University of Central Arkansas

Hope that things are going well there in the states!  I just wanted to let you know that everything is great here!  They have been keeping me extremely busy!  My schedule is as follows...

9-11.30 physical therapy practice in the fisioterapia department
12-3pm international office speaking with workers and practicing spanish on my computer
4-5 spanish course with private teacher

Also, they are letting me be one of the trainers for the university football team.  I will also have the opportunity to travel with some medical students to another city to practice.  They will spend approximately 3 days there.  I am enjoying every minute of this!!!

They also spent an entire weekend celebrating my birthday, which  was yesterday!  They took me to some museums around the city, they gave me a city tour, I got an opportunity to visit the new campus and watch a football game, I visited the mall and bought a few things, and finally I had 2 surprise birthday parties (1 at home and 1 at the department of physical therapy).  I have been enjoying everything and I m learning a lot too!  The physical therapist here are letting me get a lot of hands on work and teaching me so many things!  Communicating is not so bad because the anatomical words are very similar and we show each other examples! 

Sorry if my english is choppy, but I m really starting to think a lot more in espanol!  I just wanted to let you know how I have been doing and update you on everything!  I will write a full report this week on everything for the blog! 

Adios for now

Nick

MY EXPERIENCE IN CHIHUAHUA MEXICO

Hello!  My name is Nick Green and I´m a health and behavioral science graduate at the University of Central Arkansas.  In the future, I plan to become a physical therapist in United States.  Getting into physical therapy school is extremely difficult.  There are several qualified applicants that don´t get accepted into schools each year because only a few get chosen to continue their education in this exciting career.  So, what kinds of things does one need to do to help them increase their chances of not only getting into PT school, but any professional career one chooses?  Well, knowing Spanish will help you become more marketable in any career you choose!  In the United States, the number of Latinos are increasing at an alarming rate, so knowing Spanish is an essential skill that will help one with finding a job (EASILY), earn more money in their career, and most importantly…..JOB SECURITY!! 

Learning Spanish can be very challenging.  Several people have told me that learning Spanish in the United States can take a very long time.  This is true because you only practice what you have learned in the classroom setting.  The true and (in my opinion) the only way one can learn to speak Spanish fluently is being immersed in the language!  You will not only practice your skills in a classroom setting; you will practice it everyday and all day!  No matter where you go, you will hear Spanish, Spanish, and MORE Spanish!  My experience here in Chihuahua Mexico is quite amazing!  I´ve only been here a week and a half, but I´ve already developed lifetime memories that I will surely tell my grandchildren in the future! 

PEOPLE  - my grade (A++)
The people in Chihuahua Mexico are extremely nice!  Before I arrived, I searched some random people on facebook and asked them about the city.  There were more than happy to answer all of the questions that I had about what to expect once I got here.  The people at the university, the students and staff, are here to help you with whatever needs you may have!  Do not be afraid to ask for anything!  I asked a professor at the Filosofia y Letras department if I could just sit in on one of his classrooms with my new friends to just listen, he was more than delighted to have me in his classroom!  It is so easy to make friends here.  Everyone speaks when you pass by and anyone you want to talk to, they are more than delighted to talk to you and help you with your Spanish!  They understand that you are here to learn their language and they will speak slowly for you!  Most of the students will invite you to several parties on weekends, lunch, dinner, and even coffee at the café´s in the city.  The contact level is extremely close (unlike the U.S.) here so expect lots of conversation.  Overall, I love the people here!  They instantly make you feel right at home! 
THE CITY – my grade (A)
WOW!!  All I can say is MUY BONITA!  The view of the mountains never ends!  It is quite amazing, especially at the new campus!  I will admit that this place is not the clean Conway Arkansas we are used to seeing everyday!  This is Mexico, but overall I´m happy with everything I see!  There is so much to do here!  There are several clubs, museums, parks, shopping centers, malls, restaurants, and etc.  I´ve visited the museums here and they are quite amazing!  To be honest, I did not understand a word that was said during the tour, but they had English scripts that you could read so non-spanish speaking people can follow along!  Very interesting!!  The mall is huge!  It has close to 100 stores to shop in!  The prices are pretty Americanized there in the typical U.S. stores, but if you visit the Mexican stores, you will be satisfied with prices!  Make sure you ask for the exchange rate!  Al Tipo de Cambio!!  It is very important because they want your American dollar!  Just say it everywhere you go to make sure that you don´t get screwed over!  But for the most part, if you are with friends, they will make sure that you don´t!  Also, I´ve talked with several people about the current drug war situation that is going on in Mexico.  People here are not worried about that here.  Most people tell me that as long as you are not involved in the drug cartels, you don´t have anything to worry about.  Don´t be afraid to go out with friends at night to a club or a house party.  They just want to have a good time!  But I do encourage that if you do go out, be safe and don´t drink in excess if you decide to have a drink.  Wear your wallet in your front pocket when you go out or don´t bring one at all.  Just bring what you need.  Remember that you are in a foreign country and you are American….they think you have money!  Falling asleep on a random couch drunk is a NO NO!  If that is your purpose to come here, then don´t come!  Have fun, but do it the right way! 

University (UACH old and new campus) – my grade (A)
Now once you get here, you will probably be placed in the old campus.  It won´t look anything like what we have here at UCA.  But the people here are so outgoing!  You will always find students lingering outside by the trees talking and playing various games.  There won´t be a day you will walk around campus and not see a game of basketball, volleyball, or soccer going on!  They are active…more active than our school which is sad to say!  They have 2 gyms and a giant swimming pool that will be free of use to you.  There is a huge park nearby that has lots of activities going on all day!  They have workout machines there, playgrounds, a bike park, concession stands, entertainment, and a 1.3 mile long track, which I ran and measured the other day!  If you are bored at home, come to the campus because you will find something to do, ALWAYS!  The new campus is very beautiful!  I´ve only been there once because I had to attend a football game to be a trainer for the university football team..yes American Football!  While they may not be as good as UCA´s football team, lol, it was a lot of fun!  There are not very many people that attend American football games here (soccer is the main sport), but you will surely enjoy the stadium!  It is crazy beautiful! It is bigger than the stadium we have here at UCA.  The view is breathtaking…mountains, mountains, and more mountains!  You will have to travel by bus or taxi to get to the new campus!  It´s approximately a 30 minute bus/car ride there.  Campus life here at UACH is how all colleges in the U.S. should model themselves by! 

Food – my grade (A+++++++++++++++++)
I won´t say much here…..just come here and try it!  I will never eat at Taco Bell again!  

I have so much more to write, but I will stop here and tease you all a bit by making you wait!  But I won´t be that mean…I´ll give you all a sneak peak at what´s next to come.  My blog next week is going to be filled with my experiences here at the school in my Spanish course and my internship in the Fisoterapia department.  I will also talk about my shocking experience with a student getting injured in a pickup game of soccer here at the university! 

Well that is all for now, but just make sure you tune in next week for more of my exciting Mexican adventures!  Thank you all for taking the time to read!  And if you have any questions for me, don´t hesitate to email me at coolnick22@hotmail.com anytime!