Arriving in January, I had some loose ideas of what I wanted to get out of studying abroad: improved Spanish speaking skills, more confidence in my abilities and a clearer sense of what I want to do after college. Though maybe not in the way I would have foreseen, I think I accomplished each one of these goals in my own unique way and will continue to work towards bettering myself over the two additional months I have been fortunate enough to add to my trip.
The primary goal I had coming to Mexico was to perfect my Spanish. Although I have studied the language since high school and had a good grasp of it thanks to living in culturally-rich Houston, I still had a lot of fear concerning my speaking abilities, especially in front of native speakers. Going to a Spanish-speaking country meant that I needed to push myself beyond my comfort zone to be able to flourish. Although my confidence still waivers from time to time, I have accomplished so much through pushing myself to speak in my second language even if I'm unsure of myself. I successfully completed my internship in an entirely Spanish-speaking office, doing well enough that my boss told me I gave him a better impression of los gringos.Pages
