Greetings from sunny Mexico! 

Text by Alli Tengvall

I’m Alli Tengvall, a master’s student in marketing. Currently, I’m on exchange in Mexico for this spring. When I first heard about Mexico as an exchange destination, I knew it would be an amazing opportunity full of fun adventures. I wanted to choose a destination that would be as different from Finland as possible to gain new experiences. So here I am, escaping the Finnish winter in the sunny and warm city of Cancun. 

So far, my time here in Mexico has passed faster than I could have imagined, and I’m trying to enjoy every second I have here. My daily life consists of studying at Anahuac University and spending my free time with other exchange students. Speaking of studying, I’d like to describe a bit about my courses in Mexico. I’m studying strategic marketing, so I’m learning about topics such as innovation, competitive analysis, business economics, and sales. At Anahuac, we have three different options for classes: on-site at the university, virtual, or online – I have all of those. Just like in Finland, it gives students the freedom to plan and balance school and other aspects of life in a way that works best for them. 

I was positively surprised by the different teaching style here in Mexico. The lecture topics are approached in a very practical way, and instead of exams, there are often group projects. I feel that these provide valuable lessons for the working world, where teamwork skills are essential. I also find it enriching to hear the perspectives of students from different countries who are studying the same field. The atmosphere in the lectures is conversational, and teachers often challenge students to think and engage in discussions about the topic together. This is possible due to the small number of students on the courses. It depends on the course, but for example, in one of my classes, there are only six students. One thing that surprised me was that most of the teachers work half of the day in companies and teach the other half. This means we have teachers working in global companies who give us valuable insights into business life and provide us with real-life examples, which I find more than interesting. 

But that’s enough about the studies—of course, exchange includes more than just studying. During the exchange, I’ve built networks with both other exchange students and local students. They’ve already become good friends to me in a short period of time, and I hope these friendships will last for a long time. With good friends around, you can always find plenty of activities to do in Cancun and other places in Mexico. I mean, who wouldn’t enjoy beautiful turquoise beaches, snorkeling with turtles, exploring the delicious food culture, seeing the Mayan ruins, cruising on a catamaran, spotting whales, and swimming in cenotes? For these and many other reasons, in my opinion, Mexico is one of the best places to study abroad. I’ve also had the chance to travel around Mexico. Since it’s such a huge country, I’d recommend seeing as many places as possible. Every city is different and has something special, whether it’s food or some other cultural feature. Right now, I’m thinking, how can I see everything in just five months??? 

My goal for this exchange was to gain valuable insights into my field of study, marketing, and out of curiosity, see how it is taught on the other side of the world. The teaching has been different compared to Finland, which I find refreshing. On the personal side, I find Mexico to be a fascinating country with a lot of cool things to see and experience. I want to live life to the fullest and have as many new experiences as possible. During your studies, this is a great opportunity you don’t want to miss. The memories I’ll take from the exchange are more valuable than I can even describe. 

Thank you for reading my short story about exchange studies in Mexico. I hope it gave you some inspiration. I wish you a great start to spring! 

Alli Tengvall is UEF Master degree student in Marketing.