Maria (Sem 2, 2023)

My Exchange at Tecnológico de Monterrey

Due to accepting the individual reward of the Prime Minister Scholarship, I found out about 360 through them and our global coordinator, Lana. There weren’t many things I would have liked to know prior to the exchange as 360 did an excellent job of providing information, but if there was something, it could be accommodation suggestions from previous students or how much previous students paid. 

The accommodation I chose was called La Residencia, which is a 20-minute walk from Tec De Monterrey. This was recommended by the Host University, as there was no on-campus accommodation. I lived with another 9 exchange students and a host grandmother called Maria. I felt like I got to live the best of both worlds, as I was living with exchange students from Romania, Finland, France, and Mexico, and I also had the chance to be with a Mexican host family. I would recommend living close to the university, as it can be a mission to travel to Tec from other parts of the city. The traffic is quite terrible and public transport is overwhelming. 

The experience of a Mexican University was quite different from New Zealand. As they were not lectures, but rather classes. We had around 20-30 students per class, and there was always open discussion on the topics mentioned in class. Participation and attendance were mandatory throughout all classes, which was such a shock compared to my normal routine at Auckland University. Although it was different, I felt like it was perfect for an exchange student. It felt like you were back in high school again, and you had the chance to know the teacher and students on a personal level. 

The courses I took were 3 International Relations papers and 1 Latin American paper. My favourite would have to be the Latin American, which was called Cultural Heritage of Mexico. We learnt about many historical sites and had the opportunity to visit them during the class. One of my favourites was going to the Anthropology Museum. It is all in Spanish, so it was super helpful to have a professional guide with us. Learning about these sites in class was also special, as a lot of personal travel involved visiting places like Chichen Itza and San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas. 

A challenge but a massive highlight was learning the language. I studied Spanish for 2 years at Auckland University, but it’s a different ball game when using it for every aspect of your life. You have to prepare to make a lot of mistakes, but I can say now that it was all worth it. By the end of my exchange, I was able to have hour-long conversations with the locals. Many countries in Latin America encourage you to learn Spanish, so they are open to teaching you and making you feel confident when speaking. 

Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

By far, the biggest highlight from the exchange was the weekend or mid-semester break trips we would do during our semester. Alongside some other students, we purposely ensured we did not take classes on Fridays so we could go on 3-day trips. When we also had 2 weeks’ worth of mid-semester break, we would also be able to leave on a Friday and then come back the following Sunday, which meant we could go away for up to 9 days. Because of this, we could cover a lot of Mexico within the 4 months of our stay. Every state in Mexico provided something different, so I felt like I left Mexico knowing I covered all aspects of the country. These trips were also completed with students from across the world, which made it just as memorable because I made amazing connections along the way. 

On the topic of other exchange students, living, studying and exploring with them was another massive highlight of the academic experience. While learning and immersing myself in the Mexican culture, I also learned a lot about the other students’ home countries. We would always end up conversing about the different norms between New Zealand and their countries (such as the United Kingdom, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Mexico, and America). The bond you create with these students is non-comparable as you become each other’s family overseas. You end up being there for each other through the rough, but also having crazy adventures with them in a foreign country. 

One of the classes I took, called Cultural Heritage of Mexico, played a massive role in being a highlight. The main topic covered was the history of the Mesoamericans, the indigenous people of Mexico. The work completed in this class became super helpful as I visited most of the historical and archeological sites mentioned. It was a different experience from that of a usual tourist as I understood all the cosmological meanings of the site.

Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

Mexico City is unique for never running out of activities to do. It has over 100 museums, weekly art events, multiple cathedrals, a range of markets and a variety of national parks. When you are not out of the city, I would recommend covering as much as you can in the city district itself, as it has a lot to offer. We had Tuesdays and Fridays off University, so I would usually visit a different part of the city to see what museums and parks they had to offer. I would particularly love the days when I would sit in cafes to do university work and then take a walk around the neighbourhood. As it is so different to New Zealand, I found I was never bored. 

A massive recommendation would be to take part in national holidays. I was lucky enough to be there for the celebrations of Independence Day , Day of the Dead and Our Lady Guadalupe. For all holidays, we ensured to do research on what is recommended to do or which part of Mexico to visit. This fulfilled my hope to immerse myself into the Mexican culture as the holidays and the way they celebrate them are a massive reflection of their roots. For example, a group of us went to Oaxaca City for the Day of the Dead. We were able to take part in practices of eating their cuisine and their practices, such as dancing in parades or paying respect to ancestors in the cemetery. It opens you up to different ideologies and beliefs that are completely contrasted to New Zealanders. 

At Tec de Monterrey, they have a range of life courses you can do while studying. These include yoga, pilates, martial arts, cooking, photography and latin dance. I would recommend taking advantage of these free courses as it brings balance to study and you learn more about the culture. 

What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

1. Make the most of your time overseas! Be open to new opportunities, even if it means pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Being able to live overseas while studying is a lucky opportunity, and I believe you need to take the entire experience with open arms. You also find you have so much more time to do things you would not normally do at home, such as go on walks to nearby parks or walk around the neighbourhood. I feel like I did this from day one, and I felt like I took advantage of my time overseas to the absolute maximum. 

2. Completely indulge yourself in the culture. Learn the language, dance with the locals and make the cuisine your diet. You are different to a typical tourist as you are actually living in the country. You not only learn so much, but it makes you appreciate the culture. 

3. While I advise to take up every opportunity, you also need time to rest and reset. Being around new people and places can be overwhelming. Therefore there needs to be some form of anchoring to keep you balance, such as days at home, going to the gym, reading a book and cooking. You will not be able to make most of your busy days if uou are drained. 

How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?

If you minus the insurance , flights and accommodation from my scholarship, I had around 100NZD to spend weekly. Accommodation was around 600NZD a month, and my insurance was around 700 for my exchange and backpacking. This is usually what would cover my food and transport. I also received a weekly allowance from StudyLink. I would put 100-150NZD into my savings for my backpacking trip I was doing straight after the exchange. The rest of the allowance I would put aside for weekly activities or our trips away. 

The amount almost lasted me the entire exchange and backpacking, but I wish I saved more before my trip. I did not realise how much there was to do in Mexico, and I would of liked to backpack for longer after my exchange. You are already on the opposite side of the world, so it makes sense to cover as much as you can. I would of extended my time over there if I had more money. 

I wish I had made my insurance have no excess, as I had a lot of payments towards medication. But none of it was covered as each claim was only around 20 to 50 dollars, but overall I would of spent around 200 on my health needs. I did not understand what excess meant at the time which was my mistake!

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

There was a lot of takeaways I felt from my experience, and I feel like that in itself is a significant takeaway; the fact I learnt so much. Being abroad you learn something from every aspect; about yourself, people from across the world, Mexico and so much more. 

In terms of myself, I learnt about my capabilities. In terms of being able to go so far in distance and on a mental level. It brings a new sense of indepdance to move away from everything you have known. To leave your family, friends and community that have always been your support network. In some ways, you are left to fend for yourself overseas. It truly shows how capable and strong you are, and creates a solid foundation of love for yourself. 

In terms of others, an experience abroad teaches you how different people live their life compared to New Zealand. A normal for us would be perceived as something weird in a different country. Because I was not only in Mexico, but living with people from different parts of the world, you learn to be open-minded to different opinons and experiences. It communicates the idea that one way of living is not the norm. Therefore, we should not judge one another for different approaches and habits. 

Living in Mexico for 4 months communicated to me how big our world truly is. Not only is New Zealand small, but the island is so far from other countries, making us somewhat isolated.It made me realise how much more there was to discover and how many more cultures I wanted to indulge myself in. 

Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?

As mentioned previously, we exchange students took advantage of our 3-day long weekends. There were many little towns located 2-4 hours outside of Mexico City called Pueblo Magicos (magical towns). They all provided different colours and energies. Some of the pueblo magicos we visited were Puebla, Tepoztlan, Taxco, Cuervanaca and Teques. Some towns were known for their Talavera (blue and white glass), silver wear, lakes, natural pools or their surrounding desert. 

In our first Tec Week (mid-semester break) we visited the Pacific Coast of Mexico. This included beach towns called Puerto Escondido, Mazunte and Playa Ventura. We did a range of activities, such as snorkelling, surfing and dolphin tours. 

In our second Tec Week, we visited the gulf of Mexico, which is on the east coast. We began our trip in the famous town of Cancun and did a day trip to the caribbean island called Isla Mujeres. We went South to Bacalar, a turquoise blue lake with a range of cenotes. We moved northwest to Yucatan, where we stayed in a little Mexican town called Valladolid. This area is known for the famous 7th wonder of the world, the Mayan Temples called Chichen Itza, which we got for free due to being a Mexican student. Our final destination was Merida, where we did the famous flamingo tour. 

Like the other exchange students, I planned to backpack south after our exchange. Some of my friends from New Zealand met me in Mexico, and we covered some Southern states, such as Oaxaca and Chiapas. We entered Central America through Belize, where we went to the Caribbean island of Caye Caulker. We spent 2 weeks in Guatemala, where we spent Christmas on a gorgeous lake and hiked an active volcano for New Year’s. We finished backpacking in Costa Rica, where we saw sloths, colourful birds and red frogs. I would have loved to continue to South America like many of my exchange friends if I had more time and money. 

Final Comments

People going to Mexico should not participate in any exchange companies independent of their host university. There are companies, such as Hangout Mexico, that promote parties and weekend trips for exchange students across all Mexican Universities. Not only were these experiences quite expensive, but they do not uphold sufficient guidelines that protect students’ safety. Myself and other exchange students had terrible experiences through this company; it is better and cheaper to plan your own trips with your own group of friends.