Stereotypes

            My main stereotypes come from appearance and activities.  When I think about Mexicans, I picture most people who are shorter than me.  I also feel like many Mexicans are soccer (futbol) fans.  After reading the documents for this week, I know have the impressions that men are normally not loving husbands and that there are still many inequalities between men and women.  I also have a stereotype about some of the foods eaten there. 

Expectations

                One of the main expectations I have is to improve me Spanish.  I hope by immersing myself into the culture and lifestyle, I will be able to improve my Spanish, especially my speaking skills, dramatically.  I also hope to learn more about Mexican culture.  Although I have had some history classes about Mexico, I still feel like there is a lot more information I should learn.  Through this program, I hope to gain more information about social institutions in Mexico, food, history, and landscape.  I also hope to meet new people, both from Ohio University and in Mexico. 

Expectations:

One of my main expectations for this trip was to improve my Spanish, especially my conversation skills.  I definitely feel I accomplished that through classes and speaking with my family and other locals.  In general, I feel like I learned more about a different culture and also learned more about myself.  I have met a ton of new people both from OU and from Mexico.  This trip was truly once in a lifetime and exceeded my expectations. 

Stereotypes:

Most of my stereotypes that I had before were about appearance.  I thought that most people would be shorter than me, which was pretty accurate.  However, I was really surprised with the different appearances in Mexico.  I had family members with blonde hair and blue eyes.  Also, my stereotypes about food were completely false. I didn’t expect to eat Taco Bell every night, but I still thought the food was going to be more traditional “Mexican” food.  I thought most men were going to be terrible husbands, but the men in my family were extremely loving and kind.