I am lucky to live in a place where U.S. friends and relatives enjoy visiting. I am also fortunate to have done such a variety of work that lets me continually explore this fascinating city, to e-mail prospective students from an office scented by the jasmine blossoms outside, and to meet and get to know them once they arrive. Some of these are expected. For example, all the students I've known over the years have suspected their homestay se oras of exaggerating slightly when they compliment them on their wonderful Spanish, but each CEA student has truly made remarkable progress in fluency during his or her time here. Their comprehension of the Spanish language as spoken around the globe is definitely enhanced by the clear and lively accent they hear in Mexico.
Students also expect to have fun outside of class time.
The range of places they find they can go to dance, or just hang out in the city, is impressive. I love hearing from students about the things that surprise them about life here. That CEPE classes are fun, for example, and provide varied activities and candid tips on getting-around in Spanish and Latin American culture. They also say that the city is inexpressibly beautiful. You can turn a corner and come upon a scene straight out of Colonial times, or a spectacular block of modern architecture.