SUNY Broome Effective Speaking students and Universidad de Celaya medical students have now met on three Tuesdays, and continue to enjoy getting to know one another.
The US students notice that everyone, here and in Mexico, seems to be getting a bit more comfortable with these international Zoom classes. Today, we didn’t realize that a Mexican student was nervous until she told us.
Students and teachers are sharing their fears. A student in Mexico is afraid of heights, but is working on that fear–she spent a week at a Ziplining camp. Our teacher, Kathleen McKenna, is afraid of most dogs, and is not working on it.
We were surprised to meet a Mexican who doesn’t like any kind of tacos, and another who doesn’t like tripe tacos (less of a surprise). We met another who doesn’t like mariachi bands. Our partners’ teacher, David Shrum, raved about the layout of the SUNY Broome residence hall (he stayed here on exchange in 2023). Our dorm students do not like the fire alarms in the residence hall. Our Dominican student surprised us all by not liking avocadoes.
One Mexican student was surprised by the very large portions in US restaurants. We are known for that. One US student dislikes shoveling snow, and bland food.
It was fun to share where we are from, and how we ended up where we are. A Broome student from Pakistan would like to study in Miami, but for now is staying with relatives and studying in sub-freezing temperatures in Broome County.
The students in both countries have been impressed by the preparation of the other students, and have patiently worked together to fix the occasional technical glitches.
The students in the medical school in Mexico, we noticed, have a dress code–polo shirts and white shoes. Many are about 20 years old. Medical school in Mexico starts right after high school, and runs 6-7 years, before specializing. Some of the students are undecided about their specialties, but many are interested in cardiology or surgery.
We’ve noticed that many of us like the same video games and musicians, such as 21 Pilots, a niche band. We were surprised they were known in Mexico.
Some common interests include cooking, spending time with friends, and sleeping. Many students love their pets. One student talked about a beloved stuffed reindeer, it was beloved because he knew his parents bought it at a time when finances were tight. The kindness and empathy of the students in both Mexican and the US is palpable!
Submitted by: COIL
Tags: Diversity
