Today I finally arrived in Puebla! After a short flight and long wait in the airport we loaded up our bus and started the drive to Puebla. We navigated through the Mexico City traffic, and then headed into the winding roads that led us to Puebla. I’m glad I don’t get carsick because it was a bumpy ride! Despite this, driving through the mountains was quite the sight, and we got a glimpse of the two volcanoes close to Mexico City and Puebla, Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. After two hours, we arrived safely to Puebla and made our first stop at UPAEP (the university that runs the program) and we met our host families!
My host mom’s name is Martha, and she is a librarian at UPAEP and works with the elementary school kids who go there to read. She and her daughter both greeted me with a hug and a kiss, which is something all Mexican families are accustomed to doing. We went to her house, where we unpacked my luggage and then ate dinner. I already had a torta at the airport for lunch, but I couldn’t pass up on a delicious dinner of corn tortillas, black beans, avocado and a mixture of queso, poblano peppers, and corn mushrooms. I was a little suspicious at first but I want to try all the food that I can while I’m here! For dessert, we had mango and coconut ice cream, which was also very good. After dinner, we headed to Walmart to buy some things I couldn’t fit in my luggage. It was nice to get a little taste of Northwest Arkansas while I was so far away from home! Martha and her daughter took me on a mini-tour of Puebla: we passed the museums, the mall and movie theater, a ferris wheel called La Estrella de Puebla, and then we drove around the city a little more until we returned to our house. After a long day of travel, I was exhausted so I said goodnight and went to bed.
So my first thoughts: This is gonna be hard, but I can do this! It still hasn’t fully hit me that I’m in Mexico. For the first few hours speaking in Spanish was hard, because I took an online Spanish class last semester and didn’t have a lot of practice. But as I’m listening and speaking, I’m starting to understand better and be able to speak better. My host mom complimented me on my Spanish, which is really reassuring! She is so patient when I speak slowly (and use the wrong tenses) but I have already learned so much from her kindness and willingness to help me with anything. Puebla is a beautiful city, and I can’t wait for all that I’m going to learn, see, and do in my five weeks here.
Hasta Luego,
Lili
--
My name is Lili and I am from Dallas, Texas! I’m an honors junior Nursing student and also minoring in Spanish. This summer, I’ll be studying in Puebla, Mexico in a service-learning health professions program. I’ll be living with a host family, taking Spanish classes for health professions, and also shadowing a doctor in one of the local hospitals. I’ll be writing about my experiences in the hospital, around Puebla, and on the different excursions my group is taking. I hope you follow along!
--
Nursing major Lili Barrientos is spending the summer 2018 term in Mexico with our
U of A Faculty-Led: Spanish Immersion & Service Learning in Puebla.
Read more from Lili at
https://lettersfromlili.wordpress.com/blog/.
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at
http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
