[One of the best things about Mexico is its people.]
March 17th, 2017
“I chose UPAEP for my exchange program because I came with my girlfriend. Even though we do not study in the same University, Puebla was the city that adjusted the best to our plans,” said Viktor Plasser from Kufstein University of Applied Sciences in Austria.
The first reason to come was the language and although a lot of people think Mexico is all about crime, drugs and violence; he knew it was much more than that. The best example is Mexicans because they are just adorable persons to talk to.
“One of the best things about Mexico is its people, our landlords are really nice, from the beginning they made us feel at home, they really take care of us and whenever we travel out of the city, they are always checking on us, texting us to make sure we are ok. Besides, everyone on the street is always willing to help us get directions when we are a little lost. That never happened to me in Austria.”
He has the same experience at UPAEP with the General Direction of Internationalizatipn Department, every time he has a question about something; he knows he can go to them to ask for help.
When it comes to the academics, he had to adapt to our system since it is quite different from his University; in Austria he has around 6 or 7 exams at the end of the semester and in UPAEP, besides an exam every month, he also needs to deliver projects through the entire time.
Nevertheless, he recognizes the professors´ great level and the flexibility he has to make presentations in Spanish or English. Because of that, it is easier for him to get the credits.
During his first semester, he never needed a Spanish course. However, he was really stressed out since he had 6 courses; besides, he was doing a special project for Austria. That is why his interaction with other people was limited. By the time he started his second semester, he was only taking 3 courses that allowed him to travel more.
“There are many reasons why I would recommend UPAEP and no other Institution. The first one, the international office is very well organized, especially for exchange students. If you come like me; for an entire academic year, you need a special residence card. For that procedure, I only needed 10 minutes since UPAEP supported me with the rest of the documents. In another University, I heard the students need to do that all by themselves. I found that pretty helpful for the reason that sometimes it is quite problematic to get some documents.”
Another reason that surprised him about UPAEP is that they always try to stay in touch with exchange students through different activities like trips, welcome parties, farewell parties, fairs and events where he got to know the gastronomy, traditional dancing and clothing.
Among some difficulties he has to face while in Mexico is the food. Being spicy is only the second reason, the first one: he is just not so used to eat too much meat, which has made him to cook at home.
“I have some issues when it comes to the food. I really like meat, but not most of the time. Sometimes is hard, especially in Puebla, to find some dishes without it. Therefore, I am in charge of the cooking, I just cannot eat meat more than twice a week.”
Still, he recognized that Mexican food is more attractive than the one in Austria, within his favorites are tacos and octopus ceviche because in his country there are only fresh water fishes.
Click here to read the text in Spanish.
