Have you ever been on a cruise? Recently, I took a cruise to Mexico with my family and it was a blast! It was also educational. During my freshman and sophomore years I took Spanish here at East, so when I got to Mexico it helped a lot that I was familiar with the language. Spanish class also taught me the difference between American and Mexican money: One American dollar currently equals 18.13 Mexican pesos; therefore, an item that costs 363 pesos would cost about $20 U.S. dollars. Unfortunately, many people I met and saw in Mexico were poor and even begged Americans for money.
Another thing that Spanish class taught me about are different kinds of food. We docked at two different Mexican ports, Cozumel and Retina, and in Cozumel I finally got to taste churros for the first time. A churro is a Mexican dessert and the one I tasted was heated, covered in sugar, and dipped in chocolate syrup.
Mexican restaurants also serve Mexican Coke (only in glass bottles!) instead of American Coca-Cola. The difference is that Mexican Coke has more syrup in it, so it is way sweeter. The queso in Mexico was also different–thicker and spicier than what we are used to being served at Mexican restaurants in America. I prefer the queso in Mexico.
Mexican culture is interesting and creative. For example, in Retina my brother decided to buy a type of hat called a sun-burro. The handcrafted designs on the sun-burros are completely unique and very detailed. The island of Cozumel has many small archeological sites from the Mayan period, but we did not get to see any.
I recommend traveling on a cruise ship to Mexico, as well as taking Spanish in high school. You’ll be glad you did!
