Freddie Olsen, Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP), Mexico
What a first few weeks it has been!
Upon arriving in the suburb of Cholula the top priority was accommodation. Whilst Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP) does provide campus accommodation, I personally wasn’t sold. Having spent a year living in a cave in the Owen’s Park tower the desire for halls of residence just wasn’t quite there anymore. Likewise the prospects of sharing a room with someone I had never met before and living on campus didn’t seem quite so appealing. However what shocked me most about arriving in Cholula is how open it is for International students. I initially doubted the availability of student accommodation in a colonial town which remains relatively Mexican aside from the universities. However a room was found nearby which worked out well, with a plethora of other international students with nationalities ranging from Swedish to Czech! The best part is that the house is organised and shared by a large Mexican family, which forces one to speak a lot of Spanish, as well as obtaining local knowledge and information which goes a lot further than the hyped up Lonely Planet guidebooks.