I am counting down the weeks, this week I only have three more weeks until I leave Monterrey, Mexico. I tell you time does fly by when you are having fun. I am not going to lie; I cannot wait to go home because I miss my friends and family. I recently discovered that I have been gone from home for three months!
In my past journals, I mentioned that I wanted to see a lucha libre event. I and other students from the Tec went to a Lucha Libre event. Lucha Libre is professional wrestling. In the United States, I am a huge fan of World Wrestling Event professional wrestling and I knew a little about Lucha Libre, so I was very excited. It was great to compare the wrestling styles in Mexico to wrestling styles in the United States. The wrestlers interact more with the audience then in the United States. The children were allowed to play inside the ring before the wrestlers came into the ring. That would never occur in the United States because the company would be scared of lawsuits. There were dance performances and a charity event for a boy who is paraplegic. I find it interesting that when the WWE holds a charity event it is very much “publicize”. However, in Mexico it more private, in fact we were not aware that there was going to be a charity event. Many of the wrestlers wore the traditional Mexican wrestling masks. I found it interesting that in the United States, there are female wrestlers but in Mexico, there are no female wrestlers, there were female sidekicks but they do not wrestle. It was fun to watch. I enjoyed myself immensely.
On Monday, MTV Espanol is coming to the Planetario Alfa; I will not be there because I have my final tutoring session. However, my advisor Nelly told me that they would be returning so I hope I will get a chance to meet the crew of MTV espanol.
This week I finished my tutoring sessions with Paty. As I have mentioned before in my previous journals I wish that I could have spent more time with Paty because we did not even scratch the surface. Nevertheless, I have learned new phrases and words in espanol. I had the wonderful pleasure of working with her, she really took her time and helped me understand and learn espanol.
This week my advisor from The Washington Center Luisa Solarte was able to visit Monterrey, Mexico again. She was able to do a site visit at Planetario Alfa. Luisa met with Christina my boss from Planetario Alfa and the meeting went well. I found out that my boss Christina; son was also part of The Washington Center program. I hope that in the future there will be more interns from The Washington Center interning at Planetario Alfa. Planetario Alfa is a wonderful place to intern at because of the people and the opportunities the Planetario offers.
This week I met with Yvette, the web designer for the Planetario Alfa website. She wants me to look at the website and make some suggestions to her and her design team. I will have another opportunity to work with Yvette. She wants me to assist with her and her design team with the English version of the Planetario Alfa webpage. I personally want to talk to Yvette and ask her questions about being in the web design field, what are challenges she face having her own web design company, what are the perks of owning her own web design company. I am so thrilled. I feel so lucky about being able to work at Planetario Alfa.
“All good things must come to an end”. I can not believe that two and a half months have gone passed. It still has not hit me that I spent two months in Monterrey, Mexico. I have mixed emotions about this last journal. I am happy because I do not have to worry about typing and turning in a journal and I am sad because this is the end of my journey here in Monterrey. In my finally journal I am going to discuss my final analysis of the city Monterrey and my time working at Planetario Alfa.
When you mix Europe, United States and Mexico together you get the city of Monterrey. It is so funny to see little European cars riding among huge General Motors SUV’s and trucks. As I mentioned before I was shocked to see all the American Restaurants and stores in Monterrey. The restaurants that I went to in Monterrey, I noticed that the serving dishes were the traditional European square or rectangular plates. However, with the US and European influences Monterrey still holds true to Mexican traditions and culture. In Mexico, the country has a strong sense of “community”, looking out for your friends and families. That is evident everywhere you go in Mexico. There are many family owned restaurants and shops. It is very prevalent in the business and politics world. Talking to my roommate Katie, she told me that the majority of the people working at her job are in that position because of a friend or family member. I do not think that the same is true at Planetario Alfa. I noticed that in Monterrey, everyone has a job or two, including children. If the children are not in school they are working with there parents or at Soriana. It is not strange for someone to have three or two jobs here. My advisor Jorge Cornel has three jobs; the bus driver at Planetario Alfa also owns his own taxi, so when he is not driving the bus for Planetario Alfa he is driving his taxi and other people I have met since my stay here have more told me that they have more than one job. Everyone is out trying to get there next peso. There is a term in the United States for people who work more than one job; the term is “Go Getta”. Everyone in Monterrey is a “Go Getta”. Monterrey is a very rich city; I have never seen a Lamborghini dealership until I came to Monterrey. I will say that there is a huge gap between the rich and poor in Monterrey.
I love the fact that when I am walking around in Downtown Monterrey, I am surrounded by couples young and old being romantic with each other. It seems to me that no matter how busy the people here get, they still make time to spend with their special someone or family. Latinos are very warm and friendly. When you are greeted, they greet you with a kiss on the check. I hate to admit this but in the United States we can be cold and unfriendly. If I went back to the US and started greeting everyone that I met with a peck on the check, people would look at me crazy, try to sue me for harassment or shoot me. I do not know if it is part of the culture but I have a sense that the people in Monterrey are “free”. What I mean by that is that they are free from stress and they have a “whatever” type of attitude. In the United States everyone is stressed out or worried about bills, work and life. In America we do not know how to relax and take it easy, we are worrying about tomorrow problems today. In Monterrey, the people are always smiling and enjoying themselves. They enjoy today and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow or “mañana”. It was so refreshing to experience the different culture here in Monterrey.
I have truly enjoyed my time working at Planetario Alfa. I am sad because not only are the interns that I started with from The Tec are gone, but the other interns at Planetario Alfa are leaving, soon I will be leaving. I never thought that I would miss my co workers or the Planetario period, but I will. I have met so many wonderful people. It is so refreshing that the majority of the Executive positions at Planetario Alfa are filled by women; in fact the Director of Planetario Alfa is a woman. Talking about “Girl Power!” The United States is still slow with women equality in the workforce.
I will never forget the first day that I arrived at Planetario Alfa; I was invited to a birthday party. The staff at Planetario Alfa was so warm and welcoming to me. To be honest, they spoiled me there. In the United States, your boss tells you what to do and how to do it and when to do it. My supervisor here gave me my project and told me I could do it anyway I wanted to do it and to give her a deadline date. In fact, her exact words to me was; “Lindsy you have artistic freedom”. The Planetario is a wonderful place and has so much to offer for the people. It does not matter if you are rich or poor everyone is treated the same at Planetario Alfa. When you get done inside of the museum, you can go outside and visit two of the gardens or go to the pond to feed the ducks and birds. The Planetario is beautiful inside and out. It is funny because everyone that I met, I tell them to go visit Planetario Alfa. It is so peaceful and serene. When I got off of work in the evening I would love to see all the families laughing and enjoying themselves. Since I was working in the Public Relations office, I was able to attend some events at Planetario Alfa. I have gained an abundance of knowledge at Planetario Alfa. I learned about all the different levels and activities Planetario Alfa provide, I learned the basics of Public Relations, the most important thing that I learned was to not be afraid to voice my opinion and speak up for myself. Do not get me wrong all the days here were not always good at Planetario Alfa, but at the end of the day, the good days outweigh the bad days. I am very grateful for this wonderful opportunity.
I have met the finest people in the world; this will truly be an experience that I will never forget. I will always carry the city of Monterrey and the people in my heart. Who knows, I might return to Monterrey in the future. This will not be the last time you hear from Lindsy Marie Mosby.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Reflection
I cannot believe that I have been in Monterrey, Mexico for a month now; it feels like it was just yesterday that I arrived in Monterrey ordering my first authentic Mexican taco. I can remember my first taxi ride; I was petrified about how the taxi drivers drove. Now I am still petrified about how the taxi drivers drive in Mexico. However, I can honestly say that it takes special skills to drive the way the taxi drivers do in Mexico. I use to be scared and nervous about catching a taxi/bus but now I am confident about catching a taxi/bus. I have learned more Spanish since my stay in Monterrey, I know that I will not be speaking fluently before I leave but my level of Spanish has improved since my arrival here.
Before my arrival to Washington DC for the academic seminars, I was a soft-spoken, laid back, sheltered young woman. I was always surrounded by my family and friends. I was matured and had common sense but I never had to depend on myself for anything because I always had a family member or friend around to depend on. As soon as I checked in at the Congressional in DC, I had to fend for myself. I have an aunt that lives in DC but she could not help me because she was without a car. Therefore, I had to walk around the neighborhood and find a place for food, I had to keep a budget and learn where to buy a metro pass and how to catch the metro. I was not use to using public transportation and walking because in Cleveland, I drove or I got a ride from someone. I had to learn the different metro lines and I quickly improved my speed walking skills. While my stay in Washington DC, I feel in love with the city because of the people, the different cultures represented in the city and the history. I was so lucky to met the people I met in Washington, never in my wildest dreams would I ever thought that I would meet so many accomplished and successful people. You have to understand where I come from you are lucky if you met your local council members in person. I have perceived successful people as being arrogant and pretentious because of experiences I have had in the past. The people that I met were the total opposite; they were warm and welcoming. They really changed my views about successful people. I was able to met senators, lobbyists, government officials, CEO’s, negotiators, home town heroes, men and women who have left there mark or is leaving their mark in history. It was truly a blessing, honor and privilege to have met them.
Monterrey, Mexico is my first trip out of the United States. I was very nervous and excited about my trip to Monterrey. I was excited because I knew that I would be experiencing a different culture, and I was nervous because of my poor level of speaking Spanish. When I arrived, everyone I met was so warm and welcoming. In fact, on my first day at Planetario Alfa I was invited to a co-worker’s birthday party. It is amazing to me that I can hardly speak Spanish and the people that I meant can hardly speak English but they were so nice to me. We had an understanding. I was also shocked because when I arrived in Monterrey the city is very modernize, the city has the same stores that are in United States, and for example, Monterrey has a Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Popeye’s chicken and Biscuit. I was surprised that there is a large population of Mexicans that speak fluent English. That is good and bad for me. The good part is that I can communicate better; the bad part is I am not practicing my Spanish as much as I would like to. Tecnologico de Monterrey or the “Tec” is a wonderful institution. I learned that the “Tec” is equivalent to MIT in the United States! By staying at the “Tec”, I have met people from around the world. I have met people from France, Korea, and Spain and in different states from the United States.
I am currently interning at Planetario Alfa, my first days at Planetario went slow because my advisor was not aware of my educational background. Once I explained my area of expertise, my advisor immediately put me on a project dealing with Planetario Alfa webpage. Before, I was given a project, my advisor made myself and the other interns tour the planetario and learn about all the levels and attractions at Planetario Alfa. After days of learning and touring, we were given a test to take about the Planetarium and all the levels. First, I and the other interns were confused about having to take a test because we were not going to be at the Planetario long and we were only interns. However, learning about the Planetarium and taking a test was beneficial for us. Having to take the test, we retained the information that we learned and the information that we learned we were able to use it in our projects. Not to mention we gained an immense appreciation for Planetario Alfa. It is interesting because when I talk to my peers at the “Tec” I tell them all to go and visit Planetario Alfa while they are in Monterrey. So far, my days at Planetario Alfa have been exciting. I attended an event at Planetario Alfa; the event was for promoting tourism in Monterrey. It was such a great experience for me to see all the business people of Monterrey and at the event there were circus performers and dancers. The event was not formal at all it was very relaxed and casual. I have never attended a business event that magnitude before in my life. The business events that I have attended in the United States were professional, stuffy and boring. Mexicans work hard but they know how to relax and enjoy themselves.
The culture here in Mexico is different from in United States. In Mexico, they have a saying “Mañana” which means tomorrow translated in English it would mean “later”. Mexicans believe in taking there time and enjoying themselves. When you go to restaurants, clubs, or work it is a given that they are going to show up late. My first couple of days I was not use to this concept because in the United States, we believe in being punctual. I was not use to going to a restaurant and being there for two hours because the service is slow. I was not use to having an hour and half lunch break, in the United States my lunch break was for 30 minutes. In the United States we have phrases “Time is money and money is time”, “Time is of the essence”, “Don’t waste my time and I will not waste your time”. In the United States, we are serious and we rush for everything. In Washington DC every day, I would see crowds of people running/rushing to work In fact, in Washington DC I was one of the people rushing trying to get to where I had to go. In Mexico I have once to see someone rushing to work, I have not seen one person rushing to catch the bus or taxi, even when crossing the street nobody is in a rush. In Mexico the people are more relaxed and calm, the people truly do believe in taking there time and enjoying life. Last night my roommate and I were talking and I kept telling her I had to this, I have to do that, I am very busy. Then she looked at me and said, “Roomie you are such an American”. I asked her what she meant by that comment and she said, “Americans also keep themselves busy or always thinking about the next thing instead of just enjoying today.” I stood there for a moment and I realized that she was right. I never realized that about myself, I keep a “to do list”, I have a schedule; I like to make sure everything is done and taken care of. I never thought that my behavior was “American” I just thought that it was me being me. It is interesting how much you are shaped by your culture and you do not even realize it. You think that you are your own individual and different but in actuality you are just like everyone else. I wonder if America took a lesson from Mexico and try to relax more maybe “Americans” will not be so stress. Studies have shown that stress can lead to other complications. If we can control stress levels, then we can control other complications that comes with stress.
I am very happy that I am here in Monterrey, Mexico. It has been a wonderful experience for me thus far. I have been to wonderful restaurants, clubs and I have met amazing people. This experience has made me realize some things about myself that I want to change. Being here has really made me grow as a person. I cannot wait to see what my last weeks here have in store for me.
Before my arrival to Washington DC for the academic seminars, I was a soft-spoken, laid back, sheltered young woman. I was always surrounded by my family and friends. I was matured and had common sense but I never had to depend on myself for anything because I always had a family member or friend around to depend on. As soon as I checked in at the Congressional in DC, I had to fend for myself. I have an aunt that lives in DC but she could not help me because she was without a car. Therefore, I had to walk around the neighborhood and find a place for food, I had to keep a budget and learn where to buy a metro pass and how to catch the metro. I was not use to using public transportation and walking because in Cleveland, I drove or I got a ride from someone. I had to learn the different metro lines and I quickly improved my speed walking skills. While my stay in Washington DC, I feel in love with the city because of the people, the different cultures represented in the city and the history. I was so lucky to met the people I met in Washington, never in my wildest dreams would I ever thought that I would meet so many accomplished and successful people. You have to understand where I come from you are lucky if you met your local council members in person. I have perceived successful people as being arrogant and pretentious because of experiences I have had in the past. The people that I met were the total opposite; they were warm and welcoming. They really changed my views about successful people. I was able to met senators, lobbyists, government officials, CEO’s, negotiators, home town heroes, men and women who have left there mark or is leaving their mark in history. It was truly a blessing, honor and privilege to have met them.
Monterrey, Mexico is my first trip out of the United States. I was very nervous and excited about my trip to Monterrey. I was excited because I knew that I would be experiencing a different culture, and I was nervous because of my poor level of speaking Spanish. When I arrived, everyone I met was so warm and welcoming. In fact, on my first day at Planetario Alfa I was invited to a co-worker’s birthday party. It is amazing to me that I can hardly speak Spanish and the people that I meant can hardly speak English but they were so nice to me. We had an understanding. I was also shocked because when I arrived in Monterrey the city is very modernize, the city has the same stores that are in United States, and for example, Monterrey has a Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Popeye’s chicken and Biscuit. I was surprised that there is a large population of Mexicans that speak fluent English. That is good and bad for me. The good part is that I can communicate better; the bad part is I am not practicing my Spanish as much as I would like to. Tecnologico de Monterrey or the “Tec” is a wonderful institution. I learned that the “Tec” is equivalent to MIT in the United States! By staying at the “Tec”, I have met people from around the world. I have met people from France, Korea, and Spain and in different states from the United States.
I am currently interning at Planetario Alfa, my first days at Planetario went slow because my advisor was not aware of my educational background. Once I explained my area of expertise, my advisor immediately put me on a project dealing with Planetario Alfa webpage. Before, I was given a project, my advisor made myself and the other interns tour the planetario and learn about all the levels and attractions at Planetario Alfa. After days of learning and touring, we were given a test to take about the Planetarium and all the levels. First, I and the other interns were confused about having to take a test because we were not going to be at the Planetario long and we were only interns. However, learning about the Planetarium and taking a test was beneficial for us. Having to take the test, we retained the information that we learned and the information that we learned we were able to use it in our projects. Not to mention we gained an immense appreciation for Planetario Alfa. It is interesting because when I talk to my peers at the “Tec” I tell them all to go and visit Planetario Alfa while they are in Monterrey. So far, my days at Planetario Alfa have been exciting. I attended an event at Planetario Alfa; the event was for promoting tourism in Monterrey. It was such a great experience for me to see all the business people of Monterrey and at the event there were circus performers and dancers. The event was not formal at all it was very relaxed and casual. I have never attended a business event that magnitude before in my life. The business events that I have attended in the United States were professional, stuffy and boring. Mexicans work hard but they know how to relax and enjoy themselves.
The culture here in Mexico is different from in United States. In Mexico, they have a saying “Mañana” which means tomorrow translated in English it would mean “later”. Mexicans believe in taking there time and enjoying themselves. When you go to restaurants, clubs, or work it is a given that they are going to show up late. My first couple of days I was not use to this concept because in the United States, we believe in being punctual. I was not use to going to a restaurant and being there for two hours because the service is slow. I was not use to having an hour and half lunch break, in the United States my lunch break was for 30 minutes. In the United States we have phrases “Time is money and money is time”, “Time is of the essence”, “Don’t waste my time and I will not waste your time”. In the United States, we are serious and we rush for everything. In Washington DC every day, I would see crowds of people running/rushing to work In fact, in Washington DC I was one of the people rushing trying to get to where I had to go. In Mexico I have once to see someone rushing to work, I have not seen one person rushing to catch the bus or taxi, even when crossing the street nobody is in a rush. In Mexico the people are more relaxed and calm, the people truly do believe in taking there time and enjoying life. Last night my roommate and I were talking and I kept telling her I had to this, I have to do that, I am very busy. Then she looked at me and said, “Roomie you are such an American”. I asked her what she meant by that comment and she said, “Americans also keep themselves busy or always thinking about the next thing instead of just enjoying today.” I stood there for a moment and I realized that she was right. I never realized that about myself, I keep a “to do list”, I have a schedule; I like to make sure everything is done and taken care of. I never thought that my behavior was “American” I just thought that it was me being me. It is interesting how much you are shaped by your culture and you do not even realize it. You think that you are your own individual and different but in actuality you are just like everyone else. I wonder if America took a lesson from Mexico and try to relax more maybe “Americans” will not be so stress. Studies have shown that stress can lead to other complications. If we can control stress levels, then we can control other complications that comes with stress.
I am very happy that I am here in Monterrey, Mexico. It has been a wonderful experience for me thus far. I have been to wonderful restaurants, clubs and I have met amazing people. This experience has made me realize some things about myself that I want to change. Being here has really made me grow as a person. I cannot wait to see what my last weeks here have in store for me.
Monterrey, Mexico
Estuve muy enfermo este fin de semana. Translated in English, I was very sick this weekend; I believe I had food poisoning from bad pollo (chicken). However, I am doing much better. The experience of me being sick only made my journey in Monterrey more memorable. I am finding myself feeling more comfortable in Monterrey. It is funny because lately I have been dreaming in Espanol, I have no clue what is being said in my dreams but it is in espanol, so I see that as a sign that my speaking and learning espanol is improving. This week I only have two more weeks of class left. I wish that my classes were longer than five weeks and I had my sessions more than just one day a week. I am learning more espanol in Monterrey than in the United States that does make sense.
At work, I am not working in my field of expertise but I am learning so much about public relations and marketing. Who knows the skills that I have learned here might be beneficial to me in the future. I definitely feel that the skills that I have learned thus far at Planetario Alfa will make me a well-rounded professional. I turned in the first half of my projecto. My boss is going to look over my project and will tell me what to add or take away. I hope that she finds the data I collected for my project to be informative and useful. The second half of my project is to look at different planetarium websites, compare, and contrast these websites to Planetario Alfa’s website. When Planetario Alfa make there final plans for the reconstruction of the website I hope that they might look at my reports and take some of my suggestions into consideration. For lunch during this week, I eat at the Alfa corporation cafeteria with my boss Nelly. Alfa Corporation building is beautiful and is part of the funding for Planetario Alfa comes from Alfa Corporation. There are many companies with this National Corporation. For example, Sigma and Alasapek is part of Alfa. I enjoyed myself immensely there.
This week I have had the pleasure of doing some sight seeing in Monterrey. I went to downtown Monterrey and I saw a huge and beautiful Cathedral church. I rode past Antigua and the Government buildings in Monterrey and the history museum. My goal is before I leave Monterrey, Mexico I want to visit the museum and take more pictures of the downtown area. I really want to go to see a lucha libre evento at the Arena.
At work, I am not working in my field of expertise but I am learning so much about public relations and marketing. Who knows the skills that I have learned here might be beneficial to me in the future. I definitely feel that the skills that I have learned thus far at Planetario Alfa will make me a well-rounded professional. I turned in the first half of my projecto. My boss is going to look over my project and will tell me what to add or take away. I hope that she finds the data I collected for my project to be informative and useful. The second half of my project is to look at different planetarium websites, compare, and contrast these websites to Planetario Alfa’s website. When Planetario Alfa make there final plans for the reconstruction of the website I hope that they might look at my reports and take some of my suggestions into consideration. For lunch during this week, I eat at the Alfa corporation cafeteria with my boss Nelly. Alfa Corporation building is beautiful and is part of the funding for Planetario Alfa comes from Alfa Corporation. There are many companies with this National Corporation. For example, Sigma and Alasapek is part of Alfa. I enjoyed myself immensely there.
This week I have had the pleasure of doing some sight seeing in Monterrey. I went to downtown Monterrey and I saw a huge and beautiful Cathedral church. I rode past Antigua and the Government buildings in Monterrey and the history museum. My goal is before I leave Monterrey, Mexico I want to visit the museum and take more pictures of the downtown area. I really want to go to see a lucha libre evento at the Arena.
Planetario Alfa (Planetarium Alfa)
The first two days working at Planetario Alfa was slow. I did not have a project to work on because I do not think that my supervisors understood my educational background. Once I explained to them my major Management Information Systems and the skills I have, they immediately came up with a project for me. The project that I was given is to look at the Planetario Alfa website and come up with some suggestions about what should be added or taken away from the website. At the end of my project, I need to present the information that I collected and organized and present to my bosses boss and then she will go to the web designer and he will make the changes. I have been examining the Planetario Alfa website, placing myself in the mind frame of a user and writing items down that I think should be added, taken away or modified to the website. I have also started researching other Planetariums websites to compare and contrast. The designs that I see on the other websites I would like to see if we could integrate them into Planetario Alfa website. The next step of my research is to research the topic “How to Improve Your Website”. I am researching this topic because I want to be sure that the changes that I am proposing are possible and that the modifications will not damage Planetario Alfa webpage integrity.
I started my Spanish class June 11, 2007. My instructor name is Paty and she is wonderful and very patient with me. I learned many new words and phrases with her. For example, I learned how to properly say Què, Como‘, donde and cudndo and how to take these words and make proper sentences in espanol. Not only did she teach me how to speak Spanish but she also taught me about the culture of Mexico. I truly look forward to my future lessons with her. As of right now, I am emailing and meeting with some people to start my community service project. We will see what happens with this next venture.
The project that I have been diligently working on since my arrival at Planetario ALFA is due next Wednesday. Therefore, this week for me has been crunch time. Nelly spoke with me this week and said to speak with my other boss Christina and ask if I could assist with the web designer. I hope that both parties agree and allow me to work with the web designer because it would be a wonderful opportunity for me, especially having web design being part of my major. Therefore, we will have to see what occurs. I am learning about the different areas of public relations, how funding is done in Mexico. Truly, Planetario ALFA is a wonderful business. I have met so many nice and warm people. My Spanish class is coming along; honestly, I can say that I can understand better, I just have to learn more translations so I can respond better in espanol. I am a little sad this week because next week is the last week for the majority of the students in the International program and many of the friends that I have made here are leaving meL to go back home. I am lucky because I have met people from all over the world and each person that I have met has touched my life in his/her own special way. I am interested to see were my journeys here will take me.
I started my Spanish class June 11, 2007. My instructor name is Paty and she is wonderful and very patient with me. I learned many new words and phrases with her. For example, I learned how to properly say Què, Como‘, donde and cudndo and how to take these words and make proper sentences in espanol. Not only did she teach me how to speak Spanish but she also taught me about the culture of Mexico. I truly look forward to my future lessons with her. As of right now, I am emailing and meeting with some people to start my community service project. We will see what happens with this next venture.
The project that I have been diligently working on since my arrival at Planetario ALFA is due next Wednesday. Therefore, this week for me has been crunch time. Nelly spoke with me this week and said to speak with my other boss Christina and ask if I could assist with the web designer. I hope that both parties agree and allow me to work with the web designer because it would be a wonderful opportunity for me, especially having web design being part of my major. Therefore, we will have to see what occurs. I am learning about the different areas of public relations, how funding is done in Mexico. Truly, Planetario ALFA is a wonderful business. I have met so many nice and warm people. My Spanish class is coming along; honestly, I can say that I can understand better, I just have to learn more translations so I can respond better in espanol. I am a little sad this week because next week is the last week for the majority of the students in the International program and many of the friends that I have made here are leaving meL to go back home. I am lucky because I have met people from all over the world and each person that I have met has touched my life in his/her own special way. I am interested to see were my journeys here will take me.
Bienvendos to Mexico
On June 2, 2007, I finally arrived in Monterrey, Mexico. After all the months and weeks of seminars and research, I finally arrived. When I arrived in Monterrey, I was shocked to see how Americanize Monterrey is. Monterrey has a Popeye’s Chicken Restaurant, Sam’s Club and a Wal-Mart. I finally reached my destination Tecnologico De Monterrey; the campus is beautiful and serene. I was amazed to learn that there are five groups that are part of the International program at the TEC. There are students from France, United States and other various countries around the world! When I went to my room, I unpacked and got my room together and waited for my roommate Katie. Later, that night Katie arrived and we talked and laughed all night. The next day we went exploring around the community the Tec is located; I also had my first taco. On June 4, 2007 my birthday, we met with Jorge our advisor while we are in Monterrey. He told us about our internship and we had orientation about the Tec. That evening Katie, Nini and I went out for my birthday. We went to a mall, ate dinner at Chili’s Restaurant and I saw my first American movie in Spanish. It was a lovely day. On Wednesday, I met Nelly Palacios the head of the Public Relations office at Alfa Planetarium, my internship placement. To be honest I do not think that she knows my background in Information Technology. However, Jorge told me to explain to Nelly my skills and try to integrate it with the public relation office. Thursday was my first day of work and I was given a tour of Planetario Alfa, the planetario has five levels. The Planetario has a new campaign called “Dinosaurs”. The Planetario has an I MAX theater and they are playing a movie about the history of Dinosaurs. It was very exciting to watch the movie, I felt like a little child. Besides being a museum, the Planetario holds corporation events, and parties. The Planetario is a wonderful organization I am just curious to see, what I can offer to the company. Since my stay in Monterrey, Mexico I have learned how to catch a taxi, I know how to catch the bus and order food in Spanish. Monday I start my Spanish lesson and I am thrilled to learn and speak Spanish better. I am curious to find out where my journey in Monterrey will go.
DC (cont)
My journey here in Washington DC has been exciting. I have met political figures, negotiators and true humanitarians in my book. On May 24, 2007, I and the other TWC students went on the Spirit of Washington Cruise to Mt. Vernon. Mount Vernon was the home of the first president of the United States George Washington and his family. The Potomac River was beautiful. I saw George Washington’s tombstone, his farmland and we went on the tour of his and Martha’s house. I learned many important facts about President and First Lady Washington. For example, George Washington was a farmer and a serious botanist. Martha Washington stopped sleeping in the bedroom that she and George shared after his tragic death. I also learned that the Washington family entertained 750 guests from yearly.
On May 25, 2007 was one of the busiest days I spent in Washington DC. On this day all the TWC students was split into groups and visited four organizations. The organizations that I visited in my group were the Federal Reserve, Embassy of Canada, Time Magazine and the International Finance Corporation. The Federal Reserve I learned how the banking system in the United States function and I learned how checks are cleared. At the Embassy of Canada, I learned how the Canadian Government functions and that there are about 50,000 troops that are in Iraq now. My favorite spot that we visited was Time magazine headquarters; there we met actual writers and photographers of the magazine. We met Tracy Schmidt a 22-year-old writer for Time Magazine. It was just phenomenal to meet a person around my age who had accomplished so much in her young life. The last and final stop my group made we went to the International Finance Corporation, this organization is awesome they donate a lot of money to developing countries or give aid to countries that need it. On May 26, 2007 we went on a tour of The White House, it was a brief tour but it was still amazing to be inside a building that has so much history surrounding it. After the tour of The White House, we went to on a tour of the Hues of the Federal City. We went visited Georgetown, Foggy Bottom area, Howard University. At Howard University, we met Dr. King an instructor at the The Washington Center. At Howard, she gave us the history of the University and the city surrounding it. I learned that the surveyor of Washington DC was an African American. We visited an after school center for Latino youth. I learned about the term gentrification. Gentrification occurs when the government vacates a community to build expensive condominiums or malls. It was sad to look around, see communities being broken up, and see construction of new luxurious condominiums.
On Memorial Day that morning, the students went to Arlington National Cemetery. There we heard the President Bush give his speech, which was moving for me. I might now agree with all the decisions President Bush has been making lately but it was still an honor to hear the Commander In Chief speak. We also saw John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy’s tombstone known as the “eternal flame”. The groups also witness the changing of the guard, which is at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. After lunch break, we visited the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and Thomas Jefferson Memorial which some beautiful sights.
On May 29, 2007, Katie and I went to The Washington Center and we had a one on one session with Professor Peter Stephens who spoke about the difference and similarities among the Mexican, the United States and the Canadian Congress. To be honest Peter is such an eloquent and knowledgeable speaker. I learned so much, he spoke about the history of Mexico and he talked about the indigenous people in Mexico. That afternoon we met with Alma Alfaro again. She spoke about the Role of the Multilateral Development Bank. She made us go to the MDB website and look at all the projects the MDB was involved in. One project that peaked my interest was the MDB was giving millions dollars to Mexico to enhance their education programs from kindergarten to high school. Alma then spoke about US-Mexico trade relations pre and post NAFTA. Since the creation of NAFTA Mexico is the US second largest importer. I also learned from Alma that the United States exports corn and beans from the United States.
On May 30, 2007, my group met up with Roshini to visit the Smithsonian and another Art museum. It was just nice to look at the artwork. Today, I will be working on my student policy presentations, which is due tomorrow I still, have not chosen a topic to present on. Then early Saturday morning Katie and I leave for Monterrey, Mexico and start another part of our journey.
On May 25, 2007 was one of the busiest days I spent in Washington DC. On this day all the TWC students was split into groups and visited four organizations. The organizations that I visited in my group were the Federal Reserve, Embassy of Canada, Time Magazine and the International Finance Corporation. The Federal Reserve I learned how the banking system in the United States function and I learned how checks are cleared. At the Embassy of Canada, I learned how the Canadian Government functions and that there are about 50,000 troops that are in Iraq now. My favorite spot that we visited was Time magazine headquarters; there we met actual writers and photographers of the magazine. We met Tracy Schmidt a 22-year-old writer for Time Magazine. It was just phenomenal to meet a person around my age who had accomplished so much in her young life. The last and final stop my group made we went to the International Finance Corporation, this organization is awesome they donate a lot of money to developing countries or give aid to countries that need it. On May 26, 2007 we went on a tour of The White House, it was a brief tour but it was still amazing to be inside a building that has so much history surrounding it. After the tour of The White House, we went to on a tour of the Hues of the Federal City. We went visited Georgetown, Foggy Bottom area, Howard University. At Howard University, we met Dr. King an instructor at the The Washington Center. At Howard, she gave us the history of the University and the city surrounding it. I learned that the surveyor of Washington DC was an African American. We visited an after school center for Latino youth. I learned about the term gentrification. Gentrification occurs when the government vacates a community to build expensive condominiums or malls. It was sad to look around, see communities being broken up, and see construction of new luxurious condominiums.
On Memorial Day that morning, the students went to Arlington National Cemetery. There we heard the President Bush give his speech, which was moving for me. I might now agree with all the decisions President Bush has been making lately but it was still an honor to hear the Commander In Chief speak. We also saw John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy’s tombstone known as the “eternal flame”. The groups also witness the changing of the guard, which is at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. After lunch break, we visited the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and Thomas Jefferson Memorial which some beautiful sights.
On May 29, 2007, Katie and I went to The Washington Center and we had a one on one session with Professor Peter Stephens who spoke about the difference and similarities among the Mexican, the United States and the Canadian Congress. To be honest Peter is such an eloquent and knowledgeable speaker. I learned so much, he spoke about the history of Mexico and he talked about the indigenous people in Mexico. That afternoon we met with Alma Alfaro again. She spoke about the Role of the Multilateral Development Bank. She made us go to the MDB website and look at all the projects the MDB was involved in. One project that peaked my interest was the MDB was giving millions dollars to Mexico to enhance their education programs from kindergarten to high school. Alma then spoke about US-Mexico trade relations pre and post NAFTA. Since the creation of NAFTA Mexico is the US second largest importer. I also learned from Alma that the United States exports corn and beans from the United States.
On May 30, 2007, my group met up with Roshini to visit the Smithsonian and another Art museum. It was just nice to look at the artwork. Today, I will be working on my student policy presentations, which is due tomorrow I still, have not chosen a topic to present on. Then early Saturday morning Katie and I leave for Monterrey, Mexico and start another part of our journey.
Washington DC
The day that I arrive in Washington DC, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the people and the traffic. All that I saw was people speed walking trying to catch a taxi, the bus or a metro station. The first thing that I learned in Washington DC was how to buy a metro pass. The following day I learned how to ride the metro, which was a wonderful experience. The metro is a subway train mode of transportation for the workers and residents in the DC area.
The following day we meet with the advisors at The Washington Center office and we received a lecture about American Government from Gene Alpart. In his lecture, he discussed the roles and duties of the President, the different officers and offices in the White House. For example, there is the Domestic Policy Council and the Office of the First Lady. Mr. Alpert also lectured about The Congress, which includes the Senate and the House of Representatives. He also talked about current events that are going on in the United States Government. One important event he conversed about was the trial against United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Mr. Gene Alpart shared his opinion that he believes that US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will be resigning soon.
After the lecture, I and another student met with Luisa Solarte who is our advisor in Washington DC – Monterrey Mexico internship. She introduced herself to us and then we had a conference call with Jorge who gave us our options for our job placements and he will be our advisor once we get to Monterrey, Mexico. After our meeting with Luisa, we had a seminar. Our seminar speaker is Alma A. Alfaro-Laska. Alma is an expert in United States and Mexican relations. In fact, she was a key player in the development of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement. The topic she was given was The Development Challenges of Mexico: The US-Mexican Relationship Introduction and Development in Latin America. She told us about the history of Mexico, how years ago the peso was worth more money than it is today. Everyone in Mexico was making money. The reason for this is that the President was investing in the people, giving out loans and grants. The President also opened up Mexico for trading with other countries, which lead to the creation of NAFTA. Alma also spoke about Mexico’s current state; the middle class of Mexico is almost gone and other political issues. She also discuss how China is taking over the trading business especially in the textile field and all the trade agreements Mexico had to make because of all the complaints they received from other countries. I really enjoyed her because she was honest, articulate and humble. I learned so much from her. It is amazing in my economics class we learned about NAFTA and now I am receiving inside information from a person who was actually there. Alma also gave us articles and journals to read about Mexico and politics.
On May 23, 2007, the class went on a tour in Capital Hill, which was fun and exciting. We were shown the underground tunnels that the Senators use. We saw all the painting and artwork in Capital Hill, which was designed by Constantino Brutini an Italian painter. While on the tour, I and other students saw Senator John Kerry walking down the hall. We were then told by our tour guide that the senate was meeting that same day! After the tour of Capital Hill, we took a tour of the Supreme Court. We went to the lower level and we saw statues and bios of all the Supreme Court justices. One of my favorite Supreme Court justices is Thurgood Marshall because he was the first African American to sit in Supreme Court. That same day we met at the Executive club and heard two dynamic speakers. Rob Henderson and lobbyist John Chwat were the two speakers. Rob Henderson a Harvard Graduate, which he pointed out himself, is an executive director at the Center for the Study of the Presidency in Washington DC. Rob Henderson mostly spoke about the Executive branch of government, which is the branch the president runs. He also talked a little about Foreign Policy because he also has traveled around the world. In fact, the last place that he was at was in Africa and he spoke about the political and social issues they are facing in that country. The second speaker John Chwat is a lobbyist. In his speech, he explained to us what a lobbyist is and the roles they play in politics. He explained to us that Lobbying is the fourth part of the branches of government. Lobbyist deals with legislative, economics, public relations and counseling. A lobbyist brings an issue to congressional representatives and women from either a corporation or social group and asks them to either amend a bill, propose a bill. Mr. Chwat also discussed that lobbyist are like lawyers, they represent all type of government officials. Lobbyists are also known as dogs because they monitor the movement of the congressional.
These last couple of days has been very informative and I have enjoyed myself immensely. I have gained so much knowledge, I consider myself to be blessed.
The following day we meet with the advisors at The Washington Center office and we received a lecture about American Government from Gene Alpart. In his lecture, he discussed the roles and duties of the President, the different officers and offices in the White House. For example, there is the Domestic Policy Council and the Office of the First Lady. Mr. Alpert also lectured about The Congress, which includes the Senate and the House of Representatives. He also talked about current events that are going on in the United States Government. One important event he conversed about was the trial against United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Mr. Gene Alpart shared his opinion that he believes that US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will be resigning soon.
After the lecture, I and another student met with Luisa Solarte who is our advisor in Washington DC – Monterrey Mexico internship. She introduced herself to us and then we had a conference call with Jorge who gave us our options for our job placements and he will be our advisor once we get to Monterrey, Mexico. After our meeting with Luisa, we had a seminar. Our seminar speaker is Alma A. Alfaro-Laska. Alma is an expert in United States and Mexican relations. In fact, she was a key player in the development of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement. The topic she was given was The Development Challenges of Mexico: The US-Mexican Relationship Introduction and Development in Latin America. She told us about the history of Mexico, how years ago the peso was worth more money than it is today. Everyone in Mexico was making money. The reason for this is that the President was investing in the people, giving out loans and grants. The President also opened up Mexico for trading with other countries, which lead to the creation of NAFTA. Alma also spoke about Mexico’s current state; the middle class of Mexico is almost gone and other political issues. She also discuss how China is taking over the trading business especially in the textile field and all the trade agreements Mexico had to make because of all the complaints they received from other countries. I really enjoyed her because she was honest, articulate and humble. I learned so much from her. It is amazing in my economics class we learned about NAFTA and now I am receiving inside information from a person who was actually there. Alma also gave us articles and journals to read about Mexico and politics.
On May 23, 2007, the class went on a tour in Capital Hill, which was fun and exciting. We were shown the underground tunnels that the Senators use. We saw all the painting and artwork in Capital Hill, which was designed by Constantino Brutini an Italian painter. While on the tour, I and other students saw Senator John Kerry walking down the hall. We were then told by our tour guide that the senate was meeting that same day! After the tour of Capital Hill, we took a tour of the Supreme Court. We went to the lower level and we saw statues and bios of all the Supreme Court justices. One of my favorite Supreme Court justices is Thurgood Marshall because he was the first African American to sit in Supreme Court. That same day we met at the Executive club and heard two dynamic speakers. Rob Henderson and lobbyist John Chwat were the two speakers. Rob Henderson a Harvard Graduate, which he pointed out himself, is an executive director at the Center for the Study of the Presidency in Washington DC. Rob Henderson mostly spoke about the Executive branch of government, which is the branch the president runs. He also talked a little about Foreign Policy because he also has traveled around the world. In fact, the last place that he was at was in Africa and he spoke about the political and social issues they are facing in that country. The second speaker John Chwat is a lobbyist. In his speech, he explained to us what a lobbyist is and the roles they play in politics. He explained to us that Lobbying is the fourth part of the branches of government. Lobbyist deals with legislative, economics, public relations and counseling. A lobbyist brings an issue to congressional representatives and women from either a corporation or social group and asks them to either amend a bill, propose a bill. Mr. Chwat also discussed that lobbyist are like lawyers, they represent all type of government officials. Lobbyists are also known as dogs because they monitor the movement of the congressional.
These last couple of days has been very informative and I have enjoyed myself immensely. I have gained so much knowledge, I consider myself to be blessed.
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