Minor Abroad in Monterrey, Mexico

In January 2019 I went to Monterrey, Mexico to study at Tecnológico de Monterrey. Here I took social and cultural classes and worked on several group- and individual projects.

I chose to do my minor in Mexico because I have always been fascinated by other countries and cultures. Studying abroad offered me the opportunity to improve my intercultural communication skills and to learn more about the different perspectives of communication. I chose Mexico because it is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. Especially in Monterrey and on the campus of Tecnológico de Monterrey, there are a lot of people from different countries. This gave me the chance to get first-hand experiences with the core values and different outlooks on life of others.

Monterrey, Mexico, Nuevo Leon

It was a true multi-cultural experience in which I was able to learn more about the social aspects of communication. I took classes like Media and Culture, Sociology, International Marketing and Ethics. It has taught me how to be more aware of differences in cultures and people in general. It has also taught me how I can adapt to this as a communication professional and use it for the better. This is also what I like to do, make situations better by using communication. In this rapidly changing world, I love to help companies adapt to these changes with marketing and communication strategies.

At Tecnológico de Monterrey they host students from over thirty different countries every semester, which makes it a multicultural campus. In every class that I took I had at least four different nationalities around me. Especially because of the many group projects we worked on, I really got to know more about these other cultures. It has truly taught me a lot.

International Program May 2019

"It was a true multi-cultural experience"

Working with different nationalities and cultures can be very tricky. Everyone has different norms and values and another way of working and communicating. It has been incredible to learn more about these differences and above all, to learn how to work with them. I think my experiences here have definitely taught me how to be more aware of differences and how I can adapt to this as a communication professional.

While in Mexico, I also tried to learn some Spanish so I could have a more authentic experience. I learned enough to converse a little with the locals. I noticed that even just showing that I tried, made locals feel more comfortable with me and open up more. Especially for my daily life and sociology class researches this helped me a lot. It showed me that as long as you make an effort to understand people and really try, you can reach things you thought you never could.

Nowadays I try to use the intercultural skills I obtained in this minor by helping international students at my own study program back home. I am a ‘buddy’ which means I support international students that moved to the Netherlands to study there. I help them with the struggles of daily life in another country and I also help them with their schoolwork. I do not just help them at school as a buddy, but also as a student tutor. Together with three other Dutch students, we help a class of internationals with their group project. We do not only try to teach them communication skills, but we are also there to help them with any intercultural challenges that they might face.

Being in these international environments has definitely showed me that I want to continue this journey across the border of my own country. I want to explore more cultures and help others with the knowledge I obtain in these adventures.