What is your major?
Spanish, Public Relations and Strategic Communications, with a minor in Organizational Leadership
Why did you choose this study abroad program?
Well... there was a girl that I had a lot of my classes with freshman year, including Spanish, and one day she came up to me and asked if I was a Spanish major. I said no and she got bummed and said, "I was going to ask you if you wanted to go to México with me."  So I thought about this for a moment and decided, "Well alright then, I’ll switch." and I became a major. We went to mexico together, and she became my best friend. It’s like a love story.

What were your biggest fears coming to México to study abroad?

I was worried about my host family because I didn't know what to expect.  Also while I was packing, I was worried I wasn't going to bring enough or bring too much. I also wasn't sure If I'd like it once I got here or if I'd be able to make friends. About 20 days before I came to México I started counting down by doing absolutely nothing. My mom kept telling me I needed to get ready, but every day I just sat there. My excuse? I told her that I couldn't do anything because I didn't know if I'd be able to do nothing once I got to México.  This was another one of my fears:  That I wouldn't be able to have my own personal space or time when I could just sit there. That's not true at all though. At my homestay  I can go in my room and chill and my family respects my space. No one has ever walked in my room. It's great. I also was able to make friends. Everyone in the group is pretty awesome.  Local friends were a bit more difficult to make, but after awhile I found some of those too.

What was your primary goal?
My biggest goal was to become fluent, increase my Spanish level, and fulfill courses in my Spanish major.  I also had personal goals like discovering who I was again.  Before I came here, I felt a little lost.  I think this is what happens to most people when they go to college.  I had to learn how to live without my family and friends, and I just kept changing and adapting until I almost couldn't recognize who I was anymore.  So coming here, I was hoping to use the time away from the college atmosphere to have opportunities just to sit, think, and rediscover myself, and I think I've succeeded. 
What has been the thing that’s helped you reach this goal the most?
I think the classes have helped more than anything else.  Also having Spanish conversations with Sharice, reading books in Spanish, and writing new vocabulary down in a little notebook.
What was the hardest thing to adapt to?

I wasn't used to living in a city like this, and I still don’t think I've quite adapted to all the cars crossing streets, getting honked at, and all the noise.  I was hoping to be able to come here and compare and contrast Davenport and Mérida, but Davenport isn't a very populated city, so there are more contrasts than comparisons.  Just changing to this type of city itself was a culture shock without the added foreign language.
What surprised you most?
For the most part, I think my school did a really good job of preparing us. My surprises weren't anything profound, but rather things like that I could wear whatever I wanted at the Central House and didn't need to dress up ALL the time.  My homestay wasn't exactly what I expected.  I thought I'd have more conversation with my host mom and that she would ask me a lot of questions about my family or quiz me on vocabulary when in reality she tells me more stories about herself and México. That's when I realized though that she's not there to learn about me, but I'm there to learn about her. I was pleasantly surprised by the food. I was a little nervous, but it’s actually really good.

What is your favorite thing about living here?
I can't think of any one specific thing, but I can definitely say Mérida has changed me, so I guess my favorite thing has been the impact it’s had on my life. For example, I started running when I came here and got up to being able to run a 10K race without stopping.   Also, I'm no longer as afraid of bugs.  Now I can kill spiders and even eat ants (they were often in my honey).  It doesn’t phase me as much as it used to.  I used to never want to leave the house without wearing makeup or pampering myself either, but now I’m less worried about how other people perceive me as long as I'm happy. Finally, I was really afraid about all the times we were going to have to go swimming because I used to be afraid of the water, but I jumped into a Cenote without a life jacket and survived! Mérida has changed my perspective on life.
What is your least favorite thing?
Right now the heat. Although I’ve adapted pretty well, there comes a point where you just want to stop sweating. There's nothing I hate, just a few little annoyances like hand washing laundry and always having to wear braids because of the weather.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced?
Making local friends has by far been the biggest challenge. I felt like there were locals that wanted to go to clubs with me, but only because they thought it would be funny to see me drunk.  Also there were locals that didn't drink and would want to have conversation, but I felt like they were bored when I couldn't hold much of a conversation with my limited Spanish.  Another challenge has been that I still haven't been able to figure out how to be myself when I speak Spanish.  In English, I joke around, am sarcastic, and tell stories all the time, but I haven't been able to translate that into Spanish yet. 
Thinking back on the semester, what is one of the best memories that comes to mind?

I create millions of memories a day, I don't think this is a fair question, but I definitely loved the day a Jehovah's witness from Alaska approached me at the park, or the first time Sharice and I tried to use the buses and went in the wrong direction. Seeing the sunrise for the first time on my birthday and then running my first 10k was pretty sweet too, and then just all the moments I've had with everyone here has been amazing.