Past Review
By Susan C (Government, New Mexico State University) for
Mexico Study Abroad Reflections: Comprehensive Reviews of Past Programs
Study abroad gave me a clearer picture of who I am and what I want out of life then the four years I spent at university. I am now more driven to meet my personal goals. I now know what those goals are. I feel that study abroad has given me the tools and independence to really expand my universe.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I learned a lot more then I expected spending a month at Fenix. I went to Mexico not knowing any Spanish at all and when I came out I could actually communicate with the people I met on busses, restaurants, on the street. I was really amazed by how much and how fast I learned. I had 4 hours a day of one on one lessons. My teachers were more then happy to go out of their way to help me learn, setting up weeknight and weekend events. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Between the Fenix and NMSU administration I was able to get any questions answered easily. |
| * Food: |
Eating with my host family was a great experience every day. It was a chance to experience the local cuisine homemade, not to mention practice my Spanish. Eating out was also a great way try new things and meet new people. I didn’t have any problems with the food in Zacatecas. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Fenix staff set up the structure to get to know the other students, travelers and even locals in Zacatecas. Every week we had a social at a local restaurant and another night we would watch Mexican movies. On weekends the staff would take us to museums or set up trips with a local hostel to archeological ruins or the nearby Corona brewery. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I luckily didn’t have any health problems while in Zacatecas. I felt very confident in the Fenix staff, as well as my host family, to help out however they could if I had gotten sick. Zacatecas is a very safe state and city, I used common sense and didn’t feel unsafe at any point in Zacatecas. However, women beware- the men in Zacatecas will whistle whenever they pass you, it gets annoying but I never felt they meant any harm by it. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Eating and drinking out does get a little expensive. Depending on where you go and what you order the prices can be similar to what you would pay in the states. |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
When I first went to Mexico I only spoke two short sentences of Spanish. I was really amazed at how fast I learned after all the one on one lessons I received. |
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | When I was looking at locations and schools to study Spanish my advisors told me Fenix was the best. I was not disappointed. Fenix was an amazing experience and I couldn’t believe how much and how quickly I picked up Spanish. Zacatecas is an extremely safe little city, please don’t let the border violence discourage you from studying at Fenix! Would you not visit North Carolina because they were having riots in New York City? The boarder problems are problems but they are far, far from Zacatecas. |
