Exchange in Guadalajara, Mexico

Hey everyone! It's been many months since I returned from Mexican soil. However, the experience has been so positive and enriching that I wanted to share it with you.

I study architecture and had previously done an exchange in Portugal, so my first choice destination was Brazil (so I could take advantage of the fact that I already spoke Portuguese). As you know, the destination you're allocated is never guaranteed. In the end I was allocated to Mexico, more specifically the city of Guadalajara. I didn't think twice and decided to go ahead with the experience.

Accepting to go to this destination meant having a discussion with my parents - I'm going to MEXICO! Who'd have thought it?! It's so dangerous?! And soooooo far away from them! They accepted my travels to Portugal. I didn't even want to mention Mexico to them, although after talking to them multiple times about it, they eventually understood why I wanted to go (well perhaps they didn't understand, rather they accepted it).... they saw how much interest I had in getting to know such a rich culture that was so different to ours.

First off, the passport and visas caused a lot of issues and anxiety. I learned that, before, you could enter the country as a tourist and then change your status to student (for a one year period) in the emigration office. When I went, I had changed the law so I couldn't do this. So here are the options if you're going to study in Mexico for the full year:

-Go to the Mexican consulate in Spain which is based in Madrid or Barcelona and provide them with the appropriate documentation with your acceptance letter from the University of Mexico. They'll then provide you with a one-year visa which you have to pay for. This gets stuck in your passport. It's important to remember that you have to be careful with this visa because if you leave the country, it expires! An English friend happened to arrive at Cancun in the summer. She arrived with a student visa, and after entering the country she decided to travel a little until classes begin. She goes to Belize for a few days and then, when she wants to come back, she can't do it with a student visa. This is because she was no longer studying, she was travelling, so she was given a tourist visa that instead of lasting a year are 6 months at most! And on top of that, when you get into the country, they usually give you 3 months... so watch out for issues like these.

-The other option is to travel with a return ticket, get into the country where they'll give you a tourist visa (which is no problem in terms of university). After 6 months you travel outside of the country, US, Cuba, Guatemala... Come back to Mexico when you're ready and they'll give you another 6 month tourist visa. (This is what I did) because the paperwork for my student visa didn't come in time. As for your return ticket to your home country, you'll have to buy one that allows you to change or cancel it without losing the refund, of course!

-Finally, if you're only going to be studying for 6 months you'll have no problem with visas, you'll enter as a tourist and you'll be all set.

However, keep in mind that things happen quite slowly in Mexico, so do not despair. Be patient and calm.

These are my university's web pages, in case you want to check it out:

www.cuaad.mx

www.cgci.udg.mx

How to get to the university? My faculty, Cuaad, is located at the end of the city, you can get there via public transport such as the MACROBUS. It has its own bus lane and it takes about 20 min to get there from Calle Herrera y Cairo.

When you get to Cuaad the first thing you're going to freak out about is the views of the university. Guadalajara has a natural geographical border, which is formed by the Huentitan Canyon. It's so beautiful! I'll attach a photo of it below:

The international relations office: This is found on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the main architecture building. From the main steps, go to the building on your left. Once you're inside, you'll find a staircase.

Do you organize free language classes? For those who do not speak Spanish, there are different courses that you should familiarise yourself with once you've been allocated a place. The CUSCH University Campus (Humanities) also provides courses. If you're interested in learning other languages, there's a hall you'll find very interesting which has films and books in other languages. It is located in Cuaad's Architecture Building. Once inside the main hall on left-hand side, continue down the hallway and you'll find it at the end.

What subjects do you consider most important to study in this school? For me, all the subjects to do with 3D modelling, renderings, etc. and above all, Vertical Workshop Group projects. This project workshop is based on the philosophy of group teaching. Project levels 6, 7 and 8 are located in the same hall. The first sessions are usually done in groups of three or four people from different levels so you can learn a lot from each other.

What is the level of education like compared to your University? students draw very well by hand and create good renderings, it's a good place to learn 3dmax, Revit architecture...

What infrastructure facilities does the University provide? University resources are very limited and there are few working spaces. However, at the end of the exchange they installed new work centers so there's been improvements with regard to this issue. There's no laptop lending system at the library... They don't have many resources of this kind.

Do they organise extra-academic activities? Yes, in the student union there are dance classes, meditation, sports, all free of charge... Students also organise a lot of activities such as film sessions... once there was a jazz band playing in the main hall as I was coming into uni, something which I loved! They also organise a craft week, where they sell handmade notebooks, decorations, jewellery... there's also a week where they organise book sales... so in this sense, there's a lot of activity.

Other Important Information, Assessments and personal opinion. The people are the best, the Mexicans are lovely, always available to help you with whatever you may need. On Facebook, there is a page for Cuaad students, where you can put forward ideas, ask for help in terms of teachers, etc... Here you can find teacher ratings, in case you're hesitating between subjects: http://mexico.misprofesores.com/

THE CITY

Guadalajara is a quiet city that I've always felt save in. Nothing's happened to me, no robberies, threats, zero. So there's no need to worry about that, you'll hear a lot of comments before you leave... it happened to me. Everyone around me wondered if I was scared and told be to be careful... At the end of the day just be aware of your surroundings, think about where you're going and at what time... You get used to the city quickly and easily, the city network is very intuitive, orthogonal streets, with names that are similar to other Mexican cities: Avenida Independencia, avda Alcalde, calle Morelos, avda Revolución...

http://zonaguadalajara.com/las-10-principales-avenidas-de-guadalajara/

The public transport system is chaos, you never know where buses go or stop... they call them trucks there too! Because that's exactly what they are, old trucks that have been revamped, every driver to his style. It's like a show, it's super fun.

As soon as I arrived I bought a bike from the El Baratillo tianguis (flea market). I paid 700 pesos, about 30 euros, which was a very good price. This flea market runs every Sunday. Another very cool tianguis is the Cultural one, you can find many handmade things there...

I'll link a website below which will tell you about the different tianguis:

http://zonaguadalajara.com/los-7-mejores-tianguis-de-guadalajara/

Things you would have needed to know your first week there(transportation, way to contact people, tricks... )

Well as we're students and we're always bad with money, the first tip k you should know before travelling to Mexico is to know which companies to fly with. There are several operators that only fly on vacation dates such as summer, Easter, etc. these companies have super cheap and accessible plane tickets. I bought my ticket two months beforehand and it cost me 300 euros. For a 10/12 hour flight, that's not bad. The companies are tight, don't expect a super luxurious plane or a super service. On the way, I travelled with the company Pullmantur "WANOS" and everything went smoothly. There was no lost luggage or anything like that (when you arrive at the airport they ask you to show your ticket back to Spain), so also be aware of this issue. Travelling from Madrid to Cancun, I spent a few days in the state of Quintana Roo and then travelled with Viva Aerobus to Guadalajara. Other companies operating within Mexico are: Volaris, Aeromexico... I have friends who travelled with Evelop which has better quality and service than wamos and similar prices.

When I arrived at Guadalajara, I went to terminal 2 which connects flights within Mexico. From there, there's no transport to Guadalajara. The Terminal is near the main terminal, about a 10 minute walk under a covered walkway. Don't be surprised by the taxi drivers, shuttles/vans/collectives (which are vans shared by public transport) once you get to the main terminal, they'll all insist you go with them... A taxi or shuttle costs about 200 pesos... so it's up to you here. There's a bus that leaves the bus terminal which is about a 15 minute walk from the airport. This is the bus (truck) airport workers use, which goes to Guadalajara, Blue Water Park. Advantages? That the normal route bus charges you 6 pesos compared to the 200 pesos you'd pay for a taxi or shuttle. If you ask about the bus, people may not even know what you mean and tell you that there isn't one that goes to Guadalajara. This is either because they want you pay for the taxi or shuttle, or they genuinely have no idea. I went by bus and it was all good. But it depends on what makes you feel comfortable really.

What were the biggest problems you encountered?

At first you feel lost when it comes to finding a home and doing the paperwork. Mexico has a quieter pace of life. In the Cuaad Office you have to be patient and sometimes very insistent to get the papers in due time.

How Much Money Do you need to survive? You can survive with 2000 or 2500$ pesos. I lived in the center of guadalajara, near the Degollado Theatre:

I paid 1500 $ pesos for a very spacious room with window in a ground floor house with a patio. It also included all expenses within the price (water, electricity, internet... ) the house was old but I shared it with Mexicans, Germans and English people, there was 6 of us altogether. All of us living together was perfect!

Is it easy to get a student jobs? How? Where?

Yes it's easy, even if you're a student with a tourist visa. Both in bars, restaurants,... In the Chapultepec area, a "posh" neighbourhood, there are a lot of bars and pubs where you can go out for drinks. It's a good area to ask for jobs. Word of mouth is what works here, go in person and ask if they are looking for someone.

On the other hand, I had friends also studying architecture who worked part-time in different architectural studies. To find one of these posts, you could ask friends, teachers... on the cuaad students Facebook Page, where they publish job offers in different architecture studies. You can also approach the studies directly...

Is there financial assistance for foreign students? How do you get it?

Honestly, I asked a little after I arrived and they laughed at me. The grants offered by the University are few and far between and are intended for local students from the UDG, usually students going abroad.

Personal assessment and opinion on the city.

It's a very culturally active city, and artistically speaking, you'll find

music in the streets, lots of crafts, traditions, mariachis, and a lot of life in general. (A lot of street art). This image is from Oaxaca, a city in south Mexico.

Markets where you can buy anything you can think of. I went to the Mercado Alcalde a lot since it was near my house and I could buy a lot of fruit and vegetables there...

Mercado Alcalde:

description: Fruits and vegetables

address:Antulo, Herrera y Cairo y Liceo

Guadalajara, Jalisco.

C. P:44200

Telephone: (33) 36581514

Services: Public Toilets.

There are also specialized markets, such as the Flower Market:

Description: Natural flowers

address: Calzada Independencia al Costado de Agua

Guadalajara, Jalisco.

C. P:44460

Telephone: (33) 36190011

Services: Roof, public toilets, public telephones.

But the market par excellence, where you'll find everything is the San Juan de Dios Market . Watch out here because you have to haggle, if they see you're "wero" or foreign, you will pay double the price for sure! Here you'll find everything from clothing, religious items, herbs, fruits, vegetables, fish, meats, animals, cages, kitchen utensils, toys, typical, charro hats (typically Mexican). There's an area where you can eat, and there's a lot to eat, hahaha especially at the tavern called Fonda de Don José, which serves meals every day. Always meat accompanied with beans and rice for 20$ pesos! Super tasty and super cheap, I never got sick from eating in this place, although the pork did make me a bit sick... It gives you the "morriña nuestra" (homesickness) after eating it, hahahaha

Besides all that, it's the largest roofed market in Latin America! It's very cool on an architectural level, it was built by the architect Alejandro Zohn. There are many important buildings in Guadalajara, more modernist in style, but I'll save this for a future post about what to see in Guadalajara.

On this website, you can see addresses of markets of Guadalajara. Seriously, I'd prefer to go to a local market a thousand times than go to a Wallmart.

http://www.tapatios.com/guadalajara/mercados.shtml

As for cultural offerings, there are many museums (Hospicio Cabañas, Museo de la Prensa or casa de los perros - there are dog sculptures on the railing -MUSAC, Palacio Consistorial,.... ) all are free for students and their are certain days where you can get free entry.

Photo of Hospicio Cabañas.

As for theater and opera, there are also offers for students. The Guadalajara Symphony Orchestra is located in the Degollado Theatre.

At the Alarife Theatre they do different performances, for a month, for example, Mondays are dedicated to classical music, Tuesdays to dance, Wednesdays to theatre and Thursdays to concerts of various musics. And all for free. This is part of an initiative to bring art to everyone. IMPRESSIVE, don't you think? :) All are of very good quality.

accommodation

Photo of a typical building, in some neighborhood of Guadalajara.

Did the university help you find accommodation? No

What are the best ways to search for accommodation? A good start is through the internet, normally classes start in August so I recommend you get there ahead of time so you can choose your accommodation without having to settle for the first thing you find since the city is full of exchange students. I used two sites: < strong>Comparto depa. mx and on Facebook: Busco roomie GDL

Approximate price. You can get a room from $1200 to $ 2000, which is a good price. However, there are people who pay up to $5000 for a room, depending on what you're looking for. (With water, electricity, gas, included... )

Recommendations for future students: there are different houses for exchange students where you share the kitchen with about 10 or 20 other young people, both foreign and Mexican. There are a lot of exchange parties so if you're interested in the party scene, this is the place for you. The prices are more "European" of course... I wasn't honestly that attracted to this environment because I thought it seemed very plastic and fake.... but each to their own. I'll leave the name of the organisation here: conexión gdl, they have a Facebook page and everything. They organise trips and parties too....

Mexican Altar in the Sierra de Oaxaca.

What I liked most sincerely, was the cultural richness that you find in Mexico. You cross over from the state of Jalisco to the state of Michoacan and suddenly, there's different food, a different culture, different indigenous languages... The further south you go, you'll find Zas Oaxaca which is rich in gastronomy, art, traditions... and above all, the exuberant nature that Mexico has, the jungles, the colours, the contrasts, it's all so beautiful... But I've forgotten about something, guys... Mexicans are so open, always smiling and willing to lend a hand... Without a doubt, all this is makes for the perfect combination to live abroad for a year and experience something unique, so don't think twice and pack your bags for Mexico!

If you need me to answer any questions about travel or places within Mexico, write to me as I travelled a lot and saw a lot of different places! Psych yourself up and get travelling!

Hasta la vista! :) Have a great time!