Mexico City: Dreams and Life on the Move
"The city is sunny and full of energy, and each day brings new experiences, friendships, and simple joys." Kseniya Kotova, a 2nd-year undergraduate in Marketing and Market Analytics a 2nd year Bachelor's in Marketing and Market Analytics at HSE Graduate School of Business, shares her experiences from a semester abroad at ITAM.
The exchange period turned out to be extremely rich in experiences. Almost every day was full of events and new connections. I made many friends from different countries. Alongside my studies, I was able to travel actively around the country. During my time there, I went to the ocean twice. Flights within Mexico were affordable and quick. With advance planning, it was easy to explore different regions of the country. Overall, Mexico has incredible natural diversity from coastlines to mountain towns, which makes staying there especially rich and interesting. What mattered most was that I made an effort to go beyond the university community. Communicating with Mexicans helped me better understand the culture, see the real Mexico and of course improve my Spanish. Local people treated me with warmth and genuine interest. They invited me to their hometowns and shared their everyday lives with me. Tourist and luxury resort places are certainly impressive, but real understanding of a country comes when you see it as a whole with all its challenges, contradictions, and unique character. In my opinion, that is the true meaning of travel, even if it feels scary at first. Overall, Mexicans are very open and energetic people and this environment naturally makes you more confident and outgoing.
The university itself also left a positive impression on me. I especially liked that the curriculum allows students to choose their courses. In addition to business classes, I took a course on international relations between Mexico, the United States and Canada (I highly recommend it to future ITAM students!). Every class was a challenge for me: I had to actively participate in discussions and give presentations in another language, overcoming my own shyness. The campus is very pleasant. The sunny weather makes it possible to spend a lot of time outdoors, including while doing coursework outside of class.
The local food is worth mentioning.. I still miss the cheap tacos. Over time, I developed a simple rule: the simpler a taquería looks, the tastier the food. At first, it was not easy to get used to the spiciness, but eventually it became a natural part of everyday life.
To sum up, I’d like to share the following.I understand why many students aim to study at a prestigious university, preferably somewhere in Europe. It is a common and understandable goal. However, the quality of an exchange experience depends less on the country or the university and more on personal involvement, initiative, openness to new experiences and the willingness to step beyond your fears. I am convinced that my exchange would not have been so meaningful if I had not had a sincere inner desire to grow, not only academically, but personally as well. And I truly feel that I achieved that growth.
