University of Arkansas Office of Study Abroad: Puebla #HogsAbroad in Mexico

Hi! My name is Mariana Pacheco. I am a Fulbright College Student majoring in Spanish, Political Science, and Latin American and Latino Studies with a concentration in legal studies. For the summer of 2018, I studied abroad in Puebla, Mexico.

When I arrived, I met my amazing host family that welcomed me with open arms. The first week in Puebla, we toured the city, the university, and we had different professors talk to us about volunteering and service programs in Mexico. Our first weekend in Mexico, we visited Cholula, the city neighboring Puebla City. It was breathtaking. There was a beautiful castle above a pyramid. We were able to walk all the way to the top where the view of the city was incredible.

From the second week to our last week in Mexico, our schedule was mainly the same. We volunteered at an orphanage called Casa Del Sol in the mornings. I had the opportunity to help take care of the babies and toddlers. It was such a great feeling although it was also sad to see all those kids without a family. In the afternoons, we had our classes. Because there were only 3 students including myself in class, we were able to travel around the city and learn a lot about the culture of Puebla.

Our second weekend there, we traveled to Cuetzalan and Yohualichan. Those towns were beautiful! Cuetzalan had a big market where many traditional items like clothes, head wear, key chains, and mugs were being sold by the local people. Yohualichan was very different from any town I had seen. It was small but had a large area with pyramids.

Our third weekend in Mexico, we traveled to Mexico City. This to me was a dream come true as I have always wished to go there. We got to see the National Palace, the National Museum of Anthropology, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Frida Kahlo’s home and the pyramids of Teotihuacan. We were also able to experience the exciting atmosphere in Mexico during Mexico’s national team’s soccer game against Germany in the World Cup. We saw how the whole country came to a stop while the game was on. Everyone was watching it and when the Mexican team won, everyone was cheering unlike anything I had ever seen.

Our last weekend in Mexico, we traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico. This was also an amazing experience. We saw how black pottery and mezcal were made. We also were able to see more pyramids and the Arbol del Tule, the tree with the stoutest trunk in the world. We also saw indigenous groups selling their beautiful traditional style clothing. However, we also witnessed a lot of protesting. There were flyers and banners all over the center of the city as a form of protest.

Overall, my experience studying abroad in Puebla, Mexico was amazing to say the least. I tried a lot of new food that I never thought I would try. I met amazing local people that I still have contact with even till this day. I also made awesome friends with other students from the University of Arkansas that were studying abroad. I highly recommend everyone to study abroad in Puebla!