Hello!

My name is Hannah Meador and I will be going to Queretaro, Mexico for five weeks this summer. I leave next week and I am getting excited for my first trip outside of the United States!

When it comes to my host culture, I am expecting it to be more traditional than what I am used to in the U.S. For example, I am expecting that traditions, such as gender roles, like women doing most of the cooking and housework, will be more prevalent in Mexico than in the U.S.  I also know that both family and extended families are important in Mexico. The importance of extended families living together is not emphasized in the United States, so there might be a difference of family roles in Mexico.

I think that I will interact well with my host culture, just as long as I am patient and polite. I need to remember to be open minded and willing to accept cultural differences that I will experience. I also need to keep my sense of humor handy and be able to make mistakes with grace.

Right now, I am a mixture of both excitement and nervousness for my trip. I am both excited and nervous because this is my first trip out of the country. I am also nervous that my Spanish won’t be as a good as I believe it to be, but I am sure that if I relax and pay attention, the language will come to me. Overall, I am excited to go to Mexico and experience a new culture, food, and make new friends!