Immersion in Culture & Language in Guadalajara, Mexico 2009 Brittany Beyer and Joe Hall    This winter term experience allowed us to get out of the classroom and onto the busy streets of Guadalajara, Mexico.  Everyday we learned more about the culture and language from our own personal Mexican "maestro."  We  learned the language as it is spoken on the streets.    This statue represents the coat of arms of Guadalajara. It's found in various places throughout the city.     This is a group picture of the "maestros". Every day we were paired up with a different "maestro" to take us around the city.    For one of our weekend trips we visited Puerto Vallarta. We got to sit around and relax by the pool in our all-inclusive hotel. While we were there, the hotel provided nightly festivities including a fiesta on the beach, a light show, and karaoking.

Our two families lived next door to each other; so we were like one big family. Every night we would play cards, watch movies, or go out to different places. The picture to the left was taken at the final party after our tradicional mexican performance. The picture on the right was taken after our oral presentations.

Every Monday, we had art classes over music, dance, and cultural crafts. In this picture, we are singing  "Mananitas", the Mexican equivalent of "Happy Birthday".  Vero is playing guitar as Adam, Amy, and Breanna sing.

After all our hard work, we got to relax and demonstrate all that we had learned. We also had a pinata to take out all our frustration on. In this picture Professor Dan Alsop  is attempting to break open the pinata.

Guadalajara, Mexico is a beautiful city. We had a great time, and a wonderful experience. Our Spanish improved, and we cannot wait to return! In the words of our mothers, "Ok, thank you, bye."