Wolf Point Student Experiences Mexico

International Education

Reilly Rees, who is entering his senior year at Wolf Point High School, spent part of his summer increasing his knowledge of another part of the world. Rees experienced life in Mexico during June through the CIEE Global Navigator program.

Rees became interested in gaining an international experience after visiting with recent Wolf Point graduate Elliauna Ryan. Rees had the choice of traveling to Mexico, Spain or Argentina. He decided on Mexico because the cost was lower. He thanks his mother, Marianne Zilkoski Rees, for helping organize fundraising efforts for the trip.

He also selected Mexico because his uncle-in-law lives in that country.

Staying in Merida, Yucatan, Rees greatly enjoyed the company of his host family that consisted of a father, mother and a boy closed to Rees’ age. “It was awesome,” Rees said of the family. “They treated me as a member of the family.”

There wasn’t much of a language barrier since Rees has self-taught himself Spanish during the last three or four years. “I can understand most things,” he said.

He also appreciated his host father teaching him slang words.

Rees’ days in Mexico included taking classes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Topics included Mexican culture where students were taught about the country’s music and food.

He was a fan of the food offered in Mexico. “It was awesome, delicious,” he said. His favorite was tacos al Pastor, which consists of small tortillas, pork and seasoning.

Another highlight was sightseeing. Rees especially liked the underground caves that were available for swimming.

He was surprised how many houses looked really old from the outside but were very modern on the inside.

Rees, a member of Wolf Point’s cross country and track teams, did have some opportunities for long distance jogs during the trip, but he explained that being on roads wasn’t very safe.

“Everybody drives super fast,” Rees said. “It’s like the traffic in California, but the roads are like here with the potholes.”

He definitely recommends the learning experience trips to other students.

“Here, there’s not a lot of opportunities to speak Spanish,” he explained. “When you speak it every day, you get a better feel how it’s spoken.”