Meet Nicole! She's here to share her experience volunteering abroad in Mexico (and we're only a little jealous).
For anyone who wants to take unreal weekend getaways to go zip lining over hot springs, or who would love to explore jungles or are smitten with the idea of lounging on the prettiest beaches while you release baby sea turtles — Mexico is for you. Oh, and if you're still not convinced, the food in Mexico will definitely get you ready to hop on a plane and come teach English here.
We have bit more about volunteering in Mexico you might be interested in
To help give you an idea that you really do have it all in Mexico, we're here with Nicole, a fellow ILP Mexico volunteer:
What has been your favorite aspect of your semester abroad?
"I think my favorite part of being abroad is that EVERYTHING is new or different to me. From the food, to the streets, to the way they drive everything is different. It's also a new experience anytime I get to travel. I've never traveled to Mexico before, so it's so fun and exciting to see the way people live here and parts of the world I've never seen before."
Where have your favorite Mexico vacations been?
"Recently a few of us went to Teotihuacan. It was really surreal for me to be there and hear about the people who lived there so long ago. Plus, because I'm LDS I couldn't help but realize I was literally where the Lamanites lived. Super cool.
"I also loved Puerto Vallarta. It had a really old, almost European feeling because of the way the buildings are made. They had cobblestone streets and a really cool center with statues and stuff. Plus I loved the beach too. We had a lot of fun, good food, and sunburns! "
What surprised you the most about living in a foreign country?
"For me, it's definitely the culture differences. Of course I expected them. But it's still really weird for me sometimes! For instance, sometimes in social situations we just don't know what the right thing is to do so we don't offend anyone. Or the way they celebrate holidays. It's all so different than what I'm used to! It's really cool to see those differences though."
What has been one of your funniest memories?
"This one night, we went out with some of our friends for fun. Half the girls ended up having family home evening with the missionaries and the other half of us ended up getting tacos al pastor and going home. Once we got home, we realized that the other girls had the keys to our gate and our front door. But we had 20 tacos to eat. We tried getting our landlord to let us inside but she wasn't home. So we ended up sitting on the road outside our house and eating our tacos there hahaha. We probably sat there for 2 hours before the girls came home and brought the keys with us."
What advice would you give to future volunteers?
But you'll really only know if you go yourself, right? Come get more info about International Language Programs and volunteering in Mexico, right here:
