Living Like a Local in Puebla, Mexico

To me, living like a local in Maryville, TN means taking the backroads to the mall, finding killer food at hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and knowing where to go on weekends to avoid flocks of drunk UT kids. But in a city with ALMOST 100 TIMES the population of Maryville, TN, living like a local in Puebla, Mexico will certainly prove challenging if not a huge change of pace. First of all, only 12% of the population of Mexico speaks English, so I'm prepared to absorb as much of the language and local dialect as I can so that interacting with locals doesn't have to be burdened by a language barrier. I have already incorporated UPAEP's service learning program into my studies so that I'll be immersed in volunteer opportunities and other events in the community throughout the semester. Two of my classes will be Spanish for English speakers, but I'm also taking two classes offered for all students, so I'm hoping to make both international friends and local friends as well. I'll also be staying with a host family whom I'm really looking forward to meeting and asking about local life in Puebla. By choosing a host family, I've put myself in the position to have knowledgable tour guides for the bustling, vibrant city of Puebla who might also have friends and connections in Puebla beyond those that I'd only make at school.

I imagine myself wandering aimlessly through the city taking photos of everything and still trying to act cool like I'm not fascinated by everything and everyone in Puebla. In reality, it's much more likely that I'll be delightfully overwhelmed by street food, pedestrians, crazy Mexican traffic, festivals, stray dogs, occasional (or frequent) catcalls, confusing bus routes, and the unfamiliar life of a busy city dweller. I've accepted that "living like a local" is far too loaded with presumptions that I'm eventually going to make it out of the clumsy tourist faze. But as long as I get some great photos, friends, and food out of it, I'm looking forward to being the crazy blonde girl standing in the street taking pictures of nothing extraordinary in the opinion of the locals passing by.