Postcard from Mexico: Spring break study abroad from a different perspective

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Postcard from Mexico: Spring break study abroad from a different perspective

May 15, 2025

by Mary Moores

College of the Environment

I recently returned from a spring break 2025 WWU Global Learning Program - International Business, Planning, and Environmental Sustainability- in Querétaro, Mexico, a city of about 1.2 million people 200 miles north of Mexico City.

The trip was led by Professor Gigi Berardi, who teaches agroecology, sustainable business, and food policy and security classes in the College of the Environment's Urban and Environmental Planning & Policy department.

College of the Environment students often embrace this type of travel and applied learning experience. "Pretty normal so far," you think, but wait just a minute. My trip was extra special … because I am not a student or a faculty member. I am, and have been for more than 25 years, an undergraduate academic advisor.

To make up for being so out of my element on this trip, I went into the experience with a whole lot of enthusiasm. This journey was not without mishaps -especially for me -but, oh, did I learn.

On their return from travel, I often ask students, "What was the best part, and what was the hardest?" The reply usually is something like, "Too many best parts to count," and, after a pause, "most of it was hard."

I can relate.

The best part for me was at the beginning of the trip when we traveled up the mountain to the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) site.

We met Martha "Pati" Ruiz Corzo, the matriarch of her family and the driving force behind the establishment of the Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda in 1987. One of Pati's two sons explained that their work is about "conservation not conversation."They do so much: environmental education, recycling, composting to create organic fertilizer, and carbon reserve agreements with private landowners that make forest preservation a more economical choice than cattle grazing.

I came away from our short time in the Sierra Gorda with less "eco-anxiety" than I had at the beginning. The work and the staying power of Grupo Ecológica put a dent in my antsy lethargy and reanimated my belief in the power of practical collective action to make a difference.

Now, let me tell you about the "hard part." That started the first night when the van broke down about two hours into our trek up the curvy two-lane mountain highway to Sierra Gorda. What wowed me was the resilience of the students and our intrepid leader, Gigi, in the face of adversity. This setback turned out to be a bonding experience for the group.

The leafy ground cover was slippery when we were taking our one-by-one walk through the pristine forest on day two.

Gigi said, "Grab onto my coat." I replied with a laugh, "I'm not taking you down with me." True to my word, I was the only one who went down, and I went down hard. One smashed nose and scraped knee later, I was hanging on to Gigi's coattails for dear life.

Before the trip, Gigi mentioned that as a volunteer, I would be the one to go with any students who found themselves needing medical attention. Of course, I was the only one that ended up at the doctor. The medical care was convenient and free. I was back on my way in no time with antibiotics for a bacterial infection of the throat. Back at the homestay with a wonderful Mexicana woman named Marta, I explained in my halting Spanish that the words "homestay" would be literal for a bit.

The others spent the next two days seeing one of the largest rock monoliths in the world, in San Sebastian Bernal, and visiting the city of San Miguel de Allende.

Getting sick was a nice break from the jam-packed schedule curated by Gigi and provided by Olé, a wonderful organization/group of people who organized all our field trips, cultural activities, and Spanish language instruction. When I got sick, we had already:

• Toured Bloque Center for Creative Innovation and Technology, a new sustainable energy project in the City of Querétaro
• Attended presentations by the Directors of the Departments of Ecology and Economic Development of Querétaro
• Visited and climbed to the top of one of the Teotihuacan pyramids
• Explored a working mine.
• Participated in Spanish language and cultural classes at Ole
• Took a walking tour of the Querétaroold town's many statues and plazas

On the last day, we went to the Querétaro mercado to buy ingredients for the all-important guacamole-making contest for that evening's fiesta and closing ceremony. I ate or drank something - probably the juice with ice at the mercado - and was struck down in the middle of the night by a common malady to Mexico's visitors.

Despite all this, I would not have missed this experience for the world. I love the idea of launching oneself into learning. The road might be bumpy, but what a trip!

Acknowledgements: My thanks to Ashley Hollenbeck and the International Studies office for the Global Learning ProgramDevelopment grant that paid my expenses for the homestay, field trips, and other activities with Olé.

Visit the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planningwebsite to learn about degree programs, and check out the Global Learning website for more about the spring break program in Mexico.