My expectations of studying abroad in Merida for winter quarter 2010 are not only to advance and learn more Spanish but also to be able to experience a new culture.  I have never been out of the country and being able to go out of the country and actually experience living with a family in order to actually get the experience of being in another culture is something I am really looking forward to.  I am hoping to learn the history of Merida and the Yucatan in order to fully understand the way the people there live.  Overall I am expecting to have the best quarter of my college career and I am very excited to be able to have the chance to experience and learn about a new culture!

The stereotypes I think about when thinking of Mexico are that there are a lot of poor areas, which is where people get the saying that Mexicans are dirty I guess. There is also a lot of violence and drug related problems.  Mexicans are portrayed as to be wearing sombreros and dressing very different than we do in the United States.  They are also considered to be very heavy drinkers but not beer drinkers they are thought to drink tequila and other liquors.