Language Programs in Oaxaca, Mexico

My 17 year old spent 3 weeks in Oaxaca with Arcos Journeys. Overall, he enjoyed the experience and would do it again, but it was different than advertised. He stayed in a house with an older woman and 7 other American students. This was less of a homestay and more of a nice hostel. The 4 boys ate together and the 4 girls ate together (they did not interact, as they were in 2 different programs), with no other Spanish speakers at the table. The boys spent a lot of time together and became good friends. The morning Spanish class was good, but there was no afternoon class (the session was supposed to have an afternoon class as well as a morning one). The kids repeated several cultural activities once the next group arrived, meaning they did printmaking twice, hot cocoa tasting twice, etc. my son was well cared for and safe. I had thought he would have more of an authentic time with a Mexican family, but he enjoyed spending time with the other Ameticans.

As a 4th year medical student, I completed a month-long away rotation in Oaxaca, Mexico through CFHI, which allowed me to receive medical school credits. I was incredibly fortunate to have received the Susan Hersey Memorial Scholarship that covered my expenses for this experience and without which I would have never been able to go. I was motivated to complete this rotation to enhance my Spanish language and cultural competency in order to best serve my patient population at home. This experience exposed me to the ways that medicine is practiced in Mexico with a focus on healthcare disparities. We were able to shadow physicians in many specialties in government-run clinics and have the unique opportunity to participate in after-school childcare at Casa Emilie. With the kids, I was able to practice my Spanish language while we painted, played Legos, and worked on homework. My program was specifically tailored to intensive Spanish language immersion, and I attended 3 hours of class each day at the Becari Language School after taking an entrance exam that assigned me to a teacher based on my level of fluency. I have never had such wonderful language teachers who explained cultural and grammatical concepts in a truly approachable way. Furthermore, I was fully immersed in the Spanish language by living with a host family that only spoke Spanish. My host mother was so kind, and thoughtful, and cooked the most amazing meals for us. I felt truly cared for and looked after. Moreover, I learned more Spanish in the last month than I have in a whole year of traditional classes in the US. In conclusion, I gained valuable insights for my future in emergency medicine, both on a global and local scale, within a captivating, historically rich city that offered a plethora of experiences and opportunities.