France | Visiting the Immigration Museum

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By Jason Vu

A major theme discussed throughout our program was the issue of immigration in France. While we may often think of France as being a homogenous state, the reality is that France is incredibly diverse! To learn more about the country’s diverse population, our class went on an excursion to the “Cite nationale de l’histoire de l’immigration” (National Museum of Immigration History) at Palais de la Porte Dorée.

Entrance to the Cite nationale de l’histoire de l’immigration

 

Founded in April 2007, this mueum tells the story of how people from around the world established communities in France and the history behind their migration. This site was especially interesting for me because there was no other place in Paris that talked about immigration. Plenty of museums were about Asian and African history, but only this one talked about how these populations ended up in France.

 

Our class met up in the afternoon and began our visit with a brief lecture by Prof. Behdad. Speaking on the history of the museum, Prof. Behdad encouraged us to focus on key exhibits that caught our interest and note them for our post-visit discussion. With only a limited amount of time, we quickly made our way to begin the visit.

Prof. Behdad gives an introductory lecture on the Museum before we explore.

 

The first exhibit introduced us to France’s long history of cultural encounter and colonization with other parts of the world. On the way to the main exhibits, I noticed a mural depicting some of these relations through trade with what looked like Vietnames merchants. This caught my attention since I could see a part of my own heritage intersecting with the reality of French history. In some ways, this museum would show me a little more about my own identity as well.

Part of the Forum Frescoes depicting colonial interactions between France and Vietnam.

 

While exploring, I was struck by one part of the museum titled “Diversity”. The exhibit showcased all kinds of cultural objects that looked like they were from all over the world. In reality, however, these items came from local communities around Paris. Featured items included Japanese masks, red lanterns, and African statues, all of which could be found around the streets of Paris, including in Chinatown.

A small portion of the “Diversity” exhibit.

 

The last part of the exhibits I could make it to was a temporary exhibition titled “Paris-London: Music Migrations”. The theme of the exhibition was not only how music had been changed in recent decades due to immigration, but also how that music was used to convey political messages as well. Influential songs were played through headphones alongside videos of the protests where they were performed. At the top of the exhibit were banners that said “HATE RACISM LOVE MUSIC”. These sights really caught my attention and brought to mind the Civil Rights Movement in the US. Far from being a solely American phenomena, this exhibit showed me that the fight for equity and justice was something truly global, making it very important to my studies in the program.

Temporary exhibition titled “Paris-London: Music Migrations”.

We concluded our visit with a discussion facilitated by our TA Mariam. It was great listening to everyone share what they thought was interesting about the Museum and getting responses to my own observations. If you’re ever in Paris, I’d highly recommend going to this museum! It may be a little out of the way, but there truly is no place like it in the entire city.

Jason studied abroad in France in Summer 2019. https://ieo.ucla.edu/travelstudy/GlobalStudies-France/

France | Jardin d’Agronomie Tropicale

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By Jason Vu

 

On the outskirts of Paris to the east of the Bois de Vincennes lies the Jardin d’Agronomie Tropicale (“Garden of Tropical Agriculture”), a historic park dating back to the early 20th century. Rather than the traditional fountains and marble sculptures of Paris’s many other gardens, however, this garden featured Asian and African cultural pieces such as shrines and gateways. It’s not often talked about as a place to visit in the city, but that only made me more determined to go and check it out.

A Chinese gateway greets visitors to the park.

 

Since classes for my program began late in the afternoon, I decided to go on an adventure on my own to learn more about this hidden garden. Taking the metro there, I eventually arrived in Nogent-sur-Marne, the eastern suburb of Paris where the garden was located. After a brief walk from the metro station, I arrived at the garden and was greeted by a large Chinese gateway.

 

Coming from a large Asian community in California, the gateway reminded me of many others I had seen back home, but this gateway in Paris was different. Rather than the bright red of traditional gateways, this one seemed faded and worn over time. It gave me the sense that this gateway, as well as the park, was more of a historical site than a place in active use today. The overgrown bushes and lack of many visitors reinforced my assumption.

Courtyard with ceremonial incense burner enclosed by Asian-style wall

 

Wandering the garden, I soon found panels that helped document the history of the park, albeit only in French. Using my limited reading knowledge in French, I was able to make out that the park was originally the site of France’s 1907 colonial exhibition. The cultural pieces that were spread across the park were originally taken from different parts of the French empire to showcase the “glory of France”. After the exhibition, the park eventually fell into decline with a lack of upkeep until 2006 when the city of Paris reopened the park.

Maison Cochinchinoise, dedicated to Indochinese soldiers who fought for France.

 

Continuing through the park, I eventually found myself in front of a small temple-like structure that I later learned was dedicated to Indochinese soldiers who died in battle for France. The monument was small but once again, I was reminded of temples back home that were dedicated to deceased relatives and ancestors. I decided to rest near this shrine for a little while before continuing on my way.

The Indochina Pavillion

 

The last place I had a chance to stop at in the garden was a museum-like structure with the word “Indochine” at the very top. Signs nearby said that the building was originally an indoor exhibition of objects from around the Indochina region. Although the pavillion was now abandoned, I wandered around for a while before it was eventually time for me to head to class.

 

As I made my way back to the metro station, I continued to think about the old garden. Most tourist spots in Paris are often crowded and busy, but this place was special because of how calm and peaceful it was. Perhaps its location or its lack of notoriety keeps it so quiet, but in the midst of the busy city, it’s always nice to have a place to escape to for just a while.

Jason studied abroad in France in Summer 2019. https://ieo.ucla.edu/travelstudy/GlobalStudies-France/

France | Chocolate and Cheese Tour

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By Jason Vu

What’s one way of studying globalization in Paris? Why not a tour of some of the best chocolate and cheese shops in town?

 

After our first week of classes, Prof. Behdad announced that he would be leading an optional excursion on Saturday to local cheese and chocolate shops in Paris. At each store, we would have the chance to sample products (all covered by our program too!) and speak to a few of the workers.

Prof. Behdad gives an introductory lecture before we begin our tour

 

Before we began our cheese and chocolate tasting, however, Prof. Behdad made sure that we would learn something from this experience by starting our excursion with a lecture on chocolate’s relationship to globalization. In a short amount of time, Prof. Behdad discussed the history of chocolate as we know it and its relationship to colonization and technological advancement. Far from pure entertainment, our trip was meant to give us a direct and intentional experience of globalization as it was shaped by historical interactions. WIth an added layer of background, we were finally ready to head out to our first Parisian chocolatier.

 

After getting off the metro in the historic district of Paris known as Le Marais, we walked a bit through some old, windy roads to our first stop: Edwart Chocolatier. At the shop, we were greeted by the friendly owner who proceeded to add to what we learned from Prof. Behdad with a brief presentation of his own.

Storefront of Edwart Chocolatier, our first stop!

 

Once he finished his talk, we moved on to the tasting portion of our program. Rather than having us all sample the same chocolates, the owner decided to spice things up by choosing our individual samples based on how we each answered his questions. For example, he would ask where we were from, our preference for milk or dark chocolate, and whether or not we were adventurous. Based off my answers, I got a piece of chocolate that includes hints of mustard and wasabi, making it slightly spicy! I was surprised by the combination, but it was tasty all the same. After buying some chocolate to bring home, we headed out to our next chocolatier, Pierre Hermé.

Pierre Hermé’s ice cream display

 

Unlike Edwart Chocolatier, Pierre Hermé was much larger and had a variety of other sweets other than chocolate like ice cream, macarons, and other pastries. Our focus here, though, was trying the chocolates made in-house by their workers. Since our group was so large, we couldn’t sample the chocolates inside, so instead, Prof. Behdad picked up our order of chocolates and we sampled outside. The chocolates from this store tasted much more like traditional chocolate with the exception of some samples that had hints of fruits and nuts added in as well. Once we finished our samples at Pierre Hermé, we went to one other chocolate shop before heading to a fromagerie or “cheese shop”.

Some cheeses on display at the local Fromagerie

 

The fromagerie we were headed to was fortunately within walking distance of our last chocolate shop, and it wasn’t long before we arrived. As a big fan of cheese, I was overjoyed by the variety of cheeses in front of me. Brie, Gorgonzola, Camambert— these were all cheeses I was super excited to sample. While not as related to globalization as chocolate, cheese is an essential part of French culture that is a must on any trip.

Cheese tasting time!

Prof. Behdad picked up our plate of cheeses and within minutes, we found a cozy park to sit in and began sampling our vast assortment with some complimentary bread. Every kind of cheese we had was different from the others and tasty in its own way. By the end of our small meal, I was stuffed and happy. The cheese tasting marked the end of our tour and was my signal to take a long food nap!

Jason studied abroad in France in Summer 2019. https://ieo.ucla.edu/travelstudy/GlobalStudies-France/

France | Getting to Know the City

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By Jason Vu

After a good night’s rest in my cozy new dorm room, I woke up bright and early to join my class for our first meeting together. Over the next two days, we would be getting to know Paris and specifically the area around us. At 9am, our class met in our residence’s lobby and began to head out on our very first trip. Led by Prof. Ali Behdad and our TA Mariam Rahmani, we headed out to get to know our home for the coming weeks.

La Maison Internationale, the central building of Cite Universitaire

 

Our first stop was to the central part of our campus, La Maison Internationale (“The International House”). Constructed in the 1930’s, the House was the first building of our campus and housed the school’s cafeteria, theater, and other student services. Prof. Behdad shared a bit about the history of Cite Universitaire’s founding as a place where scholars from around the world could gather and share knowledge in a spirit of peace and unity. For our class, the House would serve as a central meeting point whenever we had excursions into the city.

Prof. Behdad talks to our class in Parc Montsouris

 

Next up, we walked about ten minutes over to Parc Montsouris, a public park across the street from campus. As we walked down the windy roads and enjoyed the beautiful nature around us, Prof. Behdad talked a little about the history of Paris and the way the city was organized. Cite Universitaire and Parc Montsouris were located in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, one of 20 neighborhoods that divide up the city. To find our way around, we would have to learn how to use Paris’s complex metro system, but thankfully our program came with metro passes that were unlimited all month. With reassurance that we would (eventually) be able to understand Parisian public transit, Prof. Behdad then led us to a nearby train station to head into the city.

Place de la Bastille, major turning point of the French Revolution

Now in the city, we arrived at our first landmark—La Place de la Bastille. A giant pillar stands where, in 1789, French revolutionaries stormed the infamous Bastille prison to free political prisoners and arm themselves for the Revolution. After taking in the site of this historical uprising, we made our way down the street to the ACCENT Paris Study Abroad Center, where our regular class meetings would be held.

Courtyard of the ACCENT Paris Study Abroad Center

 

Once we arrived at the Center, we listened to a detailed orientation from the Center’s director on how to get by and behave in Paris. Information such as how to read Parisian transit information and order in restaurants was all laid out for us in an easy-to-digest manner to ensure that we would have the best experience possible in Paris. After the presentation, we had the rest of the daytime to rest up and get ready for the evening’s events.

 

Once evening came, our class regrouped for a quick picnic followed by a boat ride on the Seine river. As the central body of water in Paris, the Seine flows by some of the major landmarks of the city such as Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, making a boat ride on it an easy way of getting a preview of all the City of Lights has to offer. For me, one of the best things about this boat ride was noting all the locations I would have the chance to go to in the next month. There was a lot to see, but I was determined to see it all!

Jason studied abroad in France in Summer 2019. https://ieo.ucla.edu/travelstudy/GlobalStudies-France/

France | Arriving in Paris

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By Jason Vu

Here it is! After over a week of packing and goodbyes to family and friends, the day was finally here. In around fourteen hours, I would land in Paris where I would be living and studying for the next month. I remember feeling a bit nervous waking up on July 29th with my flight only a few hours away, but more than anything else I was excited. This would be my first time abroad for an extended period of time without family, so I was determined to make the most of this trip. At 1:40pm, after saying one last goodbye to my parents and clearing security, I boarded my plane and within moments I was off.

Nineteen hours later (flight delays…what can you expect), I was at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France. Once I cleared passport control, I made my way to baggage claim to gather my belongings, but after almost half an hour, my checked bag didn’t come out. Confused, I went to the customer assistance desk to ask about my bag, and it turned out that my bag, along with the bags of a third of my flight, had been left behind during our layover in Dallas. We’d get our luggage back within three days, but that still didn’t help my initial anxiety for this trip. Nevertheless, I grabbed the things I did have (good thing I had my carryon bags!) and made my way to the RER train towards Cite Universitaire.

I got to the university in the evening and immediately found myself having to find my way around a new campus environment. As the international university of Paris, the university was divided into separate “maisons” that represented the various nationalities represented on campus such as Belgium, Morocco, and India. The “maison” I’d be staying at was the “Maison du Portugal – André de Gouveia,” dedicated to the great 16th century Portuguese humanist of the Renaissance.

 

Located at the southernmost part of the university campus, the Maison du Portugal follows a more modern design compared to some of the other residences surrounding us. It was a bit of a walk from the train station, but I was eventually able to check in at the front desk and make my way to my dorm room.

Room 421—my single-bed dorm room (post-nap)

 

After a light nap and settling in, I finally had the energy to get in touch with my friend on the program to grab some dinner that evening. She reached out to another friend on our program, and the three of us were soon on our way to have our very first meal in Paris together!

 

In a rush of adventurous energy, we decided not to use our phones to find a restaurant and wander around the neighborhood instead. Luckily, our university was located right next to the 13th arrondissement of Paris, which is known for being home to the city’s own Chinatown. As a result, we eventually found the “Imperial Choisy,” a Michelin-ranked Chinese restaurant only 15 minutes away by walking. We sat down, ordered a few dishes, and celebrated our first night in Paris.

Our meal for the evening: Mapo Tofu, Steamed Chinese Vegetables, and Sichuan Chicken

Stuffed with one of the best meals of our whole trip, we got back to the Maison du Portugal at right about sunset (keep in mind, sunset in Paris was after 9pm). Back in my room, I took a look out of my window facing campus and was met with one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen (picture below). In the last moments of the day, I thought back to my earlier ordeals with flight delays and lost baggage and realized just how small they were compared to one thing—I made it! Months of preparation and paperwork had gone into this moment, making sure I’d get to Paris safe and sound with everything I needed for the next month. And now, I was determined to make the most of it.

Jason studied abroad in France in Summer 2019. https://ieo.ucla.edu/travelstudy/GlobalStudies-France/

Mexico | Benefits of a Homestay

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By Andrea Zheng

I always knew that I wanted to study abroad during my time in college, I just never knew where it would be. After picking up a Spanish minor, it seemed a logical choice to take some upper division Spanish classes abroad. I had always heard good things about the Spain program where you get to visit Barcelona, Madrid, and Granada, so I attended an info session to learn more about the program. 

It was there that I learned about the Merida program. While I was interested in the Spain program because I would have classes in three different cities (and come on, who wouldn’t want to go study in Europe), as soon as I heard that the Merida program had a homestay component to the program, I was sold.

Don’t get me wrong, I was very apprehensive about a homestay, because my Spanish isn’t at the level where I can comprehend and respond Spanish without doing a quick translation in my head and planning (to some extent) what I want to say. However, I believe that there is no better way to fully immerse myself into the culture and improve my Spanish than putting myself in a situation where I would have ample opportunity to practice the language.

Instead of staying in a local hotel, we were each put in a house of a local mamá, in groups of normally two or three. Having others in the house really helped because when I didn’t know what my mama was saying, my roommate was able to help translate and I also had a study buddy just across the hall.

The BIGGEST plus of the homestay was my beyond incredible mamá. From the second I got off the plane, she insisted that I call her “mamá” and in return she always called me “hija” or “child” in Spanish. And that’s how it felt during my time there, as if she was my mom there for a month. I could easily talk to her about anything and everything, from help with school work to what I want to do in the future.

I remember once, we had to do a presentation on Yucatan food in class and wanted to make a traditional dish. Our mama sat with us and brainstormed dishes and once we decided on one, she dictated the recipe to us as we prepared the food. This is just one of the examples of how willing she was to take time out of her day to both spend time with us and help with anything we needed.

Being in an environment where my mamá only spoke to me in Spanish and I in turn responded in Spanish forced me out of my comfort zone. But even though I would sometimes say things incorrectly (and I thank my mamá for only minimally laughing at me when I mixed up words) my confidence in my own ability to speak grew tremendously.

At the beginning of the trip, I would mostly just respond with “si” and the conversation would end there, but by the end of the trip, I was willing to ask follow-up questions or elaborate on answers given. I truly don’t think that my Spanish would have improved as much as it did if I hadn’t done a homestay program where I was constantly surrounded by the opportunity to converse with others in Spanish.

I could never thank my mama enough for how much she made Merida feel like home for me on this trip and having the experience that I did, I can’t imagine doing a study abroad trip that isn’t a homestay program.

Andrea Zheng studied abroad in Merida in Summer 2019. https://ieo.ucla.edu/travelstudy/Span-Mexico/

Mexico | Idea of Convivencia

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By Andrea Zheng

The idea of convivencia is something that I learned both in and out of the classroom. Inside the classroom, I learned that the idea has roots in the bull fighting plazas that were typical in Spain. In these plazas, a bull fighter and a bull would be engaged in a dance for all the town to watch. Because everyone is in the same place, at the same time, experiencing the same phenomenon, this is an example of convivencia, the idea of joining together as one to live in the company of others.  

This idea is incredibly important in Mexico and is reflected in the emphasis that the city puts towards holding events that allow the public to engage in convivencia. There are many examples of this simply and beautiful idea of in Merida and I was lucky enough to experience most of them in my time there.

Merida in Domingo

Merida in Domingo is an event that is held every Sunday in the Plaza Grande of downtown Merida. During this event, there are many little vendors that are selling a variety of artisans, from Aztec masks to handmade dresses. It’s an amazing market that brings the town together to spend the morning meandering between vendors, haggling prices down and laughing and talking with friends. 

There are also dance groups performing which offer an opportunity to sit down and enjoy the show, as well as food stands around the perimeter to provide a snack when needed. This was one of my favorite events in Merida because you got to see people of all ages coming together with the simple mission of spending time with one another.

Events put on during the week

Every day in Merida, there is a different event that is put on by the city. For example, Monday nights, the event is named La Vaqueria, which is a performance of traditional folkloric dances. One of the best dances is when they dance with a beer bottle on their head, balancing this while gliding across the stones of the Plaza Grande. For someone with two left feet, watching this mind-blowing. The fact that these performers are willing to share this passion to unify the public perfectly demonstrates the idea of convivencia to me.

The other days of the week, there are light shows of the history of Mexico projected onto a building, re-enactments of the ancient ball game where players hit a ball into the hoop using only their hips, and bike rides down the famous Paseo Montejo. The fact that something is organized by the city every day shows the importance that the city places on events that bring the public together to enjoy a common experience.

Meals with our mamá

When our amazing mamá made us meals, she would often sit with us regardless of whether or not she had eaten already. This was because she wanted to interact with us, asking about our days and filling us in on how she was doing.

I would see this also when our mamá invited her family over to her house. When it came time for food, the conversations would continue long past when the food was finished. This really showed me the importance of quality time with loved ones and demonstrated the importance of family and a support system to people in Mexico.

I chose to write about convivencia because it’s one of the most important things I learned while in Merida. Sometimes people can get so caught up in their busy lives that they forget the small things like checking in with friends or having a meal where the phone is off and all the attention is on dedicating time to spend with others. I find myself guilty of this at times, but being able to experience convivencia in Merida reminded me that I need to make time to spend with those that I love because nothing can replace those in-person interactions.

Andrea Zheng studied abroad in Merida in Summer 2019. https://ieo.ucla.edu/travelstudy/Span-Mexico/

Mexico | Did Someone Say Food

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By Andrea Zheng

Not going to lie, this is one of the things that I was looking forward to the most during this trip. As a big fan of Mexican food (and just food in general) I was excited to try anything and everything that the Yucatan peninsula had to offer. Because this was a homestay program, a lot of the meals that I ate during this month were made by my host mamá.

For breakfast, there were classic dishes like chilaquilas, crepes, or fruit. Our mama would also prepare a pitcher of juice for my roommates and a cup of coffee for me.

One interesting thing about Mexico is that lunch is their “heavy” meal, meaning that this is when people will typically eat the most food. This is in contrast to the US, where dinner is the heaviest meal with the most food. With so much to eat for lunch, dinner is relatively light, meaning some empanadas, toast with Nutella or jam, or something like that.

There are a few dishes that are special to the Yucatan peninsula and below are two examples, one that our mamá cooked for us and one that we prepared ourselves.  

Cochinita Pibil

Cochinita pibil or “small pig under the ground” is a dish that is typically eaten on Sundays in the Yucatan peninsula. It gets its name because the Mayans would cook the meat in a small hole in the ground, placing a pot over a fire and then covering it with earth to give the meat inside a smoky flavor. The meat is then used as the protein for a variety of different dishes, like tacos or panuchos.  

Panuchos

One of the days during class, we got to take a cooking class in the kitchen at our school. They showed us a variety of food that was typical to the Yucatan peninsula and then we made a dish called Panuchos.

Panuchos have a base of a deep-fried tortilla that is stuffed with a black bean paste and then topped with meat and any other toppings desired. To make these, we took a prepared dough ball and formed the traditional tortilla shape and thickness using a tortilla press. We then put this tortilla into a vat of oil, allowing the tortilla to puff up on both sides before taking it out to cool. We then topped off our creation with guacamole, pickled onion, and salsa.

The only downside that I found with food in Merida is that they don’t use a lot of vegetables in their dishes. As someone who is VERY accustomed to having at least one veggie option, if not the whole meal veggie, this was definitely an adjustment that I had to make in my diet. But there was a Walmart close by if I ever needed groceries and I could always snack on frozen mangoes (HIGHLY recommend).

When eating out, I definitely found the food to be a lot cheaper than I was used to here. One of my favorites was a little taco stand down the street that had amazing al pastor tacos for around 10 pesos, which converts to around 50 cents. Needless to say, lots of tacos were consumed during this trip.

Click HERE to see a gallery of the different types of food that I had during my time in Merida. This isn’t a comprehensive album of the food, as some dishes were consumed before I even remembered to take a picture (whoops).

Andrea Zheng studied abroad in Merida in Summer 2019. https://ieo.ucla.edu/travelstudy/Span-Mexico/

Mexico | A (Sea)Weed Infestation

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By Andrea Zheng

This past week we drove out to the other coast of the Yucatan Peninsula to go to Xcaret, Puerto Aventuras, and Tulum.

Xcaret is basically a giant water amusement park/wildlife sanctuary. They have everything from a lazy river to a manatee habit to a beach to lay out on. It was impossible to do everything in the park, so we first went down the lazy river (which was extra lazy due to the large hordes of people in there) and then walked through some animal exhibits to see butterflies, birds of prey, among others.

There was a lunch buffet included and let me tell you, that lunch buffet was INSANELY good, with all you can drink horchata and enough ceviche to fill you for days. After that, we decided to go hang out in some hammocks (no pun intended) to allow the food coma to pass over.

When night hit and the park cleared, we made our way over to the show that the park puts on. It started off with some of the history of Mexico and then went into dances and music from different regions in Mexico. It was amazing to see the distinctly different styles from each part of Mexico, with each dance group coming out to cheers from the audience that was from each respective region.

Because it took around 4 hours to get to the other side of the peninsula, we stayed on that side for the weekend, with each pair of two getting a hotel room in Puerto Aventuras. The next day was free time in that same city, exploring the small resort town, but mainly laying out on the beach (you seeing a theme here?).

The final day was spent in Tulum, an ancient Mayan port. This was potentially one of the hottest days of our whole trip and with no shade coverage, we were all drenched in sweat by the time our walking tour was over. Normally, an easy solution for this would be to jump into the bright blue beautiful water that Tulum is known for, but that wasn’t the case today.

Quintana Roo, the state of Mexico that houses Tulum as well as cities like Playa del Carmen and Cancun, has been experiencing a seaweed problem this year. Once pristine beaches with clear water are now being overtaken by rotten egg smelling seaweed, ruling out any trip that I would have wanted to make to the beach. Instead I downed a water bottle and reapplied sunscreen for the hundredth time.

All of our cultural excursions have shown us that the Yucatan Peninsula is a mix of the past with the present, with ancient ruins mixed in with modernized cities. It was amazing to learn about the history of Mexico in a class setting and then be able to go to the actual sites and see real life examples of things we were discussing in class just days before.

This was our final weekend in Merida and I’m honestly not ready to leave yet (or to take this final next week). Next time I write I’ll be back in the US, so for now, adios from Mexico! 

Andrea Zheng studied abroad in Merida in Summer 2019. https://ieo.ucla.edu/travelstudy/Span-Mexico/

Mexico | A Weekend Getaway

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By Andrea Zheng

Hey guys! This past weekend, we had our free weekend during this program where we didn’t have any cultural excursions planned, meaning we had lots of free time to explore Mexico. As long as you let your teacher know where you are planning to go, you are free to go anywhere you want, as long as you can get back in time for class on Monday.

A group of my classmates and I decided to go to Playa del Carmen for the weekend, because you can never have too many beaches. We talked to our mamá about it beforehand because she wanted to help with the logistics of the trip and had lots of advice to give based on past experiences. There are only a few things that you need to plan in order to be able to organize a trip like this.

First, we had to get a bus ticket. The bus company ADO has travel buses that leave from various stops around Merida with a variety of different destinations around Mexico. Next, we booked an Airbnb that could accommodate 12 people because it’s MUCH cheaper than staying at a resort. After that, we just had to coordinate with everyone to make sure they knew the logistics of the trip. And that’s pretty much it!

Before we got on the bus, we had to get some snacks (because what’s a road trip without snacks). The bus ride was around 5 hours so by the time we got there, it was already night time, so we made our way to the Airbnb (after getting even more food).

When we booked our Airbnb, we thought it was a house with 8 rooms and 12 beds, but it ended up being an entire apartment complex that had 8 separate rooms, each with a kitchen, bedroom, and different bed setup. No complaints here.

The next day, a couple of us got up and made a little breakfast buffet, with breakfast tacos, fruit, and juice. This is a reason I liked the Airbnb setup because it gave us the freedom to make whatever food we wanted instead of hunting for a place to eat. After grabbing some food, what else was there to do but go to the beach! 

Besides the usual laying out, there were different aquatic activities you can do, like parasailing and snorkeling, or you can do what I did and just rent a beach chair and umbrella and get in some tanning time.

The rest of the day we were able to explore Playa del Carmen, walking down Avenue 5, which is a street filled with shops and restaurants, and hang out in the pool at the Airbnb. The next day we cleaned up the Airbnb and headed back on the same bus we came on.

This free weekend gave us an amazing opportunity to explore a part of Mexico that we didn’t get to see during the cultural excursions. I would definitely recommend planning a trip during the free weekend; just make sure that you get the logistics done ahead of time so you aren’t scrambling to organize a trip at the last second. Places that other people visited this weekend were Tulum, Cozumel, and Progreso, which are all great options to look into as well.

Now to get back to the real world and get ready for class tomorrow. Check back for updates after this week’s excursions!

Andrea Zheng studied abroad in Merida in Summer 2019. https://ieo.ucla.edu/travelstudy/Span-Mexico/