Posted By: Career Enrichment Network 
Liberal Arts student, David Goodwin, recently returned from a summer abroad in Mexico. David took part in the Spanish Department’s Faculty Led program to Puebla, Mexico: Spanish Language, Art and Mexican Culture. The Puebla program is six weeks long, to be eligible students need to have 0-2 semesters of Spanish and a minimum gpa of 2.5. Learn more about David’s experience below:
Content and photos contributed by: David Goodwin, majoring in Economics and Spanish
I chose the Puebla, Mexico study abroad program offered by the Spanish department. Puebla is right in the middle of Mexico, and the location was perfect! We were fortunate enough to travel to different cities each weekend anywhere from 1 hour up to 5 hours away. Traveling throughout Mexico was cheap, easy, and very safe. Not for one second in my six weeks in Mexico did I feel unsafe. The main reason I chose this program, was for the homestay experience. Being a Spanish major, I knew that living with a Spanish speaking family would be the best way to fully immerse myself in the language. These six weeks fit in nicely with my schedule and allowed me to still have a good amount of summer left when I got back to America.
No matter what line of work I end up in, I would like the Spanish language to be a part of it. After my time in Puebla, I feel substantially more confident in my ability to converse with native Spanish speakers, as well as read and comprehend the language. Because of the homestay experience, I was forced to speak only in Spanish, which is exactly what I wanted. I really felt like I was a member of their family.
Academically, the program was great. The courses we took while in Puebla were challenging and interesting, but also left time for us to take trips and experience the culture of Mexico. We had class Monday thru Thursday which allowed us to leave Thursday afternoon for weekend trips. The university that we attended, Ibero University, in Puebla was beautiful.
I would absolutely recommend studying abroad. The life experiences you gain from being out of your comfort zone and immersing yourself into another culture are invaluable and simply cannot be taught in a classroom!
My favorite memory is of our trip to Cuetzalan. For a day, our group visited a very poor village in the mountains of Puebla. We brought food and school supplies to an elementary school there. After eating lunch with the kids, we played soccer for over two hours. Despite losing badly, it was something that I will never forget. The kids in the school were extremely thankful. It was a very humbling experience for me.
To learn more about study abroad, attend the Education Abroad Fair on September 30, 2015 from 11am- 4pm, in the Alumni Hall at the HUB!
All Liberal Arts students studying abroad are eligible for Enrichment Funding. To learn more, please schedule an appointment via Network Symplicity or email Jackie Smith, Global Experiences Coordinator (jds54@psu.edu).