| Año 3 • No. 123 • noviembre 10 de 2003 | Xalapa • Veracruz • México |
Publicación
Semanal |
| Why
Study Abroad? William C. Brown* (Houghton College, Houghton, NY, USA, estudiante de intercambio en la EEE) |
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| Very
few opportunities in life will be more educational than the experience
of studying abroad. What better way to learn a language than to go
and live among the people that speak that language! However, studying
abroad is about more than just learning a foreign language. It is
about being immersed in a new culture; a culture, which at times you
may not understand, and at other times may make you feel uncomfortable.
Despite these awkward cultural moments, you may also discover things
you absolutely love; things you never even dreamed were possible.
You might be asking yourself what benefit there is in learning about
the cultures of other people in the world. I think it’s one of
the most important things we can do. We are all in this world together
and with a more cosmopolitan outlook we can better relate with, and
understand those around us. I am currently studying at the School for Foreign Students here in Xalapa, but for me, home is in upstate New York where I live with my sister, twin brother, and parents. During the school year I attend Houghton College; a Christian college of liberal arts and sciences, where I study biology and medicine. I have had the chance to spend extended periods of time in Canada, Italy, the Dominican Republic, and now Mexico. I love traveling and learning how people live in other parts of the world. I especially enjoyed the time I spent working in rural medical clinics in the Dominican Republic and will be returning to the Dominican this February. One difficulty you might encounter during a semester abroad is the difference in food. For me, the hardest thing to get used to here in Mexico has been the food and the meal schedules. In the United States our midday meal is around noon and our evening meal is generally between five and six. At first it was hard for me to wait until two or three in the afternoon to eat lunch. Also, I wasn’t used to eating dinner so late at night. Generally, in the evenings, I like to go out and do stuff and the need for dinner at eight or nine at night often interrupted my plans. One thing you might enjoy during a semester abroad is getting to know the locals. Making friends with native residents is one of the best (and fastest) ways to learn about a new country and culture. My favorite thing here in Mexico has been making friends with my Mexican peers. The people of New York are not as friendly, congenial or amiable as the people I have met in Mexico. I would encourage everyone to study abroad. Sometimes it can be hard to be far away from home and what you’re used to, but studying abroad definitely “vale la pena”. I’m very grateful for the chance I’ve had to study here in Mexico and I know I have learned more about the Spanish language and about Mexican culture than I ever could have learned on a university campus in the United States. * William C. Brown proviene del Houghton College, Houghton, NY, en los Estados Unidos y actualmente forma parte de los estudiantes de intercambio del Brethren Colleges Abroad que se encuentran cursando el semestre de otoño en la Escuela para Estudiantes Extranjeros. |
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