Story Location: Mexico
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Learning the Language Abroad: One Key to Cultural Understanding
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Everyone says the first weeks of study abroad are the hardest, but I disagree. When I arrived in M茅rida, Mexico, I was greeted by a loving host family and found friends I liked early on. Of course, there were struggles. But overall, those first weeks were some of the most exciting of my life as…
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Creating a Home When You Study Abroad, Wherever You Go
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My initial worries The nerves did not hit me until I was driving to the airport. Just days before, I was texting in the WhatsApp group chat how excited I was to see everyone in Houston. About half the group had a layover in my hometown, and I was ready to take advantage of those…
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My Study Abroad Journey in Mexico Doesn鈥檛 End Here
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The best way I can describe the discomfort of ending my study abroad experience is to compare it to finishing a good TV show. Going in, I felt that everything I wanted to accomplish would have to be done within the confines of this short time, within a season. My experience included characters, people I…
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Familia: How Moving 2,700 Miles Away from Home Brought Me Closer to My Family
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Marina, 驴por qu茅 viniste a M茅xico? 驴Es porque tu familia es de aqu铆? I smile and nod warmly at my host mom鈥檚 question. Yes, I chose to come to Mexico because my family is from here. This answer seemed self-explanatory, the same way it鈥檚 simple to say that I鈥檓 Mexican when asked what my ethnicity…
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Balancing Identities and Finding Yourself Abroad
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The first question we are often asked when we meet new people as college students is, 鈥淲hat is your major?鈥 Most of our lives revolve around our classes and how we are pursuing our careers. Yet as I reflect on what I value and how I want to be known, I must also weigh how…
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How Studying Abroad in M茅rida Inspired Me to Dream Bigger
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From my time in M茅rida, the greatest lesson I learned is to overcome the limiting thoughts I once held about my life. Before, I would look at my dream鈥攖o build my own business鈥攁nd think: 鈥淭hat kind of life isn鈥檛 for a first-generation Mexican American from a low-income family like me.鈥 Belonging and learning to live…
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Reflecting on Time Abroad in M茅rida, Mexico
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In the midst of the end of your typical end of semester chaos (last minute edits to your essays, studying for final exams, etc.) my friend and I recently discussed some of our personal reflections and things that we could have done differently if we could go back in time. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed…
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鈥淲as it worth it?鈥
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Was it worth the 10 months, 6151 miles from home, two different host countries, and a new language? The question still rings through my brain as I finish up my second semester of IFSA exchange in Merida, Mexico. Was it worth leaving behind my home college with my friends and community that I worked so…
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A Letter to First-Gen, Low-Income Students Studying in Their Parents鈥 Home Country
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Dear Student: Congrats on beginning your study abroad journey! It is one that will bring forth exciting adventures, lessons, and experiences that you will reflect on for years to come. I am writing to you as a first-gen, low-income student who studied a semester in M茅rida, M茅xico 鈥 my parents are not from M茅rida, but…
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Exploring My Mexican Identity in Mexico
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I am the child of immigrants and a first-generation student. My parents moved to the United States from M茅xico鈥痓efore I was born. They wanted me to live where I would have opportunities they didn鈥檛 have growing up, to get a better education and live a better life. My mother believed in my future, so she…
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