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by Victoria Brito<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Nine students from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley spent a week in\u00a0M\u00e9rida<\/a>, on the\u00a0Yucat\u00e1n<\/a>\u00a0peninsula in M\u00e9xico, as part of a study abroad trip focused on global change.<\/p>\n The bilingual course \u2013 led by\u00a0Dr. Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo<\/a>, associate professor of biology in the UTRGV\u00a0Department of Biology<\/a>, College of Sciences \u2013 was in Mexico from July 1-8, visiting locations that highlighted the area\u2019s natural assets, with an emphasis on how tourism has helped preserve the environment.<\/p>\n The group met before its departure to go over the topics they would be covering and to learn about the Mayan Yucat\u00e1n.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main topic of this class is global change, so we studied how human and oceanic activities have changed,\u201d Feria-Arroyo said. \u201cI wanted them to have an idea of how our ecosystems are not exactly similar but equivalent with what we have in the Valley, and of our expectations of a high-volume tourist area.<\/p>\n \u201cTourists want to have clean water,\u201d she said, \u201cand if not for the efforts of locals to maintain the water, it would already be polluted.\u201d<\/p>\n When picking a location for the study abroad course, Feria-Arroyo said, she looked for a safe location with a similar ecosystem to the Valley\u2019s, but also one culturally relevant. The concept was to compare what the indigenous Maya do today to preserve the area, versus what is done in the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cThe students were able to see in a practical way how the Maya do not use straws, unlike in the U.S., where we use a lot of plastic straws,\u201d she said. \u201cI was looking for them to see how we can actually contribute ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Feria-Arroyo said the experience of being able to observe first hand resonated with the students.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to realize that we can be the change,\u201d she said. \u201cBut, in order to do that, we need to see what is happening, what other people are doing or not doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Another reason for choosing Merida was the prevalence of indigenous Maya there, which Feria-Arroyo saw as a way for her Hispanic students to find pride in their Mexican roots.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted them to have hands-on, experiential learning so they can wake up those skills for the enrichment of their own culture,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She said the students did, in fact, appreciate their roots more after visiting Merida, and the week abroad ended with a sense of closeness that had not been there at the beginning.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end, we were like a family. We bonded with each other, with our translator, and everybody was kind and polite. So, I think that the class material helped, but it was also the cultural experience, the hands-on, experiential learning for our students.\u201d<\/p>\n Feria said the students want to continue their bond by spreading the word about conservation at UTRGV and creating a student organization dedicated to conserve rare plants in the Valley.<\/p>\n CONSERVATION<\/strong><\/p>\n Feria-Arroyo hoped that her students would appreciate their legacy more after the trip. She recalls that while visiting a beach, the group was advised not to use chemicals, like sunblock, while going into the water because the water is the main source of drinking water.<\/p>\n Gisel Garza, senior biology major, said this course opened her eyes to the ways humans have affected the environment.<\/p>\n \u201cA large amount of pork is produced there and it is effecting their water. But tourism helps, because tourists go to see the natural environment, so locals feel pressured to keep the water clean. So, in a way, tourism limits the amount of pollution pork can create over there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Feria Arroyo had told the class that she wanted them to gain a sense of pride in their Mexican lineage, and Garza said that did happen.<\/p>\n \u201cWe became very close, and that was nice because we didn\u2019t really know each other before. Having a week in M\u00e9rida brought us all together, like a family,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Nora Sustait, a senior pre-medical biology major, first heard of the class while taking biochemistry in the spring. She recalls her time in Merida fondly.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody there was just so nice, smiling, really open and friendly. They welcomed us, and it was wonderful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Before this course, she did not know that the Yucat\u00e1n peninsula used to be home to agave plants, which a main source of the economy until the area was deforested.<\/p>\n \u2018I have shifted my view on things,\u201d Sustait said. \u201cI don\u2019t use straws anymore. I try to keep up with my recycling. And I want to be part of a program to help educate others about what we\u2019re actually doing to our climate.\u2019<\/p>\n CENOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n Christopher Mu\u00f1oz, of McAllen, a graduate student in the\u00a0Ocean, Coastal and Earth Sciences program<\/a>\u00a0in the UTRGV Graduate College, has a great interest in plant biogeography and took this course to learn about the distinct characteristics of plant species that differ from those in South Texas.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IN-A-CENOTE-Courtesy-Photo.jpg\")
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