Housing

Cuernavaca is a city known for its perennial springtime weather, making it a favorite vacation and weekend getaway for Mexico City residents. Located in the state of Morelos, Cuernavaca is about two hours south of Mexico City and two hours west of Puebla. Both the city and the state are important in Mexican history: the palace of the Spanish conqueror, Hernán Cortéz, borders the central plaza in Cuernavaca; the state itself was named after Father José María Morelos y Pavon, one of the founders of the Mexican War of Independence against Spain in 1810; and Morelos is the birthplace of Emiliano Zapata, who led the cry “Land and Liberty” in the Mexican Revolution of 1910 in the southern half of the country. Cuernavaca is also known for its role in innovative grassroots education, alternative health practices, Base Christian Communities (“BCCs”), and economic cooperatives. North Americans, Japanese and Europeans are attracted to Cuernavaca’s numerous Spanish language schools.

Time: The time is the same as U.S. Central Standard time. Mexico also employs daylight savings, just as in the United States, although Mexico makes the change in the fall and spring on a different date than in the U.S.

Weather:

• In Cuernavaca, the climate will be sunny and pleasant (70° - 80° F) most days, often cooling as much as 10-20 degrees at night. There is a dry season from October - April, and a rainy season (May - October) when you can expect rain in the afternoons, often 4:00 and onward, although we do get some rain in February and March.

• Mexico City is almost always cooler than Cuernavaca, especially at night, so be sure to pack a few warmer clothes for your trips to Mexico City.

The Center for Global Education and Experience (CGEE) maintains a study center called "Casa Augsburg" in the San Anton neighborhood of Cuernavaca, just a 15-20 minute walk to the main downtown area. Casa Augsburg currently has seven bedrooms with bunk beds (not including the private room of our International Resident Assistant), several bathrooms, a dining room/living room, large back patio, ample garden space, and a small library/study room equipped with a printer and a computer with Internet access, and additional Internet cables and wireless access for students who bring laptop computers, cell phones or tablets. The WiFi password is the #9 ten times (9999999999).

All of you will live in Casa Augsburg for at least the first week of the semester, where 3-4 people will share rooms until after everyone has negative COVID tests. Then, if all goes according to plan, those of you who expressed a desire for mostly semester-long homestays will move into your new local homes on Sat., January 29, after participating in a getting-acquainted session with your new host family members. That house will then be your home until the rest of the semester. However, you will continue to go to Casa Augsburg for several of your classes and for lunch on weekdays (except for when you are at your field placement site or internship site). For those of you who choose to stay in Casa Augsburg longer, you will probably not have more than 1 roommate after the first week of the semester, but it all depend on COVID-19 and on your own decisions. Please see more information in the next section on homestays & be sure to submit your Housing and Homestay forms by December 1.

In order to get a visual of what Casa Augsburg looks like, check out this video tour of the CGEE Study Center.

• Computers: We have one computer and a printer for student use. We highly encourage you to bring a laptop if you have one.

• We also strongly recommend that you consider property insurance for any theft or damages because if anything happens to it, you will be responsible for the cost of repairs or replacement, whether or not the damage is the result of your action or the action of another student, staff person, or unknown person.

• Laundry: There is a nearby Laundromat (right up the street) that charges approximately US $4.00 for “full” service – wash, dry and fold.

• Local Conveniences: The Universal language school, which has a small swimming pool and racquetball court, is conveniently located on the same street as the CGEE house. Also located on the same street are a bakery, two Internet cafés, several small grocery stores, two stationery stores, a baseball field/park, a gym, a Zumba studio, a martial arts studio, a Pentecostal Church and the San Antón Catholic Church.

Casa Augsburg House Rules

COVID-19 Protocols

• Each day when you enter Casa Augsburg, you must enter through the hallway (if coming in from outside), or through the dining room (when coming downstairs from upstairs if you live upstairs), you must use the thermometer to make sure that you don't have a fever and then put bleach on your hands.

• If you have a fever (or any other potential COVID symptoms), please do not go to class but rather send a WhatsApp to Ari & your professors letting them know so that they can follow up with you regarding your health.

• Every time that you enter Casa Augsburg from outside, you must step in bleach and then on the floor mat so that you don't slip. (The bleach is to get germs off the bottom of your shoes & is common practice in Mexico.)

• You must wear your facemasks indoors in Casa Augsburg at all times except for when eating and sleeping.

Use of Spanish Language

• You are encouraged to speak Spanish as much as possible even when living at Casa Augsburg. Several Augsburg staff members do not speak English, so it is important not to speak a language that the people around you would not understand.

Meals

• As soon as you know that you will not be eating certain meals provided at Casa Augsburg for you due to personal choices, such as not eating breakfast or going out to eat or going out of town for a few days or due to illness, be sure to send a WhatsApp message to the International Resident Assistant (Ari) as far in advance of the meal(s) as possible so that our cooks do not prepare too much food that then gets wasted.

• The Casa Augsburg kitchen is off-limits for health and safety reasons, particularly during the Pandemic. There is a refrigerator for students in the dining room at Casa Augsburg. If you have special dietary needs, please list them on your Housing and Homestay forms, &/or update Ari, the International Resident Assistant.

Alcohol, Illegal Drugs, & Smoking

• If you are 18 and older, you may legally drink alcoholic beverages in Mexico as long as you do so responsibly and in moderation. Moderate and responsible consumption of beer and other alcoholic beverages are allowed in Casa Augsburg. However, drunk and disorderly conduct is not permitted. If you do drink, we urge you to not only be careful for yourself but also considerate of students who may be alcoholics and/or in recovery. If you are overly intoxicated and/or acting drunk and disorderly, staff will ask you to stop drinking. At the same time, if you are going to drink, it is safer to do that where you are living rather than to drink at bars, where strangers could try to take advantage of you. Please note that drinking in outdoor public spaces (such as parks or on a sidewalk) is illegal in Mexico.

• If there are students who are in recovery or prefer dry spaces for other reasons, we will designate spaces in Casa Augsburg that are “dry.” If you would like this, please let Ann &/or Ari know right away.

• Smoking is not permitted inside Casa Augsburg. Students who smoke tobacco may do so in the following outside areas: at either of the two tables in the garden near the main entrance from the street (not close to bedrooms) and/or behind the house in the area of the basketball court.

• Although in some states in the U.S. it is legal to purchase and use cannabis products, Marijuana is still an illegal drug in Mexico and is strictly forbidden. Any students who use it or any other illegal drug while in Mexico will be sent home at their own expense, as illegal drug use can jeopardize your safety and that of others, as well as the university’s legal status in this country.

Additional House Rules Related to Safety & Security

Front Door/Main Entrance

• Do not leave the front door open and do not buzz people in or open the front doors without first looking at the security camera monitor to see who is there. If you are unsure, find a staff person to answer the door.

• DO NOT give out your address (or staff addresses & phone numbers) to people you meet. Get their numbers instead if you want to contact them. Please, be extremely responsible in this matter. The reason for this is that students have sometimes met people on dating apps or at bars who seem friendly at first but then harass them and other students. Since you are not the only person who lives or studies at Casa Augsburg, others can be negatively affected if someone you meet turns out to be different from what you first thought. In addition, we ask that you respect the staff’s privacy.

• While we would like you to make yourself at home at Casa Augsburg, it is essential that you be respectful of the rest of your peers and the people who work at the study center and of our neighbors. Therefore, we ask that you NOT give the Casa Augsburg address NOR give out the phone numbers or addresses of any of our staff. Please see the comments above for the reasons for this policy.

Friends & Guests

• New friendships & dating: If you meet someone with whom you want to connect, plan to meet them at a public place & take an Uber home. That way you help to ensure your own safety and others who live in Casa Augsburg by not giving out the address to people that you do not know extremely well. The reason for this is that students have sometimes met people on dating apps or at bars who seem friendly at first but then harass them and other students. Since you are not the only person who lives or studies at Casa Augsburg, others can be negatively affected if someone you meet turns out to be different from what you first thought.

• DO NOT have new acquaintances pick you up or drop you off at Casa Augsburg or your host family's home. Please see the reasons listed above.

• DO NOT invite over new acquaintances to Casa Augsburg or your host family's home. Many host families allow (& even encourage you) to invite your friends over. Please just discuss this with them.

• DO NOT host parties at Casa Augsburg. This is for everyone's security.

• Visitors: While you are living in Casa Augsburg, you may receive a few well known & trusted guests between 8am and 10 pm from Sundays through Thursdays and between 8am and 12pm on Fridays and Saturdays. These guests can include CGEE students who are living in homestays and friends that you know well through our staff, host families, and intercultural exchange at International House (IH, or IHouse), a local undergraduate university for Mexican students seeking to become language instructors. Guests could also include family and friends from elsewhere in Mexico or other countries. However, in all cases, you must do the following:

• Send a WhatsApp message to the "Visitors" group chat on WhatsApp telling everyone who may be at the house who will be visiting & when, ALONG with a photo of their official ID (driver's license or other). In many Mexican institutions, there is a 24-hour/7 security person at the door who signs people in & out & holds onto their ID until they leave. Since we only have security staff from 10pm-5am, we ask you to use WhatsApp to advise everyone of visitors & share their ID. This is for the security of everyone who lives and/or works at Casa Augsburg.

• Take responsibility for your guest while they are at Casa Augsburg. Make sure that they are introduced to everyone who is around so that people recognize them from your message with their photo ID.

• If you live in Casa Augsburg and have a single room, your guests may enter your room. However, if you have one or more roommates, you may not have guests in your room unless it is okay with your roommates. If you have roommates, you should plan to hang out with any guests in public spaces (with them) so as to not inconvenience your roommates and other people in the house.

• If your guest has arrived before one of the two night watchmen (Diego or Javier) arrives at 10 pm & your guests are still at the house, you should introduce them to the watchman who is on duty, although he will already have access to the "Visitors" group chat and therefore know who is in the house.

• You may not have overnight guests stay in Casa Augsburg. If you have friends visiting from out of town, there are many nearby Airbnbs & hotels where they can stay.

Please note: At the beginning of the semester, you will have a meeting with the International Resident Assistant (Ari) to discuss any additional group guidelines that you may want to establish as a group of people sharing a house for both living and studying. Such guidelines could include quiet hours or time limits on the use of the Vonage phone or library computer and printer.

Your urban homestay with a Mexican family is an highlight of the semester program for most students. You will have time to practice your Spanish with native speakers, but more importantly, you will experience the diverse realities of Mexican life. You will most likely experience firsthand how the issues raised in the classroom and on visits inform and are informed by the daily lives of your host families. You will have the option of starting your urban homestays on Sat., January 29 or staying in Casa Augsburg until after you complete your first (or only) intensive Spanish course and a week-long homestay in a rural community. You can then live in a home in Cuernavaca for one month and return to Casa Augsburg or you can choose to stay with your family until the end of the semester. The housing and homestay forms are due on Dec. 1. If you haven't submitted your forms yet, please do so asap.

In an effort to facilitate student contact with people from the Mexican working class, CGEE has relationships with families of modest means. Past students have found the homestay to be one of their best experiences in Mexico. All of the families that receive students have been carefully chosen by CGEE staff and have participated in orientations and activities including a health and safety orientation, as well as a diversity orientation. They open their homes to students with a strong desire for cultural exchange and solidarity. Most of them go out of their way to adapt to you, and several have participated in vegetarian cooking classes that we have offered so that they can meet the needs of vegetarian students. For your part, we ask that you open yourself to the experience, accepting the positive and negative elements as well as and the unavoidable awkward moments, remembering that different is not better or worse, just different.

During the urban homestays, typically one student will be placed per home to maximize opportunities for cultural immersion. Due to COVID, we may need to make a few exceptions to that general rule, so please indicate your preferences on the homestay form. You will most likely be housed with families in the same neighborhoods as at least one or two other students , although if you are conducting an internship, you may be placed with a family that lives closer to the internship site.

For LGBTQ students, we have a small number of lesbian and gay households and lesbian and gay-friendly families who host students in different neighborhoods throughout Cuernavaca. In addition, we have a few “recovery-informed homes” for students who are in recovery from alcohol and other drug addictions.

If it is important to you to be placed in a lesbian and gay-friendly home or if you are in recovery from any kind of alcohol or drug addiction, be sure to indicate that on the Homestay Form (which will be sent to you via email shortly) along with any allergies to pets, special dietary requirements, and other preferences regarding your homestay.

It is essential for you to complete both the Housing Survey and the Homestay Survey as soon as possible and submit them by December 1. This is very important to help us ensure safe and happy housing arrangements. Please return your completed forms to our International Resident Assistant as soon as possible.

Quotes from former students regarding their homestay experiences:

“I got a better feel for what real life is like in Mexico and learned a lot of things that can’t be learned from a book.”

“(It was) definitely the most important and meaningful experience of the whole program. Many relationships developed, and I had opportunities to do things I wouldn’t normally have done.”

“It was really a time to be able to observe cultural differences in opinions, behaviors, religion and way of life.”

“It helped my Spanish a lot, and broke bad stereotypes. It taught me a lot about Mexican culture and life. I learned so much during those three weeks that would not have been possible by staying in the program house. It strengthened my commitment to fight poverty and oppression. My host mother was a great inspiration for me. I learned about food, relationships, music and much more.”

“I liked my family stay. It was hard at times, but very good for me and my Spanish. I feel much closer to Mexico and the people because of it. I felt like a guest in my family sometimes, but felt very welcome. I learned so much about commitment to each other and gained a better understanding of Mexican life and culture .”

“I really enjoyed my overall experience with the host families. There were some frustrations, but overall I made long lasting relationships and made everlasting memories. I learned the value of family in Mexican terms, and truly got to see how closely knitted this family was. Also, I got to see the true working class family, and learn about their struggles, history, and social movements that they were involved in.”

There is a small library in Casa Augsburg. However, you will need to be able to access your college/ university library online. Make sure you find out from your IT department how you can gain access from Mexico.

Casa Augsburg has a printer and two PC computers, all of which have Internet access, plus additional cables and wireless Internet access for students who bring laptop computers. If you have a laptop computer, you are encouraged to bring it along with a card for wireless Internet access.

The server at Casa Augsburg is cemal_net, and the password is the #9 ten times (9999999999)

In addition to our limited computer services, there are many Internet cafés nearby, including one right up the street, where the cost is approximately $10 pesos per hour.

Please note that there are frequent problems with Internet service in Cuernavaca and that it may be much slower than that to which you are accustomed. Internet service also goes down frequently, and so you should not count on having fast or constant Internet access.