Itinerary

GETTING THERE

You will need to fly to Mexico City, and you will be met by Adriana Martinez Cabral, who is our AV representative. After your first tacos, you will spend the night in a backpackers' hostel near the centre of the city. The next day you will visit the main square (the Zócalo) and market and get a feel for Mexico's capital city and its vibrant culture. Then a 2½-hour coach journey through the suburbs of the city (traffic everywhere!) to the pine-clad hills around Valle de Bravo...an altogether more restful scene.

BRIEFING AND ORIENTATION

The hacienda, where you will spend the next 12 days, is a magnificent family manor farm, steeped in tradition and set in stunning countryside. Laura is our amazing Spanish language teacher and, besides improving your Spanish, you will cover:

• Teaching techniques and tips
• History, culture and customs of the Mexican people
• Safety, health, security and risk assessment

During the week, you will visit Valle de Bravo and your villages. By this time you will know all the other AV volunteers, and you should be well prepared and ready to join your villages.

YOUR NEW HOME

The villages, which will be your home, are in attractive farming country and not far from the hacienda (1-10 kilometres):

• Santa Maria, San Francisco, Polvillos and Amanalco each have a character of their own and the villagers will make you very welcome. You will quickly get to know the local shopkeepers and children, who will be delighted to see new AV faces!
• Your house will be brick built and, though basic, will have running water, shower, kitchen, inside loo and decent beds. Cooking is made easy with colourful markets nearby with an abundance of vegetables, fruit and burritos to buy. Mexicans are always eating, especially anything that blows your head off e.g. chilli, so be warned!
• Religious festivals abound and you will experience at first hand how the Catholic Church and Mexican Indian culture entwine.

You will make local friends and may well be invited to a wedding or even a funeral. Mexicans love to party; dancing and fireworks will enliven many a night.

THE PROJECT

Most of the villages have their own primary and secondary schools. These are generally well run, with fairly good facilities, but in desperate need of help with teaching English. You will be in great demand.

Schools work from a syllabus but, as the English part is formal and outdated, many head teachers are keen to encourage spoken English. Ages range from 6-16. The standard of English is generally poor.

In your primary school, you will generally teach English from 8.30am until break and follow this with another couple of hours in the secondary school. Classes are of between 20-40 pupils.

Games need some encouragement and you will find lots of Mexicans who are football mad. Every class seems to have a dance team so you won't be short of salsa moments!

Weekends can be spent relaxing, visiting other AV volunteers or sightseeing - there's a mass of things to do! The stunning lake in Valle de Bravo is particularly popular and old colonial towns, such as Puebla, are well worth a visit.

There may well be opportunities to teach English to teachers and parents and, in return, learn extra Spanish or pick up some Mexican cooking tips.

INDEPENDENT TRAVEL - 4 weeks

Wow! Mexico has it all and is waiting for you to embrace her. Try:

• Visiting the world heritage sites and pyramids of Chichen-Itza and Campeche
• See historic colonial towns such as Oaxaca and visit the beautiful Chaipas region
• Swim and sunbathe on the Caribbean coastline
• Snorkel and dive off the Yucatan peninsula
• Experience the deserts of the north

The best way of travelling is by coach, which is relatively cheap. If you do this at night it will save you paying for overnight accommodation. Many of you will probably wish to extend your stay and you can change your flight at little extra cost and perhaps visit Cuba or Guatemala.

HOME

Your ticket should be booked to fly home from Mexico City, so you will need to give yourself time to collect the rest of your belongings from the hacienda and bid a final farewell to your villages.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Before departure:

Pre-departure information, support and advice
A nominated member of the UK volunteer support team
One-to-one face to face briefing for UK applicants
Telephone briefing for non-UK applicants
References taken up
Comprehensive online health check
Advice on group flight booking or individual flight arrangements
Briefing for group departure from London airport

In-country:

In-country representative
24/7 in-country backup
Meet and greet at airport (if arriving with the group)
Airport transfer (if arriving with group)
In-country induction course
Transfer from induction course to school/project
Accommodation (except during independent travel)
Food allowance (except during independent travel)
Management of emergencies, including lost passport, illness, etc. whilst in-country
Language school accommodation
Spanish lessons

Upon returning home:

Returning home advice
Full telephone debriefing

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

Flights
Travel Insurance
Country visas
Meeting of non-group arrivals
Accommodation for early/late arrivals
Medical expenses, e.g. inoculations, malaria prophylatics
In-country medical expenses
Drinks
Tips/gratuities - No tips/gratuities for AV staff are necessary or expected
Spending money
Extra activities that you choose to do
Independent travel

If you need some help and want to talk about your plans to volunteer, please Get in touch

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