Our student Loida Montes of the Bachelor's Degree in Communication Sciences and Audiovisual Media, thanks to the Uni Scholarships, had the opportunity to carry out an international stay at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
When you entered Uni did you know there were international programs?
Yes, in fact this opportunity was one of the reasons why I chose the University of Celaya.
When you entered your career, did you think you would go to live and study abroad?
It was one of my goals, but I didn't know whether or not I could actually get the scholarship.
Have you ever lived or studied outside of Mexico before?
Yes, in 2017 I spent five months in the United States.
Whaté what prompted or motivated you to study in another country?
The openness and knowledge that I could acquire during my stay such as a new language and new ways of learning.
Why did you decide to study in that country?
Because all my friends who had been here before had told me wonderful things about their stay in Brazil and how great PUCRS University was and they were definitely not wrong.
How did you feel when you arrived in the new country?
I was happy but at the same time a little anxious to know what the semester would be like, a new adaptation, new friendships, challenges and classes in another language that although it is very similar to Spanish, it is not the same.
How have you been received at the university where you arrived?
Wonderful, I could not choose a better place to study and although because of the COVID we had to take the classes online, everyone at the University was very nice to us and organized many activities for our integration with all foreign students from many countries around the world, they gave us a tour of the city completely free, organized welcome cocktails and a lot of things that I could not write them all.
What will you miss most about Mexico and UNI?
Definitely my family and the food. As for UNI, I think what I miss the most is being able to attend all the activities it provides and use the gym for free since at PUCRS they charge for it separately.
What is the most exciting thing you have experienced so far in this experience?
Just after we arrived, my university friend from PUCRS got free tickets for all exchange students to attend the classic Inter vs Gremio game and to visit a world cup stadium with more than 50 kids of all nationalities, it was one of the most incredible things I could experience here.
And the hardest part?
Everything derived from COVID. Everything was going great, I was taking my normal classes and we had only been there for a week when they told us that the classes would be suspended in person and that they would be taken online until further notice. The truth is that first they said it would only be until April 12 but to date we have not returned and most likely we will not do it, in a way I feel that I did not take advantage of it as it should be because of this whole situation but I do not believe in coincidences and if I am here is for something ... in fact, I have dedicated myself to document everything we have lived the exchange students during this quarantine and I hope to make it a good project in the future.
What do you expect as a person and as a professional from this experience?
I came back with new knowledge, above all I had the opportunity to learn a new language.
Do you recommend these opportunities provided by Uni to your colleagues?
Yes, of course, even in spite of COVID, it is an experience I would not have changed and would do again if we could turn back time.
Thank you UNI for this wonderful experience!
