I have many expectations for my study abroad. I expect to make a lot of good friends, learn Spanish in no way I could while at OU, stretch my comfort level to a great degree and make friends from Mexico as well. I am nervous for the language barrier with the host families. I am excited to travel around Mexico and expose myself to some of it's beauties. I am expecting to grow a lot during this stay as well, I think exposing myself to new people and feeling anxious about new things can really help one's growth. I know this experience will be a positive one !

Stereotypes:
Because I do not know any Mexicans and I have never been to Mexico, most of the stereotypes I have about them are from the media or are just from hear/say. I imagine that Mexico has a lot of rural space and beautiful country. I seem to imagine a good amount of people living in relative poverty. I imagine that a lot of Mexicans are very hard working individuals. For some reason another stereotype I have about Mexicans is that they are uneducated. I can see how some would be, although what I have heard of Merida makes that stereotype seem wrong. I can almost imagine seeing Mexico in the same light as the U.S. There are plenty of uneducated people living in our country, so I can see my own country in the same light. I also imagine that Mexicans mostly think of Americans in general in a negative light. I am sure they have stereotypes of their own. I hope that my stereotypes I hold are broken so that I have a completely new view of this country and its people.
-Eddie Barnes