[An Exchange to expand the Spanish language abilities.]
June 2nd, 2017
“Professors have been really helpful whenever I have language conflicts and I have made a lot of friends. A very big difference with China is that here, my friends are more open minded which helps me not to be too shy and get to know people”, said Chen Huang in an interview for El Universitario.
Because of the international fairs and the welcome from the Internationalization Office, Chen was able to get know our campus and her first encounter to the Mexican culture.
“You have a lot of activities I can take part of which helps me to get to know people. Living in a different place makes you know about the language, traditions, and people and to increase knowledge” Chen Huang told us.
Chen Huang studies Spanish in Shanghai International Studies University in China and chose Mexico because her professors there usually talked about Spain, but never mentioned Latin America. “Spanish is a very romantic language, I love the pronunciation.”
“Due to the courses available in UPAEP, I have been able to understand Mexican culture. Last semester I took Appreciation of Mexican Cinema, Advanced Spanish, Mexican Culture and Literature, Mexican Identity and Academic Writing. The great thing about UPAEP is that you are able to study from every single interest that you might have.”
“Since all this learning, the culture fascinates me due to its diversity. The only thing I knew about this country were sombreros, mariachis and drug dealers. My parents were pretty afraid and did not want me to come for seeing in the news how dangerous Mexico is. Nevertheless, once I arrived, my perspective has totally been modified, people are very sweet, kind and open minded, and of course, I communicated that to my family.”
While she has been here, she visited Mexico City, Oaxaca, Chiapas and some of the small “magic towns” in Puebla. “Those places even though they are in the same country, it is amazing how they also have their own culture.”
“This exchange experiences is a big advantage since it has changed me in a good way. Having so many open minded friends is a support in not being so shy anymore. Nowadays, I like who I have become. I believe that the most important thing that Mexico has given me is to grow up as a person, learning about a country that is so far away from China in distance, ideology and culture.”
Click here to read the original text in Spanish.
