Living in San Miguel de Allende was an experience in vibrancy and relaxation for me. I attended Instituto Allende, a school of Art and Spanish on my GI Bill benefits in Mexico. Walking down a cobblestone street, seeing brightly colored houses with bougainvillea climbing upward, blooms of shocking pink overtaking the walls. Or brilliant murals with a kaleidoscope of colors that stretch for blocks at a time, creating a cinema of images as you walk to the supermercado. Even when I think about it today I smile and relaxation steals over me.
The food is just as colorful, an explosion of fresh and simple foods with the perfect amount of spices to create a zing in your mouth and a smile on your face. The delicate combination of sweet, salty and spicy, the balance of mangos, lime and tahín. Or tacos on the corner with an array of choices like creamy mushrooms, tangy nopales (cactus) or savory barbacoa smothered with salsa, cilantro and onion. Enjoying these simple pleasures each day engages your senses and slowly melts away years of tension.
My Story
I retired from the Air Force in May of 2023 after 20 years of service. I am grateful for my career and many experiences that I had along the way, but was also left with an incredible amount of stress from my last few years and a trauma disorder from deployment. It’s pretty difficult for me to even type those words as I don’t talk much about it, but I want you to know where I am coming from. I also have an autoimmune disease that contributes to occasional extreme fatigue, which I had to ignore while I was in the military. One of my goals for the first year of retirement, at least, was just to do what I wanted and enjoy the transition to a slower lifestyle, focusing on my health and wellbeing. This is what led me to San Miguel and the Instituto Allende- I want to let my fellow Veterans know about it.
My time in Mexico had such a calming effect on me as I had very little responsibility, all my efforts were able to be put into my studies and learning about the local life and culture. Even now I am amazed at the circumstances this program at the Instituto Allende and the GI Bill created for me. Monetarily speaking, the GI Bill covered everything in my lifestyle; books, class, rent and food. Other things like additional travel and maybe an expensive meal or two came out of my pocket. Having my pension and medical benefits allowed me to save money for trips or tours because most of the time I lived fairly cheaply (but never felt shorted). I very quickly realized how freeing this felt. I rarely thought about money, and that is a pretty amazing feeling!
This serene mindset continued at the Instituto Allende where I studied in the heart of San Miguel. Arriving was a surreal encounter with a building that looked to be out of historical Mexico. It is long and beautiful, made by talented, hard working hands, placing each individual stone in its proper place. The Parroquia rose behind it like a sunrise, giving you a glimpse of the centro – a breathtaking view that never became routine. Murals cover the walls from floor to ceiling, created by a variety of artists. It opens up into a covered courtyard filled with plants amid additional murals and tables where you can sit and grab a freshly brewed cup of coffee or have light local dishes. As you move out toward the classrooms you pass into a stunning garden with scattered tables and umbrellas where students study Spanish, their ages varying from their 20’s to their 70’s. Students sit in the grass and relax in between classes near a beautiful arched doorway of stone. Surrounded by beauty and nature, the environment creates a natural state of relaxation that allows you to absorb information in a peaceful state of mind.
“I’m having a great learning experience, I’d recommend this program, school, and city to any Veteran wanting to learn Spanish.”
Army Veteran Jason
The Instituto is an educational center that is incorporated through the University of Guanajuato. They offer a degree program for a BA in Visual Arts, but this includes an immersive Spanish program that you can attend in preparation of the art classes. You are not required to do any classes beyond Spanish, but you can take Art classes alongside the Spanish if you choose. They have a specially developed program for US Veterans in conjunction with the United States Veteran Affairs that originated in 1950. You can take one semester at a time or do an extended stay. As part of this program I met with a grammar teacher five days a week for two hours and a conversation teacher three days a week for two hours. The classes are one on one, which was very important to me. This creates incredible flexibility, regardless of what you’re looking for, a serious learner or maybe just survival Spanish.
My teachers did an excellent job of instructing me based on my individual learning style and were able to meet me right where I was at. My conversation teacher and I roamed around the city, visited museums, attended festivals and ate food as we talked in Spanish. Those are really marvelous experiences to have with a native speaker! As a result of this immersive and individual program, you are able to learn much more quickly than if you were in a traditional college classroom.
In addition to classes there are a variety of school sponsored trips that you have the option of attending. Some are day trips, which are paid for by the school, but others that might be an overnight or a long weekend are supplemented by the school and you pay the difference. Each trip is with a local bilingual guide and driver, so you can practice your Spanish, but still ask anything you need in English. During my stay I visited several local towns around San Miguel, went on a weekend trip to see the migration of the Monarch Butterflies and a long weekend to Mexico City. It was really great to have these opportunities especially in the beginning when you don’t know much Spanish or too many people. The trips really make the learning more realistic and engaging.
I did study for several hours most days, but the lifestyle in San Miguel offers a lot of community events and entertainment. The international group of people that live there contribute in so many ways. There were all kinds of groups that you could connect with and people there are extremely friendly to newcomers. I enjoyed dancing and spent some time taking lessons and going out with others to dance in the evenings. There is also a very active international culinary scene with many interesting restaurants to enjoy. There are cultural activities and live performances on a weekly basis, you never have a day without options. There are two different websites dedicated specifically for that purpose. One with all events coming up listed and described and one for all live events for music, theater etc.
“It’s important to know that as a single female living there, I felt safe. My friends and I frequently walked after dark and I was never uncomfortable with that. I would compare it to NYC, where you should always be situationally aware and smart about when and where you are at.“
Something else I loved about the community in San Miguel was that a car wasn’t necessary, and many people don’t have one. You might consider this a hardship, but in fact I found it to be the opposite. I lived about 10 minutes walking from the Instituto Allende and about 15 minutes from the centro. I came to love my time walking as I found just moving around consistently throughout the day had a substantial impact on my feelings of health and wellbeing. I rarely took a cab, although they were readily available, and enjoyed walking time for thinking and processing as I went from place to place. It also gave me an opportunity to really look at things in detail, I found I noticed so much more when I was walking.
I loved to watch the people in my neighborhood as I passed through it. In the mornings it was niños in little tracksuits with cartoon backpacks on the way to school. Their hair neatly combed, they held their parent’s hands and scrambled with their little legs to keep up. They were my teachers as they chattered in Spanish with squeaky voices. In the afternoons I practiced my greetings and chatted with people who I passed, stopped in at different neighborhood stores and tried to be a friendly North American to my neighbors. I wanted them to see me as positively as I saw them. All of these interactions and observations are eliminated if you’re driving around in a car all the time.
These experiences in San Miguel and at the Instituto Allende I have shared with you were impactful in many ways. They positively affected my well being mentally, physically and emotionally. The slower pace, a chance to be introspective and to unwind all the years of stress from military service was just what I needed. As I learned and became more fluid in Spanish, I basically felt like I was on a free long term vacation. It’s one thing to be on vacation for a week or two, but to feel that way for months really affects your physical and mental health. It was a priceless opportunity for me and I certainly love being able to share this with others. My hope is that more people will become aware of the program and be able to have the same remarkable adventure that I did!
To connect with me about my experiences using my Gi Bill in Mexico: Reach out at denisegambs@gmail.com
Instituto Allende Instagram and Facebook
Read about their GI Bill Program here that includes assistance with housing, enrollment and everything you will need to study Spanish in beautiful San Miguel. Check out the institutes GI Bill Facebook Video.
Thank you….
Denise Gambs
If Mexico isn’t your thing, or you’re not interested in learning Spanish. You can use this locator for GI Bill Friendly Institutions around the world. You select which country appeals to you and you can see schools there and VA Reps from those schools. That’s what Benjamin Blume aka “The Bearded Tiger” did when he used his GI Bill to study abroad.
Ben’s Study Abroad Story
I was in school from 2016-19 at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville TX right after I got out of the Army. With some of what a lot of us see, saw and feel in and out of the military, it felt easy to put myself in hole and just get by in life where I just check the box and move onto the next thing. But when I found studying abroad I realized there was so much more out there for me and more to live for.
We are a gold star family having lost our youngest brother while we were both in. While I was mostly alone on these trips I was still able to cope and work through coming to terms with his passing and my own injuries. I kept his memory alive by finding things he would have enjoyed and doing them. I also learned it’s not as intimidating as I thought to travel, it’s about taking that first step to see the world then never looking back.
I did seven total study abroad trips: Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Tokyo, back to Germany, the UAE, and New Zealand. Some of them were more difficult than others and different places require different paperwork. Some were just 2-3 weeks but all of them were worth doing. My favorite one was New Zealand, at the University of Auckland. – Here’s their VA Benefits page to check out.
The school was great and had everything a student could need. I got to drive and explore up and down both islands getting to see lots of LOTR stuff and tours, the coolest mountains I’ve ever seen. I did fjord tours, did a helicopter glacier hike, cave diving where we floated on tube on underground river seeing glow worms and hearing about the Maori history. There are loads of museums and one of the top adventure capitals of the world.
There are a lot of US schools that have extra funding for study abroad that vets also have access to. The world is a big beautiful place and we have the perfect opportunity to see it during our education. Most schools have a study abroad office to start the process and they have been very helpful with paperwork and course equivalency paperwork as well as visa and abroad school logistics. It’s a bit of paperwork filling everything out but it’s worth it to study and travel.
John’s Note
More veterans should use their GI Bill abroad. The BAH rate is $2,355 if you attend school abroad. The best way to learn Spanish, or any language is through immersion. You don’t need to have any previous Spanish experience to go to school at Instituto Allende.
There’s no need for any immigration paperwork. Mexico gives American tourists 180 days for a single entry. Renting is simple, the school can help you or you can look up local Facebook Expat groups or wherever else. Here’s a site the school recommends for rentals: San Miguel Rentables. The school will provide you with a welcome letter and information specifically for Veterans using the GI Bill. Reach out to them with any questions.
If you’re interested in moving abroad, check out my Free Veterans Guide To Moving Abroad. If you’ve used your GI Bill abroad, let me know about your experiences so we can get that information out to more Veterans. On my blog I have more articles about moving and living abroad as well as Veteran mental health on my blog. Check out my book Combat To College if you’re a student veteran and my Free Student Veteran Coaching Program. Follow me on Instagram and TikTok.
Thanks for your service.