¡Bienvenidos a Oaxaca! (Claire)

¡Hola a todos!

My host bro and me in Oaxaca (2010)

And bienvenidos new Oaxaca students! I'm really excited to meet all of you within the next few months, and also just to see you through Skype and get to know each one of you individually. I'm Claire, and you'll all be seeing/hearing a lot from me when you're down in Oaxaca. I'm the In-Country Assistant Director of the program (I will be down there for the entire program) and will be helping you with questions you have about Oaxaca/Mexico, fun cultural stuff, program planning, group dinners, and just any type of support you need during the program.

So a little bit about me! I'm from Waterbury Center, Vermont, and I did the Oaxaca Program back in 2010. It was the best experience I had while being a UVM student, besides being in the Co-ed a cappella group, the Hit Paws :) Singing and Spanish were definitely my passions, and still are! I graduated in 2011, and moved back to Mexico in 2012, where I've been ever since. I started off volunteering on farms, then slowly became an English teacher, and finally started to work on the Oaxaca Program last year! I live part-time in Cuernavaca, Mexico teaching English at a school and online, and then head on down to Oaxaca for the other half of the year to work on this awesome study abroad!

Oaxaca is by far one of my favorite cities and states in Mexico. The food, colors, music, culture, history, art, etc are all candy for the soul and the senses. I hope you love Oaxaca as much as I do, and I'm looking forward to seeing how you all take this abroad experience and run with it!

Saludos from Mexico! Hasta Pronto!
Claire