By: Kristen, PEACE Summer Intern, 2011
Safety
Writing about Mexico, I feel I have an obligation to first and foremost confront any doubts people may have about the safety of the region. It’s true there are some areas in Mexico that are unsafe – but places exist like this everywhere in the world, and crime is not unique to just this country.
While searching for internships post-graduation, I knew I would rather be interning for an organization that is far from where I’m from, Chicago, Illinois, simply because of my love for traveling. My last semester in school, I was offered two internships – one in Chicago and one in Punta de Mita, Mexico. Now, I’m not one to fall into the trap of sensationalized news, so immediately I knew I would take the internship with PEACE Mexico; however, as people continuously asked what my plans were, I watched their eyes flicker with surprise as I explained what I’d be doing – and where I would be. Often, I was told – Be careful! There are thousands of murders going on down there! Kidnappings! Are you sure you want to go there? And every single time, in my head, I would simply push their beliefs in one ear and out the other. Being aware of your surroundings before you travel anywhere is important, of course, but believing an entire country is the epitome of death is foolish.
Never once working with PEACE Mexico have I felt intimidated or wary of my surroundings. I have not witnessed anything horrendous or even remotely uncomfortable – the only thing I’ve experienced a little unnerving was the bus rides. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever visited here! Living in Punta de Mita was peaceful and quiet, and every person we passed was friendly, and if we ever needed directions or help with anything, people were more than willing to help. It is foolish to assume that just because one area of a country has problems that the rest of the country suffers the same. And if this is any testament to my view on the safety of Mexico, I’m even considering moving there because of the lush mountains, beautiful ocean, and friendly people.
With that being said, PEACE has been a great organization to get to know, and knowing that our internship is helping the organization grow is a great feeling. The staff we worked with, including Nikhol, Nova, and Becci, were more than willing to help, and they were all there to answer any questions or concerns we might have initially had.
Working with the Kids & Staff at Camp!
One of the values of PEACE is “We believe in providing hands-on learning that results in empowerment, increased ownership and social responsibility.” Working in the PEACE summer camp gave us the ability to teach the campers, based on one of PEACE’s values, not only what sustainability and social responsibility is, but also gave them the opportunity to have hands on experience making everything from rainwater collectors to reusing magazines to create pencil holders. The camp was a unique experience, not only for us interns, but also for the kids who attended. They were continuously excited and eager to learn about different sustainability methods, positive health routines, and having new experiences with their new friends. We taught them different yoga poses, dances, and even taught some of them English.
Language Opportunities
For the four out of eight interns, including myself, I would say the most challenging part of the internship was overcoming the language barrier and pushing ourselves to be able to communicate with the locals and campers. The four other interns are fluent in Spanish, so obviously this was not an issue for them. Luckily, we took Spanish class 4 days a week, and were able to hone our Spanish skills enough to get us by. Our teacher, Jorge, was more than patient, fun, and very kind. He had a great sense of humor and was an amazing teacher to have – all of us learned so much from him.
With our teacher, Jorge
Weekend Excursions
The most fun I had throughout the internship was getting to know the other interns, sharing a house with them for the first two weeks, and going on our excursions during the weekends. We took day trips to different places – from the Altavista Petroglyphs and neighboring surftown, Chacala, out in the bay to Las Marietas Islands for snorkeling, a day trip to Yelapa where we hung out on the beach, swam under a waterfall, and took a bananaboat ride, and lastly to San Sebastian, a silver mining town up in the mountains.
Petroglyphs Weekend Excursion
My favorite trip, I would say, was to the Petroglyphs, which are an amazing collection of rock carvings created by a Mexican indigenous group, known as the Tecoxquin (“Throat Cutters”). Starting early in the morning, we had an advantage over the heat, but the rain from the night before had completely saturated the ground we were about the hike on. We got a taste for the trail as the ten of us drove down the muddy and stone ridden drive, packed in a van, heading closer to where we were going to hike. We climbed over and around huge boulders, through the water a few times, while stopping to check out the rock carvings we were surrounded by.
Modern day Tecoxquin people come to the Altavista site often, performing ceremonies and leaving offerings for Nakahue, “Our Grandmother Of Fertility”, and also Tatevari, “Our Grandfather Of Fire”. Often, the people will travel to Chacala, where carvings are also located, and leave an offering for Tatei Aramar, “Our Mother Ocean”. Needless to say, it was a very mystifying place deep in the rainforest, and one I won’t forget.
Experiencing the Animal Clinic
During the Community Build Week, we got the chance to work at the animal clinic. Four interns worked at the mobile classroom, hanging out with some of the local kids, while Tania and I saw the spay and neuter clinic up close and personal. We started by going door to door in the community, asking people if they had any pets, and if they did, we asked if they wanted to spay/neuter them. We ended up with 4 cats and about 15 dogs, and over the span of two or three hours, each one was neutered and ready to be returned to their owners. It was definitely an intense experience, but I’m so glad I took the opportunity to help with everything from administering the anesthesia to checking temperatures, heart rate, and respiration. It’s not something I expected, but if I have the chance to do something I’ve never done before, I’m going to take it.
So, why did I love this internship?
PEACE Mexico’s mission is revolved around providing “holistic education combined with community action programs that enable people to improve their quality of life as well as their financial stability.” I saw this mission acted out in everything PEACE does – including the internship. Full of new experiences for the interns, we saw the many different aspects of not only the organization, but also the Mexican culture as a whole. We were forced to adjust to the differences in the culture, while being able to work hand-in-hand with the kids and adults from the community. On top of that, we lived within the community in which we were helping, which made a huge difference. It gave us a chance to truly get to know the daily routine of what life is like in Punta de Mita, La Cruz and Bucerias – from the surfing culture, tourism, the general (kind) attitude of the people, and the weather.
This internship was full of new experiences, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I got the chance to see a place in the world I’ve never seen before, meet people I never knew I would, and make lifelong friendships with them. I got to see tangible changes being planted into the kids we worked with, as well as educating people about the importance of pet spay/neutering.
Change never happens overnight, but with small, consistent steps, the ability to eventually make a significant change WILL happen. I have never in my life doubted that, and I thank PEACE for allowing me the chance to be a part of that change.
I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. - Mahatma Gandhi
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