Why Live Abroad?
Mark A. River

I'll never forget my first day of French class when I replied to the professor's challenge of (translated) "Who can give me some examples of French words you already know?" At the time I didn't realize that "bon voyage", "mardi gras", and "fiancée" weren't vocabulary staples for my Mexican classmates. Their looks of astonishment reinforced the fact that I was undertaking an experience that can't be duplicated in an American classroom.

My greatest challenge, however, was neither the French course nor the engineering curriculum taught entirely in Spanish. Adjusting to a completely new culture was much more difficult than mastering the new subject matters. Living in a modest casa alongside nine other Mexican students was a shocking change from my previous residence in Manhattan, Kansas. The ten months I spent in this new environment challenged many of my unknown paradigms: taking a shower with no hot water wasn't merely an inconvenience - it was a part of the daily routine; Montezuma's Revenge was no longer a laughing matter; and air conditioning in 110 degree heat was just a desert mirage. Material comforts that I thought I could never live without were nowhere to be found. Stereotypes and illusions that I had accumulated from 20 years of American media were shattered as I gained first-hand, intimate knowledge of a new culture, new people, and of myself.

One of the most interesting people I met during my stay was Mona, a middle-aged native of Monterrey, who was a maid at the casa where I lived. We would sit and chat for hours over a plate of her huevos rancheros or enchiladas verdes. Mona was one of the happiest and most content people I had ever met. At first I couldn't understand how she could smile, laugh, and enjoy life so much while only earning $40 per week. At that stage of my life I thought happiness was a direct result of money. I was astonished that a minimum-wage worker in the US made more in a day than Mona did in an entire week! Becoming friends with Mona taught me a higher appreciation for the seemingly simple pleasures in life like family, friends, and good conversation. She showed me how happiness is indeed a state of mind and not something determined by material wealth or society's definition of "success".

Living in Mexico broadened my views of history, language, religion, and way of life. Today I am a more open minded, philosophical individual because of this experience. The personal growth I experienced while in Mexico has been the foundation for subsequent foreign travels, opening my eyes to adventures and intercultural learning experiences I once never dreamed possible.


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