Now seven weeks into my time in Mexico City, Mexico, I can say assuredly that it was the right decision for me. While I do frequently miss my family, friends, and life in Austin, I know the experiences I have here are memories I’ll keep forever, and the lessons I learn abroad are things I can take back to improve my way of life back home.
Mexico City is a massive city with over 22 million people in its overall metropolitan area. Every corner of the city is full of busy streets with food vendors, book sellers, street artists, and musicians. Despite the high level of activity, I’ve found the pace of life here to be slower.
People here are more interested in chatting with coworkers, classmates, or strangers they see on the street than rushing off to finish their next chore of the day. This has been a big adjustment for me because I’m usually very task-driven, keeping a checklist of everything I need to do and trying to ignore anything that distracts me from getting things done on schedule.
While I do think good organization is a key factor in the success I’ve had so far in my life, I didn’t realize how much I was missing out on magic in my daily life until coming here.
By not scheduling all my classes back-to-back, I have time to do things like get pizza with classmates in the middle of the day, instead of just chatting before class or on walks between campus buildings. By leaving extra time in the mornings, I can prepare breakfast with my roommates and chat about the books we are reading or our different international viewpoints.
Without a strict plan for every night, I’m flexible enough to explore city nightlife, like a rooftop club in the Polanco neighborhood, and try restaurants with new friends, like a taco shop in the Tlalpan borough. I won’t lie, the adjustment process can be hard, but there are a few realizations that helped me step into this new lifestyle and have been very helpful for me so far.
Learning Doesn’t Always Take Place in a Classroom
I’ve found that my Spanish has improved the most from meeting new people and chatting with locals outside of class. These are the kinds of activities you find more often when you are willing to go with the flow. My advice is to say yes to random invitations. If you don’t enjoy it, you’ll know for next time, and at least you tried something new.
It’s more likely that you will end up getting to know some cool people, getting satisfaction from using the language in a tangible way, and discovering a new fun activity. If you are studying abroad to learn the language, there is no better way to do that than by talking to locals.
Don’t Isolate Yourself
I’ve found it is normal to feel overwhelmed and want to hide in your room for a bit and reset. I think this urge is completely human and sometimes even healthy; just remember that your friends and family back home miss you just as much as you miss them and are only a call away.
I’ve learned that the best reset for me is calling someone back home to catch up. This could be my parents, my girlfriend, my siblings, or someone I feel like I haven’t heard from in a while. Staying caught up with my support network back home makes me feel more connected and a bit less far away.
Speaking the language is everything. If you decide to study abroad, you will quickly find that the more you speak the native tongue, the more locals respect you just for trying. In Mexico, you might even save some money by being able to negotiate better.
It’s always ok to ask someone to repeat something or to tell them you are learning. People love being asked about their culture and love when visitors express an interest in understanding their way of life.
Lastly, if you’re mostly going to hang out with other international students who speak English, encourage them to practice the language with you. It would be such a missed opportunity to come home after months abroad and not have improved your language abilities.
In the end, everyone is different. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to having a successful study abroad experience. What I do think is most important, though, is deciding to go and sticking to the plan.
I can promise you that no matter where you go or what you do, you will grow as a person, broaden your understanding of the world, and likely make lifelong friends and memories that you wouldn’t have made any other way.
This blog was contributed by Sean Prakash, Global Ambassador for Fall 2026. Sean is a College of Liberal Arts Senior participating in an exchange program with Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) in Mexico City, Mexico.
