Chris O'Regan did the Intensive Spanish Program in Mexico this January. Chris is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, majoring in Spanish, at the University of Canberra. Chris spoke to us about what it was like studying Spanish in Mexico.
Hi Chris! So tell me about why you chose this program?
I chose this program to add to my experience and also to count to wards my 2nd year of Spanish. I’ve been overseas before but I hadn’t been to Mexico and I wanted to go to a Latin-American country so this seemed perfect. Before going to Mexico, I’d heard people say that it was a dangerous place but it didn’t really faze me too much.
What was a typical day like for you during the program?
You woke up and your Mexican parents had breakfast sitting on the table for you. Then you’d have your breakfast, the host family would join you and you’d chat for a bit. Then you’d walk to school. The first class was Intensive Spanish class for 2 hours. And then you had a little break, followed by a culture class in the afternoon or sometimes a museum visit.
On the weekends we did day trips to other cities or we’d go to museums. If we had time to ourselves we would look around Mexico City itself.
What was the highlight of the trip for you?
I guess the highlight would have been the day-trips – it was great to have the opportunity to see Mexico and to travel around a bit. That was pretty good. I especially loved going to the pyramids as they were very historical. The guy who showed us around was actually a teacher at the university so he had a lot of information on Mexican history and culture. We even got to climb the pyramid – the view was pretty good from up there!
Do you think your Spanish improved much?
It did – I think it improved considerably. It's a lot easier when you’re in an environment where you can actually practice your Spanish and you’re hearing it on TV, on the radio, your teachers are talking in Spanish and everyone around you is interacting with each other in Spanish, instead of English.
Do you have any tips for students thinking of doing this program?
I’d suggest that, if you’re going straight to Mexico, to leave a couple of days to settle in; I got there around 10 o’clock at night so I got to bed after midnight and had to start school at 8am the next day… it was a bit painful!
What kind of insights did you gain into Mexican life and culture?
This program has opened me up to a different culture and different cultural practices. For example, my family in Australia wouldn’t necessary put my breakfast out for me every morning! They really look after their kids in Mexico – kids stay at home with their parents until about 25 and then they get married and their partner moves in with their parents. This experience has really opened my eyes to see that we have a lot of freedom here in Australia compared to what they do in Mexico.
The Mexicans do drink a lot as well! They love their tequila! You can buy tequila from the local supermarket for about $2 – and Corona is really cheap. You can buy a litre of Corona for about 10 pesos or something.
What would you say to someone who’s thinking about doing this program?
Don’t believe everything you hear about Mexico – it’s not as dangerous as what people say it is. It’s more the border cities with the US that there are a lot of problems, but Mexico City isn’t a dangerous place. Especially in the area where the university is and where your housing is, it’s a really middle class place, so it’s not scary at all. It’s a good experience – just go for it!
Thanks Chris!
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