Study Abroad Blog

After thinking briefly about what I should discuss in my next post, I realized an error of my ways.  I was reviewing my last post about my trip to Mexico and thought, “How rude of me…telling stories without ever really introducing myself!”  How should I expect anyone to care about anything I say if you really have no idea who I am?  Well, now that I have identified this flaw, I plan to correct myself and take a few steps back to provide an overview that should help add some depth to my posts as I begin to share about my international experiences.  I don’t want to constrain myself (or overwhelm/bore anyone), nor do I want to get too detailed, so I’ll spread my introduction out over my next couple posts to hopefully bring us up to speed.  Considering we still have a little over four months before I head to Spain, I hope this will be a beneficial addition to the foundation of this blog as we move forward.

Now, without further adieu, my bio, in a nutshell: Pre-International Experience

I was born 25 years ago on the Central Coast of California in San Luis Obispo and grew up nearby in the small town of Atascadero.  I lived with my family and had what I would consider a pretty normal childhood.  My parents have been married for over 30 years and I have two sisters – one older and one younger.  Life in Atascadero was simple and I’m not sure anyone in my family ever imagined we would ever leave.  However, when I was 13 my dad switched jobs and took a position in the Central Valley of California in Fresno, and we have lived here ever since. 

When we arrived in Fresno, I was just about to start eighth grade and had no friends living within a 150-mile radius.  I was petrified of this big new school, but managed to make the most of it.  I came to realize that with my spare time not being consumed by friends, I actually had time to do homework!  This novel idea of studying turned me from an average student into a “Straight-A” student seemingly overnight.  With my new studious persona, I decided set a goal for myself to graduate from High School as a valedictorian.  Five years later in 2000, I saw that goal through to fruition as I graduated one of thirteen valedictorians from my High School. 

Upon graduation I had every intention of returning to San Luis Obispo to attend Cal Poly where I envisioned a cheery reunion with friends from my childhood.  Nonetheless, after receiving essentially a full-ride business scholarship from Fresno State, I decided I preferred to live rent-free with my parents while getting paid to study, rather than incur massive debt while leaving my family and new friends behind.  This decision was made in part because of the money, but also because, unbeknownst to me prior to the scholarship, I came to learn the Craig School of Business at Fresno State actually has a pretty good undergrad business program with opportunities galore! 

As I began my college adventure, I learned very early on that I was a lucky chap.  The scholarship I had been granted, compliments of the Fresno Merchant’s Association, made me part of one of the most highly visible student organizations within the business school known as the Craig Business Scholars.  The Craig Scholars work very closely with the Dean and Associate Dean and is a group driven on shaping ambassadors of the school who are highly involved in performing community service and networking with local business organizations.  I saw great potential to really get involved in this group and vowed to squeeze out every ounce of opportunity I could manage over my four years at the Craig School.

Looking back, my time in college flew by so quickly, but undoubtedly shaped more of my future than I believe I will ever know.  I don’t want to get too long-winded, so I think I’ll leave my pre-international experience at that and will get to the nitty-gritty of my college experience for my next post.  I look forward to revealing more of myself soon, but for now, that is all.

“A friend is someone who knows all about you, but likes you anyway.” – Anonymous

So here I am again, pretty exhausted, but ready to relax during this three day weekend.  My wife and I just returned from a six-day “vacation” in Mexico.  One of her brothers, or my brother in-law, call him what you want, got married in the tiny town of Cotija, which resides in the state of Michoacán.  When we decided to make the voyage, we figured we might as well make the most of it and planned about three days and two nights in Mexico City to kick things off.

We made an exhaustive list of things to do and see prior to leaving and actually were fortuitous enough to cram most all of our plans into the allotted time.  Our list of objectives included seeing the pyramids in Teotihuacan and the basilica in la villa, taking a tour of the town, and visiting a long-distance co-worker, all while not getting sick from eating any strange food. This much activity in such little time isn’t recommended for the faint of heart, nonetheless, when you only have three days to see a city with a population of 25 million, there simply doesn’t seem to be a better way to do it!

The first destination my wife and I just had to see was Teotihuacan - I don’t know how you can travel to this beautiful city and not make this trip!  We signed up for a small tour arranged by our hotel (Holiday Inn – Zocalo) and while it was unorganized at times, in the end it was well worth the $70…especially considering we dropped about $150 for a tour of Seattle on our honeymoon…but I digress. 

On the tour, we walked over two kilometers and climbed both the pyramid of the Sun and the Moon.  For me, this was quite an achievement, considering we were at a much higher altitude than where we live.  Add to that the fact that I have asthma, had knee surgery about six months ago, and am deathly afraid of heights and you’ve got a great big ball of reasons not to climb a massive pyramid!  Regardless, when I saw school children running up and down the pyramid steps past a man coming down with a cast on his leg, I realized any excuse I would try to conjure up would be moot, so we climbed, and it was incredible!

From here, our tour also included a convenient stop at the square of six churches (la villa) where we got to see the original “Guadalupe” and observe the leaning tower of Pisa-esque façade of the old basilica.  Mexico City has areas that are sinking, which has caused the old basilica to sink at a rate of 1” per year, and it was clearly evident during our visit.

In the evening after we saw the pyramids, my long distance co-worker and a friend picked my wife and I up from our hotel and took us out to a fantastic dinner and drinks.  We didn’t expect to stay out dancing till 2:00am on a Thursday night, but apparently that’s the norm in Mexico City!  After awaking Friday and recovering over breakfast, we headed out to tackle as much of the city as we could before we had to head to Cotija.

We chose to take a Turibus tour of the city, which to me seemed a bargain at about $20.  This provided transportation to 24 different key stops around the city and afforded us the opportunity to see more than I think even we expected.  We got to see Zocalo, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the Angel de Independencia, and La Reforma, to name a few notable places.

In the end, I feel we accomplished more than would be recommended by most doctors, and I have 424 more digital photographs to add to my personal “tourist collection.”  We enjoyed a great trip, and I’d love to return someday.  Cotija was a charming little town and proved a great place to recover from the hectic pace of Mexico City.  For now, however, it’s time to get back to work and put the finishing touches on my Jack Kent Cooke application and try to get me some funding for my MBA!  

“Strange how much you have to know before you know how little you know.” – Anonymous