Volunteer Stories  |  Janice

Having traveled to so many places, it never really occurred to me that I can actually combine my backpacking with some volunteer work. I decided that why not give it a try and maybe I can actually learn from doing something different with my travels than the usual pleasure trips that I’ve been doing over the years.

I was lucky enough to stumble upon the Travel-To-Teach Mexico Volunteer Program through some web searching. Through constant email communication with Adriana, I was finally convinced that this program was worth trusting for budget travelers like me who would like to contribute their time and effort to the country they’re going to. Besides, my guts told me to do it, and that I won’t regret it in the end. I was right. It’s all about taking risks and that’s how we experience life.

Adriana was very welcoming and helped me to adjust in that week of staying in Xalapa. Although it can be quite challenging being outside your comfort zone, it made me see how life can be so interesting in different parts of the world. In no time, I had built friendships within that short period of staying there. From learning Spanish to learning how to cook stuffed peppers, I was already getting a deeper impression of the culture by doing these simple things. The highlight of it all, though was the volunteer work itself. I have been teaching English for a couple of years now, but this time I had an opportunity to get my hands on dealing with a whole different kind audience.

By assisting my fellow volunteers, I was able to help out in every way I can with my teaching skills. It can be quite overwhelming at first because of the humbling environment that you get put into, but I still felt that I at least made a small impact into these people’s lives. The hardworking ladies from the women’s group, the fun loving children from Casa de la Madre orphanage, and the adorable students from the primary school in Castillo Chico, they all made me appreciate what I have and most importantly, my experience with them made me realize how fortunate I am with my life! It was really moving to see how they are very eager and grateful of the opportunities of learning English they get solely from us, volunteers. This is something I would like to teach my current ESL students who are privileged enough to go to school!

This entire experience benefited me more than what I gave them so little. I’ve learned so much from the people, the country, and the culture just by doing all of this alone. Make sure you are self-motivated and you are able to use your initiative if you ever plan to join such volunteer programs. It will definitely be a great experience if you use your imagination, ingenuity and patience in providing them the knowledge that they need to study English. Don’t expect to be guided through everything in a routine as it is very much what you make it yourself.

Thanks to T2T Mexico, it is absolutely a rewarding experience that I will always remember!