Dear Mrs. Straesser,
My name is Melissa Alvarez and I am a third year student of Bachelor Human Geography at the University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands. I would like to take part in an exchange programme at the Universidad de Las Americas in Mexico for a period of 5 months.
At the Universidad de Las Americas there is course available which focuses on the influences of western cultures upon the culture of Mexico itself. I think that this course is very interesting and it suits my desire to build a certain perspective of non- western cultures perfectly.
The main reason why I want to go to Mexico is because I want to acknowledge a better non-western culture perspective during my study years of Human Geography. The western culture-perspective is one of the most known and common perspectives, and it is being used by many academics of Western countries. I am keenly interested in acquiring more knowledge in a non-western culture perspective, because it is not very popular among Western countries. Furthermore, I am seriously considering working in a non-western country or a developing country after I acquire my Masters degree of Human Geography.
Mexico is my first choice as a foreign country for the exchange programme, because fellow students have spoken very highly of this country in consideration with foreign study experiences. I always hoped to gain more knowledge about the Mexican culture and the culture in Central American countries and that is why I think the exchange programme will be perfect and it completes my desire.
I truly hope that I could take part in the exchange programme to Mexico in 2009, during the first semester of the third year of Bachelor of Human Geography.
I enclose a curriculum vitae and a list of my recent grades. Thank you for your attention and I hope to hear from you soon.
Yours sincerely,