Guanajuato, Mexico

Guanajuato is a stunning cultural and historic city. Its pastel-colored, Spanish-style colonial building line cobblestone streets that web in and out through plazas, churches, small cafes, restaurants, shops and galleries. The city of Guanajuato has a paused-in-time vibe that might be lacking from more touristic destinations.

During my sophomore year, I was given the opportunity to travel to the city of Guanajuato with other students from FVS. It was certainly an eye-opening experience and someday I hope to go back and visit those who helped make the trip so special.

Our days were spent in the Escuela Mexicana learning about Mexican culture and history all while speaking in Spanish. We would read Latin legends and myths and how they were significant to Mexican culture and their way of life. We took dance lessons and practiced our salsa and merengue moves outside of class. We studied significant Mexican historical figures and their impacts on today’s society. Having professors there to correct your Spanish and answer questions about vocabulary was one of the most valuable lessons of the trip. Escuela Mexicana created a comfortable and friendly environment that allowed us to fully immerse ourselves and effectively improve our Spanish speaking abilities and learn significant cultural aspects that pertain to Mexico.

I was born and raised in the United States therefore from a very young age my parents always taught me to be wary about the water in many Spanish speaking countries. My parents, living in Venezuela for their whole lives, grew accustomed to the chemicals that are in that water but I cannot say the same for myself. However, I can say that the advice my parents gave me is what saved me from getting terribly ill during the trip. While everyone else ate water-based ice cream, I took the time to find milk-based ice cream. While everyone drank juices with ice, I stuck to my bottled water. While it was frustrating making sure anything that I ate and drank had a limited amount of water, it did allow me to be a part of all the activities and have fun. This also speaks to the overwhelming issue of sanitation that many spanish speaking countries struggle with.

I was raised to be proud of my ethnicity and to have no shame in speaking Spanish. This has allowed me to feel comfortable speaking in Spanish with my parents in public. Unfortunately, in the United States, when someone hears you speak in Spanish, it is usually followed with the question, “Oh, are you Mexican?”. While this may not seem offensive to many Americans, it can be when that isn’t the identity that you hold and when it is something that you are constantly asked. I decided to start a conversation with my host family about this and it brought about an incredible discussion about stereotypes that many people hold against the Latino community. When my host parents met me, they thought that I was Colombian based on my looks but once they heard my accent they immediately understood that I was from Venezuela. Although they were so intrigued to find out where I was from based on my looks, they took the time to ask about my culture and learn about what it was like to be a Venezuelan American. In my 17 years of living in the United States, I have never had anyone show interest in my background like they did. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to learn about the Mexican culture just as I was incredibly happy that my host family gave me the chance to share my culture with them.

Exploring a new city in a new country on your own can be very intimidating but I never felt that way as we explored the city of Guanajuato. We visited the red-stone monument that towers over the city called El Pipila. The monument celebrates a local hero of Guanajuato who helped Mexico gain their independence. We went to the Jardin de la Union, which is the heart of historic Guanajuato and serves as the city’s main square. We found a number of architectural gems from the beautiful old Baroque San Diego Church to the majestic Juárez Theater (Teatro Juárez ), the city’s opera house. We walked along the Callejón del Beso, also known as the Kissing Lane, where traveling couples are encouraged to climb to the third step and secure their eternal love with a kiss. Nothing to worry about here; our interim group did not participate in that part of the tradition! We explored the city’s amazing network of subterranean streets and alleys. We visited the Diego Rivera House and Museum and learned about the tortured relationship of famed Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera that has been immortalized in works of art throughout the decades. It’s astonishing to see the amount of things that we were able to accomplish within a week and I am so grateful for the opportunity to travel and immerse myself in this incredible culture.