Maria
Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
Introduction
Kia Ora!
My name is Maria O’Connell and I have the amazing opportunity to take part in a one semester exchange to Mexico City! I am currently in my third year at the University of Auckland, studying Global Studies (majoring in Human Rights , Politics and Spanish) and Arts (majoring in Psychology and Criminology). My Mexican exchange is at Tec De Monterrey (South of Mexico City Campus) for their autumn semester.
Mexico holds a special place in my heart as I was able to visit the city earlier this year for the ‘Social Realities in Mexico’ programme, sponsored by the Prime Minister Group Scholarship. This was a life changing experience that taught me so much about the differing characteristics of Mexico and New Zealand, while reconnecting myself back to why I studied Global Studies in the first place.
I am excited to be back in my second home, and I am looking forward to taking everyone on my journey! I am hoping to continuously learn new components of Mexican culture, in which I am able to educate students and loved ones about back in Nueva Zelanda.
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Adventures Across the Agricultural Land
Exchange students are particularly lucky at Tec De Monterrey as every 5 weeks we have a ‘semana tec’. Semana tec (tec week in english) is similar to a mid semester break where no assignments are due. As Tec De Monterrey has 18 weeks in their semester, we get 3 weeks in total of semana tec….Continue…
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Magic Of Mexico
One of my favorite parts of exchange is being able to explore a new country with people from across the globe. The energy of exchange students is irreplaceable. People are just as motivated to educate themselves about your exchange country as you are, while being just as spontaneous to try new things and have crazy…Continue…
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El Primer Mes: Viva en México
Being on exchange is a continuous ‘pinch me’ moment; life simply feels like a dream. You are on a journey of understanding a new culture, language, and way of living. A simple task such as shopping can lead to a crazy story you will never forget. It makes you realize what you miss from home…Continue…