Study Abroad: Budget For Mexico

The Guadalajara Metropolitan Zone is the second largest national hub in terms of commerce and the third largest by volume of industrial production.

Marjorie A. Cohen writing at Investopedia tells us that, "At a summit last year with the presidents of Canada, the United States and Mexico, President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico proposed a plan to increase the number of U.S. students in Mexico from the present figure of just over 4,000 to the seemingly astronomical figure of 50,000 by 2018. Recently the government of Mexico and other interested parties have prevailed upon the State Department to issue region-specific advisories, making it possible for students and their parents to choose safe destinations in that country. It is hoped that this will avoid a wholesale rejection of Mexico as a travel/study destination.

For the budget-minded student, Mexico is an inexpensive place to study and live. Numbeo, the popular cost-of-living comparison website, calculates that consumer prices in Mexico City are 58% lower than in New York City and rent is 83% lower. In the smaller cities of Mexico, the cost differential would be even more dramatic.

Transportation to and from Mexico is also quite a bit less expensive than other more far-flung destinations for U.S. students. A useful site for discount flights to Mexico for students is STA Travel where we found round-trip flights from NYC to Mexico City (September to December) for under $500.

According to GoAbroad.com, the most popular cities with U.S. students going to Mexico to study are Cuernavaca, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Oaxaca, Playa del Carmen, Puebla and Tulum.

That same website offers “Ten Bueno Reasons to Study Abroad in Mexico.” One is price: “Not only are the program costs in Mexico generally lower than comparable programs in Europe, but the cost of living there is extremely low, too. This allows students more opportunities for cultural activities, extracurriculars and travel.” Another is the fact that “they’re our neighbors: their culture, language and people have a huge impact on the United States.”

The official website of the Secretaría de Educación Pública of Mexico suggests yet another reason to study in that country: “According to the latest survey conducted by topuniversities.com...Mexico has undergraduate institutions that are deemed part of the most relevant and prestigious in this dynamic and emerging region called Latin America.”

The article goes on to cover:

• FINDING A PROGRAM 
• INDEPENDENT ENROLLMENT 
• A SAMPLE U.S.–SPONSORED PROGRAM 
• SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID 
• SOME TYPICAL COSTS IN MEXICO 
• The Bottom Line - It is important to be realistic about the safety of traveling into Mexico for a study abroad opportunity, but if you are guided by the U.S. Department of State's specific travel advisories you should be able to find an affordable program in a peaceful part of the country that will enhance your career prospects. As Allan Goodman, CEO and president of IIE, points out: “Globalization makes study abroad absolutely necessary for graduates. One in five American jobs in today’s market is tied to international trade.”

The Conversation: Arielle Thomas Newman’s Big Adventure in Mexico

Cindy Hoedel of THE KANSAS CITY STAR writes about Arielle Thomas Newman of Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, who is owner of Yoga By the Sea, morethanyoga.com. Newman, a longtime Kansas City choreographer, dance critic and yoga instructor, moved to Playa Del Carmen with her husband in 2001 and opened a studio where she offers classes and teacher certification. This conversation took place at Port Fonda when Newman was back in Kansas City to give a workshop, which she does a few times a year.

Your life sounds like a fantasy: Pack it up and move to a tropical beach. Why did you decide to live in Playa Del Carmen?

I had a friend who was a travel agent and she had a connection in Akumal, a little beach town south of Playa Del Carmen, and we would go there. At one point, I realized that I had made three separate one-week trips there in one year, and I don’t go anywhere that often. So I thought: Huh, that’s interesting.

Then my husband had an opportunity to sell his part of a family business and do something else, and I said, “Let’s check out Mexico, where I’ve been going.” It was a big and bold move.

What was house hunting like down there?

It was crazy. We had one weekend to find a place. We rented a VW Beetle and loaded our suitcases in that and we ran across a guy who was a real estate agent who spoke English. It was a Saturday and his office closed midday so we had to find something in one morning.

Our criteria was, you had to be able to see the sea. The first place we had, if you went up one story to the rooftop and peeked over the trees, you could see that strip of azul blue of the Caribbean.

For the past 10 years we’ve rented an apartment a block and a half from the sea.

What is your business like?

I have a yoga studio on the roof of a boutique hotel three blocks from the sea. You can see the ocean, the palm trees and all of Playa Del Carmen.

I have local clients, mostly ex-pats who live there full time and snowbirds, and also tourists who find me through my website. I can teach in Spanish and English.

Besides the weather, what is different about living there as opposed to Kansas City?

Time moves more slowly. I learned that “ahorita,” which the dictionary says means “right now,” really means “maybe tomorrow or maybe next week when I want to do it.”

You have to pay all your bills in cash. So you go to the electric company to pay your electric bill and the phone company to pay your phone bill. And you have to go to the bank to pay your rent. There are quaint and lovely aspects to that.

Why were you not afraid to make such a radical change in your life?

I was afraid. But I did it anyway.

I call myself a reluctant adventurer. I have these big adventures, but somewhat reluctantly because I carry some fear around with me while I’m doing it. I’m a worrier and a warrior. But the rewards are there.

To reach Cindy Hoedel, call 816-234-4304 or send email to choedel@kcstar.com. Follow her oninstagram.com/cindyhoedel, Twitter @CindyHoedel, and at facebook.com/cindy.hoedel.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/living/star-magazine/article5231697.html#storylink=cpy