[He studies at Hochschule Bremen, Germany, and being in Mexico represents a dream came true.]
November 8th, 2017
Trannslated by: Mercedes A. Hernández Pacheco
Being in Mexico has been a little bit complicated for Erhan Savcili, 5th semester student at Hochschule Bremen in Germany because his Spanish is not very good, but he re assures us that he is accomplishing his dream of being in Mexico because he loves the music and the culture.
“Through my friends that have been here before; I heard a lot of positive comments, not only in UPAEP but also in Mexico, about the people. Mexicans are really kind and has supported me a lot in order to speak the language, my friends always explain any time whenever I have questions about homework or assignments in class, always being very helpful”, said Erhan when he told us about his experience at UPAEP.
“They are always warm with other people from different countries, in comparison with Germans, they are pretty considerate. A lot of them really help you by heart and they are interested in me, they ask me my name, how old I am, if I can talk to them in German or Turkish, this is the reason why I am so into the culture and try to speak Spanish”.
He has a Turkish heritage and experienced quite a shock when he tried to communicate in English. He though since Mexico was so close to the United States, he could communicate with anyone until he realized that just a few people can speak the language.
Previous his exchange experience, he thought Mexico was all about parties, dancing, singing and fun; however, he has noted that it is not always like that, people are very hard workers and they have some challenges but also goals to achieve in their futures. For him, that was really mindful since he considerate himself a very demanding person fighting for what he thinks are the most important things in his life.
“I came to Mexico and Puebla and I see most of the people make a great effort between working and studying all the time. Mexicans exert themselves in order to achieve the biggest success in their lives, I find that very interesting”.
The differences between Mexico and his home country, he confessed that unpunctuality is the biggest one although is something that he can live with since he finds the culture very attractive.
And just like a Mexican suffers a lot because of the food and not having a family nearby while being abroad, Erhan sometimes has a hard time with the same. Especially since the food is really hot for him. Whenever a Mexican tells him that the meal is not spicy, it really is, one of the biggest challenges for him through these months.
“I need the love of my mom, my brother and my father; it is hard to be alone. Sometimes, the biggest test is being away from home”. Nevertheless, this experience has also helped him to learn new skills considered normal chores such as doing the dishes or cleaning his room.
Finally, he told us that the Mexican Independence Party was one of the greatest encounters he lived until this interview and he compared it with New Year’s Eve celebration in Germany because of how colorful and spectacular it was. “It was amazing. I do not think I have ever seen something like that before, it is such a big celebration in Mexico, bigger than New Year’s Eve in Germany, a lot of fireworks, lights and Mexicans being really proud of their country, being extremely happy of their nationality”.
ORIGINAL TEXT:
