Written By: Nick Roark

Ball State University’s BSU-in program offered its first study abroad opportunity in Puebla, Mexico. Dr. Stephen Hessel, an associate professor of Spanish, describes the semester in Mexico as BSU-in’s ‘maiden voyage.’

BSU-in is a new study abroad program where students live and are immersed in another culture through a study abroad experience in a semester – but at the same cost as a traditional semester at Ball State University.

Recently, students attended Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP) in Mexico and took Ball State courses with professors who traveled with them. Some students directly enrolled in UDLAP classes, where Spanish was the primary language spoken.

Matilde Ibarra, a sophomore computer science student, was one of the 24 students who studied abroad in Puebla. He studied abroad to truly learn Spanish and better connect with his family, who are fluent Spanish speakers.

Ibarra said his first two weeks abroad were very tough. Even with seven years of experience in Spanish, he struggled with understanding what people were saying.

 “It was easier because I had roommates in the program who were new to it too, but it was still frustrating at first to be limited in what I could do.”

For example, he described the inconvenience of not being a native speaker when dining out at restruants in Mexico, where it is expected that the customer will ask for what they need, such as checks or refills.

“I was really obsessed with the idea of language acquisition,” Ibarra said. On the trip, he learned how to hold hour-long conversations in Spanish with strangers.

A typical day in Puebla was much like one at Ball State. Students attended classes in the morning, got lunch in the university’s cafeteria, did homework in a cafe, and then hung out with their friends and explored the city.

Gem Sambugaro, a sophomore zoology and pre-veterinary major, enjoyed UDLAP’s cafeteria were there were salads, healthy sides, soups, juices without sugar, and other delicious options.

“I felt I was becoming a healthier person while I was there, so when I came back I was a bit sad,” Sambugaro said, “Everyone was so friendly and really brought me out of my shell.”

Sambugaro enjoyed doing homework outside on UDLAP’s beautiful campus. The weather was always warm, and they had a beautiful zen garden for students to quietly study in. Sambugaro had also traveled to Japan before, and noticed the difference between the outgoing culture of Mexico that allowed them to take up more space, compared to the reserved and polite culture of Japan.

Ibarra attempted to directly enroll in a UDLAP course, but it didn’t fit into his schedule. He also took classes with some Ball State faculty like Dr. Obed Frausto Gautica, Dr. Jean Marie Place, and Dr. Stephen Hessel.

Dr. Hessel spent five weeks in Puebla teaching a class to Ball State students approaching Mexican cuisine as a cultural artifact or phenomenon. For the class, they visited an indigenous farm that prepared food the way it was done in pre-colonial times. Ibarra learned about the entire creation of mezcal, a distilled alcoholic beverage made from agaves, which is a very popular drink in the Puebla area.

During the students’ three-day excursion to Mexico City, they immersed themselves in Mexican culture by watching lucha libre shows, visiting the Xochimilco ecological park, and experiencing the busy nightlife.

Ibarra was stunned by the ancient ruins in and around Mexico City, “I’m not going to go to New York City and see ancient ruins of an old civilization that used to be us. There’s so much history that’s a part of Mexico’s identity.”

Sambugaro also visited Indigenous high schools where they teach differently than other Mexican institutions. “They emphasize collaboration with nature. They find trees very important,” they said. They also learned how the schools teach their students about business by giving them chickens to care for and make money from by selling the chickens’ eggs.

“Next year, in the fall, they’re going to South Korea,” Dr. Hessel said. Students will study at Konkuk University and have field trips to the Royal Palace and the City of Bosun. Students can apply at Ball State’s Study Abroad page. Hessel said that even if you haven’t studied a language, these opportunities are very accessible.

“Studying abroad is a great way for people to open their perspectives and their ability to think about things,” Dr. Hessel said, “The lessons people get from traveling outside of the country will stick with them and enrich their lives.”

Read more about Ball State’s Modern Languages and Classics Department.