I did my master thesis with Prof. Alfred U’Ren and the Quantum Optics group at UNAM, Mexico City, in the spring of 2017. It was an amazing experience and I am forever grateful to Prof. Dag Hanstorp for giving me the chance to go there. Their work within fiber optics and quantum optics is amazing and extremely interesting, and the laboratory is of excellent quality and I learned so much, all while making some friends for life.

What I liked the most about Mexico City were the people and the atmosphere. Everyone I met was extremely friendly and curious, and it was fun trying to get by with my really bad spanish. My advice is to learn at least the basics so that you can talk to the locals, otherwise I think you are missing out on a huge part of the experience. I also highly recommend the street food, just make sure to follow the guidelines, use their hand sanitizers (if they dont have any you shouldn’t eat there..) and only eat at places where the locals eat. I really miss having amazing food just around the corner wherever I go. Also, don’t do the same mistake I did by going to Cancun. It is extremely americanized and touristy and I started missing “the real Mexico” when I was there. I wish I had visit more places than just Mexico City and Cancun, but I have promised myself to return one day. That day is getting closer and closer, and I am really looking forward to it.

Best regards,

Michel