to give my students as a Spanish teacher. I also want to work with latinos in the U.S. Since 60% of Latinos here are from Mexico, I think that going to this country and learning its history will hopefully give me a better understanding to why so many mexican citizens leave everything in Mexico to try life in the U.S.
Ryan, this sounds like an amazing summer! Congratulations on being accepted to the program and getting to go! Im sure you're going to have a phenomenal time and you seem very informed of the area you're going to and what you are hoping to come home with and that's a great way to travel.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think it's great youre going to continue your blog because it will be a great way to keep track of everything you do each day for yourself and all of us back home who don't get to travel abroad. Best of luck.
Ryan, don't let anyone spoil this for you. Resist the resistance. Any country of the world (apart from your own) looks from distance as a security risk. Why? Because we only get to hear the bad news. When I lived in Israel, my mom once called me and demanded I came back ASAP because there was a war there. There was no war at that time! However, six month later I have lived in Jerusalem when the intifada started. I called my mom to reassure her that I was alright. She had no idea there was something going on... My point… unless there is a warning from the US embassy to avoid travel to Mexico forget all the scary rumors and get excited about going. You’ll have a blast!
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