A whole semester in the heart of Mexico, 1.5 hours from Mexico city in the historic city of Queretaro, where do I even begin. Fall semester at Tecnologico de Monterrey was everything I hoped for and more. The delicious food, the beautiful cultures, the historic architecture, the people! Nothing could top this experience. Four months spent in at the Tec (Tecnologico de Monterrey) was an experience I’ll never forget. It was the first time I had food from an authentic taco truck, the place where I decided to become vegetarian, the place where I made so many friends, learned to dance authentic Latino dances, perform fascinating research and most importantly, the place I will forever call my second home.
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ClassesWhile at Tec, I took some of the hardest classes that I have ever took, but learned more than I had ever learned in such a short time frame. At first it was overwhelming, but as an honors student, I like to think that I have been trained to adapt quickly to the most difficult of situations. The classes I took consisted of Spanish Communication III, Mexico Culture, Genetic Engineering + lab, and Tissue Engineering + lab. As difficult as these courses were, them being in full Spanish did not make them any easier. In my previous Spanish courses, we learned science terms, but not at near the level that was being spoken in these courses. With the most amazing professors whom would help me outside of class and my work ethic, I was able to persevere past this initial barrier. |
Extracurricular ActivitiesIn my spare time (the little that I had) I joined a Latino dance class and learned to dance the Bachatta and Salsa and a few others. I got really into running and exploring the city, it became a habit to run to this nearby park and use their outdoor gym (they’re all over!) to workout; I also got really into parkour, which is basically gymnastics outdoors. I enjoyed spending time with friends and travelling to beautiful places; and I really enjoyed having time to further my guitar skills. This experience was life-changing. I learned more in 4 months, than I have ever learned in that time frame. I became more fluent in Spanish, extended my knowledge on the several cultures of Mexico, and became a more inclined researcher. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. My heart lies in Mexico!
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Research
In addition to the heavy course load I was taking, I made acquaintances with my professors in Genetic Engineering and Tissue Culture and joined their research projects. In the genetic engineering lab, I worked to map the genome of Hyptis suaveolans and identify e-satellite markers that would allow for us to perform a cross genera analysis of the Lamiaceae family so that we could identify other species with similar medicinal properties. In the Tissue Culture lab I worked with Dr. Ashutosh Sharma to make a database of plants that produced properties to fight the gastrointestinal bacteria Helicobacter pylori, we then organized the data into tables to identify correlations in the properties of the plants that will be used in a literature review. I also learned how to perform tissue culture on plant species. This process was actually very difficult and time-consuming. I worked to subculture the plant Galphimia glauca, unfortunately we received a bad batch of seeds and the roots were unable to grow; the shoot and leaves were the only portion that grew. Unfortunately with my short time in Mexico, I was unable to complete this experience. I learned so much from this experience though. |