Teaching and Projects Abroad : Case Study
Katy Warner – Turtle Conservation, Mexico
There are so many things that stick out in my mind as being memorable. In Guadalajara the best thing was meeting the other volunteers and all doing things together. This was certainly the time when the 'funniest' things happened - getting drunk together, eight in a taxi, seven in a hammock, human pyramid, and eating far too many marshmallows all spring to mind! I met some really cool people, who I definitely want to see again, so they are probably the most memorable thing, aside from Majahuas, the turtle camp.
My time at the project, and my time travelling was the most incredible experience of my life.
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I wasn't going to have a gap year. I was scared, didn't want to be out there on my own. Little did I know an adventure was exactly what I needed. After deciding not to go to Uni that year, I took a Gap Year, and thought about doing a project in another country. I saw how amazing this Teaching & Projects Abroad project sounded - living on a beach, collecting turtle eggs and releasing the babies to the sea. With my plans to do a degree in Oceanography and Marine Biology, this sounded perfect for me, and I was so excited.
After months of planning, I arrived in Mexico, met at the airport by Marco from the Teaching & Projects Abroad Staff. It was sunny, and so beautiful, and all my fear was replaced with wanting to see things, go everywhere I could, and not waste a minute of my time there. I would recommend doing a project like this to anyone, and I would even go as far as to say, it's easy! You have support, from the TPA office and staff on the beach if you have a problem, everyone is friendly, you really don't have to worry about anything, and maybe I can only say that it's easy because I have been and done it, but I have learnt so much about myself and others, and I have so much more confidence now. I would go back to this, or another project in a flash if I had the chance, and I think I know that I will in the future.
Most of what made my trip in Mexico such an astounding time was the turtle project. The camp of Majahuas is amazing. "Majahuas es magico" I was told, and my god it is! Lagoon on one side, sea on the other, beautiful skies, flora, fauna, everything is just so mind-blowingly special it makes you see everything else in a different light. And the turtles - wow! Seeing an adult Olive Ridley for the first time was such a brilliant event, and collecting the eggs as they were being laid was even better. Watching, a month later, I saw the nest which I had buried hatch! Seeing that the work you have done has really worked, and is having an impact here is so fulfilling, and not to mention that the turtles are so cute!
Seeing a nest of tiny turtles hatching, as they clamber over each other out of the sand, in the middle of the night, lit by the moon, has to be the most amazing thing I have ever seen. And every time it happened it never ceased to amaze me. Then seeing them swim away in the ocean gave such a feeling of it all being so worthwhile. The freezing nights I spent with other volunteers and staff, searching the beach for turtle tracks, getting dirty and wet digging up the eggs, burying them when the sand is too dry and incessantly fills in the hole you've just dug - is all worth every second of it, when you see the hatchlings, and their little flippers!
I feel so lucky to have had the chance to travel in Mexico, as well as the fantastic project. Firstly because you feel so responsible being out there on your own, forced to learn the language to survive, and you are free to go wherever you want; it really is liberating. Visiting some beautiful places and meeting people in all of them; snorkelling in Zihuatanejo, tours in Oaxaca (where we unpredictably met two other volunteers - I guess Mexico isn't so big after all!) seeing mountains, waterfalls; visiting the jungle and the ancient ruins of Palenque; risking life and limb in Mexico City - it was staggering the amount of places I saw, and the things I achieved. I am definitely an enhanced person for it.
Don't waste the chance to do something like this - I cannot imagine missing out on an opportunity like this.
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