A blog post about blogs

I regret not blogging while I studied abroad in Spain. It would have been a great way for family and friends to read along as I embarked on my European adventure. I also would have had a great outlet for documenting my daily experiences, emotions, and best of all, my rants and raves. I also would have been able to provide an example of the life of a UA student studying in Spain for those considering a semester abroad in Barcelona. Upon starting this blog, which I like to consider a resource for those who are planning on studying abroad, and for those currently studying in Mexico (or other countries), I started thinking about the importance of blogging. Not only do I wish I had kept a blog (which I like to compare to a diary sometimes) while I was in Spain, but I wish I had read the blogs of others who were abroad to get people's personal take on the experience. Researching web sites and talking to study abroad advisors is essential to the process, but there is nothing like reading personal anecdotes. Some blogs are also a great resource for less formal advice, if you will. For example, the Study Abroad Bloggers site has posts that discuss the top 5 places to learn Spanish, advice for packing for your semester abroad, and the warmest and sunniest places to study abroad during the winter, among many other things. Blogs may not always be the most reliable source for concrete facts or statistics, but if you want suggestions, personal recollections, or opinions on a subject in which you are interested, blogs are the way to go.

I think it is really important to not only read blogs before studying abroad (or even before deciding where to study), but also to write a blog chronicling your experience. I'm sure family and friends, along with perspective study abroad students would really appreciate your insight and reading about your journey. As far as I know, the University of Arizona study abroad office doesn't have a "blog" section on their site, but some other schools do. I wish my advisors had encouraged blogging while I was in Spain, (well, really I wish I had just thought of it myself) but its still fun and interesting to read about others experiences.

StudyAbroad.com has an awesome blog-abroad program set up on their site, where they give a brief profile of the student, where they are studying abroad, and a link to that student's blog. Lets take Erica for example - she studied in Guadalajara in the spring of 2008, and she posted blogs discussing everything including obtaining a student visa, packing for Mexico, to shoe shopping in Leon, having her family come visit her, exploring her new surroundings, homesickness, nightlife, school work, and everything else you can imagine. While each student has their own unique experiences and take on their time abroad, I think anyone could find reading some (or all) of Erica's posts useful to some degree. If you read a blog like this while you are deciding which country or city to study in, it may help you discover that Guadalajara, for example, is the perfect fit for you, or not.

I know I already studied abroad and had the best experience, I enjoyed doing the research for this post because I was able to get a feel for what it would be like to study in other places. I guess you can say I am living vicariously through these students - but hey, Erica's blog inspired me to want to visit Guadalajara some day (whether I'm still a student when the time comes, or not).

These are just two examples of the types of blogs that may be useful to students considering studying abroad, or those about to embark on their journey - but there are many more abroad blogs so I encourage you to check them out! I also highly recommend you write a blog while you're away. Even if nobody reads it, you will always have that documentation of your experiences and thoughts during your precious time abroad - but I'm sure people will be interested in reading along.

Here are some other blogs you may find useful:

-The blog of an MBA student who visited Mexico City and blogged about it.

-The International Studies Abroad (ISA) program's blog site... (or more specifically, the blog of an ISA student studying in Mexico.)

-International Student.com - International student blogs and forums

-Penn State Altoona study abroad blogs

-AmeriSpan's Study Abroad Blog

-Cultural Experiences Abroad (CEA) blog

ENTER WITH CAUTION - What Schools are Telling Students

Some recent news has suggested that study-abroad trips to Mexico may be too dangerous to permit. Colleges and Universities are canceling programs which allow students to pursue Mexico for their study-abroad experience. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire said that the perpetual violence in Mexico, especially along the U.S.-Mexico border has helped them make their decision to cancel two programs for the spring and summer. They also cancelled a school-organized spring break trip and are strongly advising students to refrain from traveling there independently, according to their local news channel Web site.

Western Carolina University also cancelled their spring break trip to Monterrey last week because of a warning issued by the U.S. Dept. of State., according to the Mountain Xpress Web site. Much like UW-Eau Claire, WCU is saying that the violence related to the drug wars and the recent death of three people associated with a U.S. consulate office made their decision to cancel the trip a no-brainer.

It's really unfortunate that these schools had to cancel the trips and programs, but the safety of their students comes first - and I can respect that. While the violence in Mexico persists, it is still a culturally rich country who we are lucky to share a border with. It's too bad that some students won't have the opportunity to study there - but like I said, their safety comes first.

I think it is important for schools to issue warnings to students planning to travel to Mexico for spring break, especially schools so close to the border, like the UofA. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of University of Arizona students visit Mexico for spring break because of the proximity, convenience and popularity. Luckily, most students are traveling to resorts or areas that cater to students, usually a bit south of the border, but American students are always a target because of their vulnerability, lack of awareness and most of all, the state of intoxication that most spring breakers are in for the week. Now that spring break is over, and hopefully most, or all, students who traveled to Mexico had a safe experience, it's still important for them to remember that traveling to any unfamiliar place can be risky, but it's especially important to take travel warnings seriously - not just for spring break.