I’ve always been drawn to any activity that include being in the water. The funny thing is the way I stumbled across the Projects Abroad website: I was writing a paper on the benefits of gap years and I got curious to see if any of these projects would be something I’d enjoy doing.
Within a few minutes of research, I found this project and immediately knew it was right for me. My parents and friends didn’t actually think I was going to work on saving to go, but I was determined.
Arriving in Mexico
Fast forward to the day I leave, I had turned eighteen just 3 days before and this was my first time ever traveling outside the country. It was nerve-wracking to say the least, but 100% worth it. When I got there, I was immediately greeted by Pablo, who works for Projects Abroad.
All my nerves of traveling were gone when I was already greeted with such friendly faces. The host family I stayed with were so caring as well. They made me feel right at home.
I’ve always had trouble adapting to new places and people, but with my host family, Pablo, and the other volunteers; Eliza and Joshua, I quickly found myself surrounded by people I enjoyed getting to know and spending time with.
Learning to Dive
The place we stayed with the host family was a block away from the beach. The first week, Eliza and I worked on completing our open water course for scuba diving. The diving staff and our dive instructor, Gabriel, was so friendly as well.
After hours of learning in the classroom and implementing our skills in the pool and ocean, Eliza and I achieved our open water certification!
At first, diving didn’t come naturally to me. I felt uncomfortable with all the equipment but when I was able to control my buoyancy it was like a dream. Everything around me underwater was so quiet and full of things to see.
Whether it was with diving with the playful sea lions or exploring underwater ships, I can’t explain it in any other way except magical.
The next week was filled with marine conservation with Pablo. We would go to different areas on the coast and complete surveys. These would be done by using transects to count the number of organisms one meter from both sides of the transect.
I learned so much about identifying the organisms, determining their environment, marine conservation, and much more.
After 3 complete transects, we would pack up and go get lunch. The rest of the day was used in any way we wanted. I was in school still so I took the time to do my homework or go to the beach before going out for dinner with Eliza and Joshua
Every day was something different, creating stories that I could go on about forever.
Social Activities and Travel
I spent most of my free time with the other volunteers Eliza and Joshua. We would go to the beach, out to dinner, or just walk around the town. There was always something going on on the boardwalk. If we felt like staying in that day, we would hang with Edgar, who’s part of the host family, and play card and board games.
I should’ve stayed longer than two weeks to be able to explore much more because our days were packed with adventures and activities.
Heading Home
Returning home was a difficult task for me. My last few days I even contemplated changing my flights to stay longer, but I knew I had responsibilities back home I needed to get back to. I’ll never forget the people I met and grown to care for greatly.
Joshua and Eliza, the other volunteers that were there with me, are now lifelong friends. We continue to talk occasionally and have loose plans to visit one another if they’re in the United States or if I’m in Europe.
Future Plans
I loved this trip so much so that I’ve decided to alter my future plans to go on more trips such as this one, and even return to La Paz. Instead of going to my dream university, Virginia Tech (which I got into), I’m staying at community college to work to save money and travel in the spring of 2023.
I’m looking at going on the shark conservation trip in Fiji that is offered by Projects Abroad and I’ve been talking with Pablo about helping with other volunteers on this trip in the future so I’m able to return to La Paz. All in all, I never thought two weeks could be such a life-altering experience.
I enjoy traveling but I always would get bored on vacations. This was a great way to combine so many of my favorite things to learn more about the world, others, and myself.
This is a personal account of one volunteer’s experience on the project and is a snapshot in time. Your experience may be different, as our projects are constantly adapting to local needs and building on accomplishments. Seasonal weather changes can also have a big impact. To find out more about what you can expect from this project we encourage you to speak to one of our friendly staff.
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