16 September 2022: Networking trip in September to UAEMex Toluca/Mexico

From September 8 to September 16, we (Dr. Janina Vernal Schmidt and Finja Schmalz) were on a networking trip to visit Toluca at UAEMex in the state of Mexico. There we visited our colleagues and the four Hildesheim scholarship students who are studying at the language faculty at the moment. The trip served to further deepen our joint activities such as this year's and future student exchanges between Hildesheim and Toluca, to get to know the Mexican student teachers who will be visiting us in Hildesheim for a semester starting in October 22, and to plan and prepare a joint research project on the topic of 'Beliefs and attitudes of Mexican student teachers and teachers:in relation to multilingualism in school'. Based on the findings of the survey, a practice-oriented workshop for the Mexican student teachers will be developed and carried out at the beginning of next year. 

During a previous research visit in July 2022, Dr. Vernal Schmidt was able to give an introductory lecture on the topic of multilingualism in school in Germany udn Mexico at the Facultad de Lenguas of UAEM, both in the B.A. and in the Master. She also conducted two workshops on the topic with the student teachers and met and exchanged ideas with the scholarship students from Hildesheim. Together with Dr. María Estrada we also realized a wonderful excursion to the Centro Cultural Otomí in Temoaya.

Furthermore we were able to visit the Universidad Intercultural del Estado de México (UIEM) in San Felipe del Progreso in September together with two of the four Hildesheim scholarship holders. We received an exceptionally warm welcome from the president of UIEM, Dra. Xóchitl Guadarrama, and were invited to participate in a ceremonial multilingual greeting with students from UIEM. In addition, we received a taster course in Mazahua, a language spoken in the Ixtlahuaca Valley (Aalle de Ixtlahuaca) on the border between the states of México and Michoacán. In addition, we were able to talk with faculty and students from the B.A. programs in language, culture, and crafts (printing, blacksmithing, woodworking), watch them at work, and learn a lot about the philosophy (service learning with the non-Spanish-speaking communities in the area) of the intercultural university. The visit ended with singing and dance performances and a delicious traditional Mexican meal (pollo en mole negro and gelatina).

We are very grateful for the great organization and hospitality of Dr. María Estrada and Barbara Bangle as well as the colleagues of UIEM and leave Mexico with many new impressions and ideas in our luggage. We are looking forward to further collaboration with our Mexican friends and cooperation partners and are looking forward to welcoming the Mexican exchange students for the winter semester 22/23 at SUH.