Daniela Alarcón, Marketing student, was one of the winners of the Uni International Scholarship at Guangdong University - South China Business College.

When you entered Uni did you know there were international programs?

I did know that you have the opportunity to participate in international programs, however I was not aware of all the countries to which you have access.

Did you think you would go to live and study abroad?

I had always wanted to do it, but I never thought I would dare to do it.

Have you ever lived or studied outside of Mexico before?

I had never lived abroad.

What prompted or motivated you to study in another country?

Being able to learn about another culture and see the differences and similarities that exist between my country and an Asian country, in addition to having the facility to travel within this continent.

Why did you decide to study in that country?

A year ago I had the opportunity to travel to Asia, so I could realize in a real way how different our cultures are, which made me want to continue to know Asia and really live this culture shock.

How did you feel when you arrived in the new country?

I was nervous, since I chose to live in a country far away from Mexico and therefore from my family, and also because I had never lived a similar experience, I did not know how I was going to react, on the other hand, I did not know what to expect from this experience because of the different opinions that the exchange students of last semester had.

How have you been received at the university where you arrived?

I was very well received, arriving in China they picked us up at the airport and since this semester some Chinese were given the opportunity to live with foreigners, so during the whole semester we had the help of native people.

What will you miss most about Mexico?

Honestly, it was such a pleasant experience from day one that I didn't miss a hundred percent of anything, it's true that I missed my family, the food, and even being able to speak in my language all the time, but all of this was tolerable.

What about the Uni?

Mainly to my colleagues.

What is the most exciting thing you have experienced so far in this experience?

The most exciting thing has been to be able to live the experience of being in a Chinese wedding, as they are really very different from the weddings that take place in Mexico, so it was very interesting to see the different ways of celebrating these events.

And the hardest part?

Spending Christmas and New Year's in a country where these holidays are not celebrated and being away from my family.

What do you expect as a person and as a professional from this program?

As a person, it was a very big step for me, as I had never lived away from home before, and being able to get out of my comfort zone and live with people I didn't really know has helped me to be more tolerant and empathetic.

As a professional, being able to live with people from different countries, having an optimal communication and learning to work as a team with them, are skills that I am grateful to have been able to acquire, besides improving my English level and learning some Mandarin Chinese.

Do you recommend these opportunities provided by Uni to your colleagues?

I recommend 100% this experience, it is very enriching in different ways, since you have the opportunity to live with people from different countries and learn from them, besides being able to teach them and tell them about your country, on the other hand to know how different other people think, to know about their dreams and goals, make you open your mind and motivate you to think differently and be tolerant.

Living in a country with different customs, food, traditions, etc., allows you to learn about them, but also to know yourself, because sometimes we think we know how we will react to live different experiences, but you really do not know until you live it, you surprise yourself. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity!