Mexico Archives - IFSA

Learning the Language Abroad: One Key to Cultural Understanding

ichilds — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 21:41:47 +0000

Everyone says the first weeks of study abroad are the hardest, but I disagree. When I arrived in Mérida, 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

acarter — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 21:45:59 +0000

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’t End Here

acarter — Mon, 19 May 2025 21:26:10 +0000

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

acarter — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 16:27:00 +0000

Marina, ¿por qué viniste a México? ¿Es porque tu familia es de aquí? I smile and nod warmly at my host mom’s question. Yes, I chose to come to Mexico because my family is from here. This answer seemed self-explanatory, the same way it’s simple to say that I’m Mexican when asked what my ethnicity [...]

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Balancing Identities and Finding Yourself Abroad

acarter — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 16:06:24 +0000

The first question we are often asked when we meet new people as college students is, “What is your major?” 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 Mérida Inspired Me to Dream Bigger

ichilds — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 20:06:09 +0000

From my time in Mérida, the greatest lesson I learned is to overcome the limiting thoughts I once held about my life. Before, I would look at my dream—to build my own business—and think: “That kind of life isn’t for a first-generation Mexican American from a low-income family like me.” Belonging and learning to live [...]

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Reflecting on Time Abroad in Mérida, Mexico

Kate — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 16:30:00 +0000

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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“Was it worth it?”

Kate — Wed, 10 May 2023 16:08:33 +0000

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’ Home Country

Kate — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 18:30:43 +0000

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 Mérida, México – my parents are not from Mérida, but [...]

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Exploring My Mexican Identity in Mexico

Kate — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 05:11:26 +0000

I am the child of immigrants and a first-generation student. My parents moved to the United States from México before I was born. They wanted me to live where I would have opportunities they didn’t 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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