We had a good day of work at the office in Projects Abroad Mexico. The first part of the Care & Teaching workshop took place last Friday! 

Prof. Consuelo Velasco held the workshop and gave some useful tips to care and teaching volunteers. A continuation of it will happen some time really soon. Any tip given by a professional of education is really helpful! 

Thank you to all the volunteers who attended and thank you to Consuelo! 

See you in the next one! 

Teachers' day in Mexico is a national festivity. It is celebrated on the 15th of May. Projects Abroad Mexico wants to say Congratulations to all of the teachers in their day. 

Many thanks to all of the teachers that had been part of our team and that will be working alongside the volunteers either in our teaching placements or in the Spanish Classes! 

Special thanks to: 

Fernada Romero

Consuelo Velazquez

Mayte and Cecilia (at Secundaria 35)

Elizabeth and Paty (at Secundaria 50)

Javier Torres

Many thanks for your great collaboration and your great dedication to the education! 

It is always such a great feeling to know that our work in the different placement creates a good lasting impact. 

Projects Abroad Mexico received a recognition from 'Puente de los Ninos'. They were saying 'thank you' to Projects Abroad Mexico staff due to the arrangement of the Day of the Children with the kids from this orphanage. As you might have read before, volunteers and staff made this happen last week.

Of course this recognition goes to all the volunteers that helped this event to take place, we all made this possible. 

For us is such a great thing to receive as it is amazing to know we are creating a good impact.

A big Thank you to the volunteers involved and also to Puente de los Ninos for letting us have this great experience. 

It is not understating it to say that coming to Mexico for two months was a challenge. There were times before I left Australia when I when I wondered why on earth I was putting myself in such a situation.

My grasp of Spanish was rudimentary to say the least. And even after this time even though I undersatand much of what is being said I still tend to translate and respond in English. This, I am assured is a step along the way.

I would be living with a family after several years of being on my own and having only myself to consider.

I would be dealing with young adults, an age group I had no experience of working with.

However, it has been a challenge made easier by the wonderful people I have been fortunate to meet, to live and work with, especially the students of CUSUR. They will always have a place in my heart as will all the people of this vibrant, colourful, musical and energetic country.

VIVA MEXICO!

My two month placement at Cuidad Guzman has flown by and it seems like only yesterday that Candy and Francisco were welcoming me - as they have many previous Projects Abroad volunteers - and helping me to feel at home.

From the start Francisco took me with him as he covered various events in his capacity as journalist and photographer. Mostly I had no idea where I was going and only the vaguest notion of what was going on but I got to meet lots of people who overwhelmed me with their hospitality. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a lecture on the role of women in Mexican society, a policy speech at the University, a sculpture exhibition and a women's breakfast for International Women's Day.

Initially I was asked to take two one hour Conversation Club sessions but I felt that I would like to do more. My supervisor accepted my offer and I was able to assist her and one of the other teachers in their English classes as well.

The Conversation Club was more relaxed as it was an option and not at all compulsory with no credits accrued for attendance. The students came from different courses - Tourism, Psychology, International and Agri Business and Medicine. The number of attendees varied according to the pressures of assignments and exams but there was a steady core who would be there three or four times a week. The genuine openness and friendliness of the students made my task an easy one.

I mainly used the similarities and differences between life in Australia and Mexico as a focus. After giving the Australian perspective of some topic I then had the students tell me, in English, how it was for them in Mexico. Some of the topics covered were Family and Celebrations, Fashion, Sport, Vacations and Heroes. One of the liveliest discussions was having ...