Claire Mills, Mike Lapota, and Megan Gushwa
Mexico was an incredible learning experience in which we were able to live with a family and truly absorb the Mexican culture. The families and teachers were amazing people and the city itself was gorgeous. Below are some of our favorite places and memories from Guadalajara that we believe summarize our 21 days in Mexico.
After the terrifying trek that was public transportation in
Guadalajara we were greeted by an assortment of Christmas decorations
throughout the city centro.
This is the arch that welcomed visitors to Zapopan, which was the part
of the city where we lived. This is just one example of the
amazing architecture that we encountered on our trip. Not to
mention, another example of how every little detail of something has a
story behind it.
Amongst
the 15 churches that we visited during our three week trip, the
Cathedral Metropolitana was a favorite for all three of us. On
Sunday we attended mass here, and while it was beautiful, we don't
think we understood any of it.
For our first weekend we traveled to Mazamitlan, which was a smaller city outside of Guadalajara. This view shows the city streets that wove throughout the city.
This
was Mike's favorite fountain in Guadalajara. Located in the city
centro this fountain, Fuente de los Ninos, carries legends that portray
the history of Guadalajara. 
Panteon de Berlin. The only day we traveled together we went to the cemetery in Guadalajara and heard different legends that surrounded the tombs there. Just in case you were wondering, it is said that Dracula is buried here.
A day at the zoo..
Mas
suave!! Claire offered Dany, one of the teachers from the trip, a
massage and apparently while she enjoyed it, Dany didn't find it all
that much fun!
Our
first week there we were able to attend a real mariachi performance.
This was the best part of the trip for us and we even got to see
two of our teachers dance, which was amazing! Their music was
great and the dancing was incredible to watch.
The final night in Guadalajara we got to show off our dancing and singing skills, or lack of anyway! It was a great way to end our trip and we know that our families enjoyed it as well.
Our
first week there we were able to attend a real mariachi performance.
This was the best part of the trip for us and we even got to see
two of our teachers dance, which was amazing! Their music was
great and the dancing was incredible to watch.The final night in Guadalajara we got to show off our dancing and singing skills, or lack of anyway! It was a great way to end our trip and we know that our families enjoyed it as well.
Finally we would like to say thanks to everyone who was involved in making our trip amazing. If you want to learn more about the trip, we would be happy to talk with you in English or Spanish!
Claire Mills - rmills@franklincollege.edu
Megan Gushwa - mgushwa@franklincollege.edu
Mike Lapota - mlapota@franklincollege.edu