This spring will count as the fifth year of the Study Abroad to Mexico trip headed by the Department of Foreign Languages.

The department has ended its planning of its spring break trip and is now waiting to hear if its funding has been approved.

For one week, students will travel to three cities in central Mexico: Mexico City, Morelina in Michocán and Guanajuato.

Group leader and Spanish instructor, Leslie Parker said these cities were chosen because they are safe with interesting features.

“Students can feel free to roam around,” she said.

The first part of the trip will be in Mexico City. The first night, students will have a night tour of the city. For the following three days, students will visit the Museo de Antropología e Historia, Castillo de Chapultepec, La Zona Rosa and the Plaza de las tres culturas, among other places.

The second leg will take place in Morelia, Michoacán. Parker said Morelia is a nice town, and its university has a working relationship with Missouri Southern. There, students will live with families and attend classes for three days.

In the afternoon, after class, students will attend other activities including cooking, craft and dance classes.

The final stop will be in Guanajuato, a colonial town still living its traditional village ways. The group will participate in several tours of the town as well as partake in La Callejoneada. This consists of native students walking around the town, going from home to home while singing. Southern’s students will be invited to sing along with them.

Two options are open to go on the trip. Introduction to Mexican Culture (SPAN 298) is a one-credit hour course and Mexican and Culture and Civilization in the 21st Century (SPAN 498) is a three-credit hour course. No prerequisite for Spanish 298 is required, whereas Spanish 204 is needed before taking Spanish 498.

Parker said all students are welcome to apply for the study abroad program. If there is not a Spanish background in an applicant’s history, a brief rundown of the language and culture will be given in the introduction course.

The application deadline for the program is Dec. 10. Students also need to register during the regular enrollment this fall for either Spanish 298 or 498.

The trip’s fee is $1,800, not including regular tuition and fees. This fee will include all transportation, meals, accommodations, health insurance and round-trip airfare.