IFSA Mérida Universities Program

In this program you attend a local university, stay with a local family, and have tons of opportunities to volunteer or explore something you’re interested in. This is a great way to really be a part of your host community and connect with people there. I often played card games with my host family, we grew very close, and I continue to talk to them even after I’ve come back home. Mérida is a place that will always be a part of me and a place I feel I will always be welcome. The excursions are also interactive with visits to museums, archaeological sites, and local communities which means there are so many different ways to learn and explore. Sometimes there were challenges in adjusting to a new culture and the different academic expectations but the IFSA team in Merida is really supportive and has lots of resources to help you. Merida is also close to the beach and a few hours drive from popular sites like Playa del Carmen. One of my favorite memories is a trip some friends and I took to Cozumel as a recommendation from the on-site team! Honestly, if I could go on thus study abroad program again, I would.

The cultural immersion in this program was like no other. I lived with a host mom, Rebecca, and she helped me grow during my semester in Merida. She taught me the bus systems and helped me grow more comfortable speaking Spanish. She helped me learn how to get to the beach by myself. The IFSA programs are structured to have full immersion with a host family and to attend the local universities, but it is really the people who make all the difference. The Merida program has lovely people who are there to support students.

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I studied abroad in Mexico as part of IFSA's Spring 2019 Mérida Universities Program. Overall, it was an absolutely incredible and rewarding experience, but of course there were pros and cons! Pros: Coursework: There's a reason it's called STUDY abroad, and I personally LOVED the three classes I took at the local university. As someone who goes to a liberal arts college, I was quite concerned about the classes at a nationally renowned public university being too large, but they were honestly quite comparable in size to what I am used to. All of my professors were excellent, and all of my classmates were extremely kind, patient, and intelligent. I took all of my courses at the UADY's School of Anthropology, specifically in the departments of Latin American Literature, Communications, and Tourism. Location: Mérida itself may be calm for a city, but I still found plenty of things to do. One of my favorite activities was going to the movie theater with my friends as well as visiting local artisan craft shops. The nightlife was also always such a blast! The city's location in the peninsula of Yucatán makes it super easy to travel domestically by bus, not only to neighboring beach towns but also to more well-known tourist-y hotspots such as Cancún and Tulum as well. If you are interested in Mayan history and architecture, Mérida is also a 1.5 hour bus ride away from Chichén Itzá and 1 hour away from Uxmal. I think it's also important to mention that it is incredibly safe, and even as a woman I felt comfortable walking around alone at night. Finally, the Spanish accent in Yucatán was very neutral and easy to understand. Management: The team at IFSA was incredible at all stages of the study abroad process! They were always super willing to help me with any random questions or adjustment issues. I haven't heard of any other program with a support system as well-developed as the one at IFSA! I am still in touch with the On-Site Program Director because everyone truly cares about your well-being. Host Family: All my friends and I had great experiences with our host families. We lived in very comfortable houses, and you can't complain about eating Yucatecan food everyday. Cons: Academic Rigor: The program was not super strict about people speaking Spanish, so it was hard keeping other American students in the program accountable with language immersion. I dealt with this by spending adequate time with my friends that I met at the UADY, and speaking to my host mom. Like other people have mentioned, the way in which classes were structured was reminiscent of the teaching style in American high-schools, which might be off-putting to those who want to be very challenged academically. However, I personally still found value from learning in this way. Transportation: The bus system in Mérida was incredibly convenient, but also kind of complicated and overwhelming at the beginning because there were no signs on the bus telling you where you were. Definitely gather a group of friends when you take the bus to go to school for the first time if you are nervous about this. Weather: If you like the sun and the heat like I do, Mérida is the place for you. However, if you can't stand it, definitely prepare yourself adequately. Most homes, like mine, had no A.C. whatsoever, and during May, the weather got up to 40 degrees celsius daily. You will also be walking a lot. From January to April, the weather was usually in the mid-20s in celsius, with nights generally being much cooler than the days. All in all, I think this is a completely underrated study abroad program in Latin America, and I would highly recommend it to almost all Spanish-speakers who want to learn in a culturally-rich and beautiful location!

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I am so so thankful that I had the opportunity to study abroad with IFSA in Mérida. It was such an amazing semester that I will never forget. Not only did I learn a lot about the culture and language, but I also learned a lot about myself. It was a great way to push myself out of my comfort zone and experience and try new things. Going abroad taught me the importance of being a global citizen, and seeing the world from various perspectives. For example, while in Mérida, I took 3 classes at the local university (la Universidad Autónoma de la Yucatán) where I was able to think critically and study important political, cultural, etc. issues from different viewpoints. Also, since all my classes were in Spanish, my language skills improved drastically, and IFSA staff gave me the necessary support to succeed. For my program, we also took classes with IFSA staff, which helped me to develop strong relationships with the IFSA staff and the other students in my program. I created life long friendships during my time abroad, with both the local community and other students in my program This program provided many opportunities for community involvement and cultural immersion. Almost every weekend, my program visited the various cultural and historical sites in the area, and there are many different opportunities to volunteer with the local community. For example, during my time abroad, I completed an education internship in which I volunteered at a local middle school and helped to teach English to the students. This was a great opportunity to interact with and learn about my host community hands-on. Additionally, every student lives with a host family. I absolutely loved my experience living with my family, and I still stay in contact with them to this day. This was a great way to learn about the culture, heritage, food, and language. Living with a host family was the best way to truly immerse yourself in the culture. Going abroad has given me a new passion to learn about other cultures and languages, and has taught me to be open-minded and accepting of all people. I am forever grateful for this wonderful opportunity!

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Studying abroad was an incredible experience for me, as I was traveling to Mexico in order to better understand my identity as a Mexican-American. I did not grow up speaking Spanish- I only learned it in school. For this and many other reasons, I have always struggled with connecting to who I am. The IFSA-Butler Mérida Universities program provided me a unique opportunity to challenge my ideas of myself and of who I hope to be. I learned not only about myself, but about the journey my family took to the United States and the challenges the women in my family have faced and continue to grapple with everyday. I was incredibly nervous to study in Mexico. Before I left, it felt like the four months I would spend in Mérida would never end and that I would never be able to fulfill the expectations I had set for myself. Admittedly, many of these expectations were impractical, but the IFSA staff was always there to help me when I needed it. My host mother was there to listen to me. My local classmates at the university were there to challenge my thought processes and also to accept me for who I am. I left Mexico in December unable to believe that four months had passed so incredibly quickly. The IFSA program in Mérida challenges students to confront their places in society and the spaces they occupy. Our identities and the impacts we have on others were always at the center of discussion and at the forefront of our minds. IFSA pushes its students to redifine themselves and to be okay with feeling uncomfortable. I am incredibly grateful to IFSA for challenging me to confront who I am and to finally feel comfortable calling myself Mexican-American.

I decided to study abroad as a student of the IFSA-Butler Mérida program because of its public health concentration and its location in Mérida. The connections I saw between the course offerings, the extracurricular opportunities (observerships in primary health care settings and service learning through the associated medical school's community health fairs), and my own studies at my home university were more than ideal. Additionally, IFSA-Butler in Mérida offers the unique opportunity to be a student at more than one academic institution. I had classes at UADY, the medical school of UADY, and Universidad Modelo, and that allowed me to get to know and appreciate different academic cultures and systems within a single city. Our program directors were really great about encouraging a more critical perspective and understanding of community and culture: our own, Mérida's, and México's as a whole. In addition to Yucatán-specific academic readings and discussions, we had excursions to archeological sites and some of the cultural events in el centro. In combination, this allowed me to better understand the history and culture of Yucatán beyond simply reading about it or hearing about it in conversation. I would absolutely recommend this program to other students. In fact, I already have--several times! The structure and support of the program were excellent, and even if you don't think Mérida may be for you (in terms of your interests in México), that's all the more reason to go! The regional diversity of México is incredible. I'm sure you'll find the entire experience to be truly valuable.