After flying in to Mexico on Sunday, I have now settled in to my apartment and got to know the other PIRE students! We’ve clicked well and I can’t wait to spend the rest of time here with them. Having other students with me is definitely helping my adjustment to the new environment and is allowing us to bond even further 🙂
On Monday and Tuesday, we went to Zócalo and did some shopping. We explored the city and saw the Palace de Bellas Artes, which is beautiful from the outside, especially with the sunset. Our group experienced taking the metro, which to me was fun to figure out! Zócalo is apart of the historic center of the city, so I hope to see more of the historical landmarks within the district. 
Through the week, I enjoyed seeing the different types of architecture around la Ciudad. The community too within la Ciudad is very vibrant. To my surprise, there is a lot of greenery in the city, unlike some in the US. I love being connected with nature at the same time as connecting with people, so I feel comfortable. Although the language is taking some time to get used to, I am learning and adjusting to the cultural differences with an open mind. Our group has been to a couple street vendors for some delicious food and I definitely want to go to more! My personal favorites have been la concha and mangos with tajin and chamoy!
On Tuesday, we met with Dr. Natalia Arias Trejo and Maestra Alma Lázaro, who gave us a tour around the Facultad de Psicología and Psycholinguistic Lab! Later that week, we met Dr. Alejandra Raisman and the rest of the department, where we had our weekly lab meeting and listened to a presentation about an article about bilingual language learning in children. Everyone has been very welcoming to us and we’re grateful that we can use their space.
I can’t wait to start collecting data and learn more about la Ciudad!
xoxo, alyson <3