Let’s be honest: Just because you have good intentions doesn’t mean that only good things will happen. The sense and nonsense of volunteering is therefore not rarely discussed.
We also gained mixed experience in our project in Salta. Whether we condemn everything or remain optimistic, you can read in an in-depth article about our experience here:
https://www.moppedhiker.de/en/2018/11/04/enthusiasm-and-frustration-our-photoworkshop-in-salta/
The hillside villages surrounding San Cristóbal de las Casas
As someone who had never lived for any significant amount of time outside of the USA, I always knew that this trip would open my eyes a bit and help me see things better from another perspective. I had the privilege of meeting some fantastic people from all over the world in college and in my adult life, so I had at least some exposure to different viewpoints. But actually going and getting to see these places and talk to the locals in person was always going to be a more visceral experience.
Throughout my travels in Mexico I met some wonderful and interesting people from all walks of life. Through those connections and just through spending time in Mexico I was able to understand Mexican culture and the Mexican people at least a little bit. I was lucky to get to meet a cross-section of the population while I was there. From cab drivers and local taco shop owners to PHD students and larger business owners, along with plenty of expats and tourists from all over the world.
I wrote in my personal blog a bit about a couple of connections that were especially touching for me, which I made during the relatively short amount of time that I spent exploring the tiny little villages around San Cristóbal de las Casas in southern Mexico. I figured I’d share those experiences here, which are just a few of the many great learning experiences that I’ve had so far, and hopefully of the many more that are still to come:
In addition to the spectacular scenery, the little indigenous villages around San Cristóbal are some of the major draws. I had so many interesting and heartwarming conversations with the locals here, and my only regret is that most of the indigenous people don’t like to have their photos taken (I asked several times), so I wasn’t able to capture some of the beautiful moments I experienced.
The first experience was at a tiny little taco stand/mini snack store along some random, little road north of San Cristóbal. I stopped there to grab a snack, and enjoyed 3 peso tacos (about 15 US cents each), which even for Mexico is absurdly cheap. Usually when I ride up on my big motorcycle with the big top case and side cases, I’m immediately met with a barrage of questions about it: How much does it cost? How fast does it go? Where did you come from on that thing?
After answering all the normal questions, I asked the shop owner about himself. He was originally from that village, but for several years he had lived and worked illegally in the USA, until his father had passed away and he had had to return home. Growing up with next to nothing, he saved up his money while he worked in the USA (in addition to sending a lot of it back home to support his family), and when he returned to Mexico and to his little village he was able to open that little shop and support his family through that business. The way he talked about his time in the USA, it was obvious that he basically did nothing but work and sleep the entire time he was there: “pura trabajo” (pure work) was the way he described it.
After chatting for maybe 45 minutes, I eventually continued on my way, thinking that that would be that. But a few days later I was north of San Cristobal again and decided to stop by there for a snack and to say hi again. This time the young man brought his 6 month old first-born son out to say hi, and sat with him bouncing on his leg with his big, brown eyes staring at the weird foreigner with his motorcycle. It was such a beautiful moment so I asked for a photo, but sadly (though not surprisingly) he said no, without really giving an explanation. But I can understand that, they’re very private in that part of the country and especially don’t like having foreigners take photos of them. Still, the image of him with his son bouncing on his leg is captured vividly in my memory, and I’m really glad to have gotten the chance to share it with him and his new family.
The second vivid memory I have with the locals in that area was with a slightly older man that had a little auto repair parts shop just north of San Cristóbal. I was riding along the road when it suddenly started to rain fairly heavily. I saw a little metal awning on the side of the road so I quickly road underneath it with the bike to wait out the rain shower. I stepped inside to see if it was alright if I waited there, and I met a friendly man who was probably about 40 who pulled out a chair for me to sit on and chatted with me while I waited for the rain to subside. He had a pretty similar story of working for a few years in the USA as the other man, but had been back in Mexico for about 10 years now. When I asked him about it, he was extremely grateful of his time spent in the USA and said that he owed all that he had around him (pointing to the little shop itself) to the time he had spent there. As the rain started to die down, he gave me some peaches from his tree, and then went to roust his family to wave as I rode away. Before I left he told me to stop by his shop if I was ever in the area again and even offered me a place to stay in the future.
Neither of the two men I met are at all wealthy by Mexican standards (and they’d be considered barely scraping by in the USA), but after working hard for several years (and not seeing their family at all during that entire time), they were able to build a better life for themselves back home where by continuing to work very hard they can at least support a family. Even with how divisive the topic of illegal immigration is back in the states, I imagine that most Americans would deeply empathize with these two men if they had the chance to meet them and see what they’d been through just to try and build a better life for their family.
Those two men were just a few of the many people that I have met and had warm connections with during my travels, but for me they illustrated perfectly the beauty of traveling. After those experiences I left with a slightly different perspective on the world we live in, one that would have been hard to arrive at without getting out of my usual bubble back home. I left San Cristóbal with just a little bit better understanding of the world, and more excited than ever about continuing my wandering and see some more of it.
When I first walked into the Amado Nervo elementary school, I was a little bit apprehensive. I didn’t really know anything about teaching kids, and while I loved the idea of sharing my knowledge and love of aerospace with other people, I was a little worried that I’d mainly be acting as a referee for fights between the little boys and girls.
I was there a few minutes before the volunteering coordinator I was going to work with arrived, so I had the chance to just watch the kids play for a little while. Every one of them seemed to be bursting with energy, and after running around for 30 minutes, it took nothing short of a herculean effort by the two teachers to corral the 50 students into their two classrooms. And just looking out at the group of kids chasing each other, jumping on each others shoulders, climbing up the walls…I was a little worried.
It ended up being a few weeks before I actually met the students and started doing my workshops. When the day finally arrived, I had the awesome help of Muskoka’s Katie Clancy and fellow volunteer Charlie Elliott to help me with running the workshop and to just maintain order in the classroom. Rather than being rowdy or bored or more interested in fighting with one another, what I found is that the students were fascinated. Their eyes lit up when I showed them videos of rocket launches, and when I told them that I was an engineer that worked on things like that, you could see that I almost transformed into an astronaut myself in their eyes.
By far the most rewarding moment for me was when we went outside to finally test the rockets. The look of sheer joy on each kids face after they saw their rocket flying off into the distance was really special. At first they were all apprehensive and didn’t really think that their rockets would work, but one by one each one’s rocket fired off (sometimes after a bit of tweaking) and the student was left beaming that theirs had worked so well.
After that first day of classes, I was pretty confident that these kinds of projects would work for the kids, and the rest of the projects went smoothly. The students loved building things that could fly, but by far the biggest hit with the students was when we built little marble roller coasters out of pipe insulation and scotch tape. Again, at first the students were a little apprehensive, but with a little bit of coaxing they started getting really into it, and before long they were squealing with delight after adding each new turn or loop to their design. In fact they almost got a little too into it, and as my fellow volunteer Charley joked “I’ll be hearing ‘MAS CINTA!’ (more tape) in my sleep for a week.”
The biggest eye-opening experiences for the kids though was when they got to see what their school and town looked like from the air with my drone. Even the wildest of the kids patiently sat behind and stared at the screen as they pointed out different landmarks around town or excitedly gestured up at the tiny black dot that my drone had become way up in the sky.
After getting through those classes with the kids and having some time to reflect on it, there are a couple things that come to mind. The first is just that there are some kids that are really into the projects, that have all the intrinsic characteristics needed to become great scientists or engineers one day. It’s wonderful to see that in the students, but at the same time I wonder if they’ll be given the opportunities to pursue that kind of field of study in the future.
One of the more disappointing things that I encountered was the incredible shyness among the girls when it came to working on these projects. Even as young as 2nd or 3rd grade, the girls are already very much aware of the societal gender roles here in Mexico, and it could be difficult to motivate the girls for these sorts of projects and get them to come out of their shells. Some of them were naturals at it, but it took quite a bit of coaxing to get them to really get into the projects. Back home for me in the States that’s very much an issue as well, but it certainly felt a lot more ingrained here in Mexico.
In the end, I sadly was only able to spend a short amount of time with each group of students. For me, as someone who hasn’t really had much experience with teaching before, every little connection or every little bit of inspiration a student felt was so so special. I’ll certainly always be an engineer first and foremost, that’s just the way that I’m wired, but being able to inspire young minds to pursue engineering (which is my passion), was a truly special experience.
Here is a short video that I put together of my time there in Guanajuato at Amado Nervo. Hope you enjoy!
We are Nicki (27) and Moe (29) from Germany.
By now, we have been riding for eight months through Uruguay, Argentina and Chile after we crossed the Atlantic Ocean together with our motorbike on a freighter. Right now, we are writing this blog post as we are staying in Salta, doing our first volunteer program with the Muskoka Foundation.
The best plan is not to have a plan. We have learned that the best things come in unexpected anyways. Therefore, we travel without a time limit or a fixed route. We just know that we want to circumnavigate the world on our motorbike – BUT SLOWLY! We quitted our jobs, finished our studies, left our flat, sold all our posessions in order to start a new life.
Travelling is our passion. We did not go on this journey because we did not like our life in Germany. We are just hopelessly curious people, willing to make life an adventure. Until now, we haven’t regret the choice to live as full time travellers for a second. Having the priviledge of discovering the world off the beaten path makes us more than happy. Although travelling 2up on a bike means the loss of much comfort and “luxury” is the compromise that we take for the feeling of freedom and the satisfaction of our great curiosity.
Sure, we have saved some money before we went on our trip around the world, but this money won’t last as long as we would like to continue. Therefore, we earn our money “on the road”, creating websites for small start-ups and foundations, hoping that this will allow us to travel as long as possible.
We travel to expand our horizons. This means not only the discovery of amazing landscapes, the tasting of local food, or overnight stays in completely different places. A journey also includes encounters with people. By that, we mean more than contact with people because of an order in a café or paying at the gas station. Encounters are most exciting, when we experience that individuals share their stories with us. That is why we have chosen to take some time on the ground. Time for people, time for stories. Therefore, we want to volunteer on the way. That enriches us with perspectives.
But not only that: we want to spread this idea among travellers. Because we are convinced that engagement on the ground can change not only our own knowledge, skills and attitudes, but also that of people in our environment.
It’s not about saving the world. Big changes need time. Rather, it’s about positive encounters and an interest in cultural exchange. Of course, we can have that without volunteering. But it’s one of many ways to talk to each other instead of one another. And who knows, maybe there’s also something good to do…
So, if you like to read stories about the great outdoors, motorcycle breakdowns, stupid ideas, sore feet, and cold beers at the bonfire – visit our blog: www.moppedhiker.de/en
I’m a 29 year old guy who decided to take some time off from my professional career to see a little bit of the world. My name is Travis Whitfield and through the Muskoka Foundation I’ve become a Catalyst Traveler, traveling and volunteering as I go about my journey from Washington DC to Argentina.
First big stop along my travels with my motorcycle, outside Monterrey, Mexico
I’ve always loved traveling, and have done a fair amount of it over the past 6 years since finishing up at college. Normally it had been in short, 2 or 3 week trips, and one thing that I had always really wanted to do was to travel slowly, to really get to experience the cultures and get to know the people in the places that I traveled. So, after saving up money for a few years while I worked as an aerospace engineer, I finally quit last December and started on my journey!
I actually wasn’t very interested in motorcycles growing up. It always seemed like a crazy, dangerous thing to do (and I suppose it still is). But before visiting Cuba a few years ago, I read a book called Mi Moto Fidel about a guy who travels all over Cuba on his motorcycle. Some of the author’s actions and commentary aren’t exactly to be admired, but the way he describes riding his motorcycle all over the island, the sounds and smells and sensations that you can only really experience when you’re exposed to the elements, I was hooked. I started reading and watching videos about other travelers who had explored continents or the world by motorcycle, and decided that that would be an awesome way to explore the world, get off the beaten path, and really get to know the cultures and peoples that you’re traveling through.
So, a month after visiting Cuba I did the motorcycle safety course. Then after searching for a month or so, I found a used 2011 Suzuki V-strom 650 located a few hours away for a good price, and decided to check it out. It was a gorgeous all-black paint scheme, big enough to haul me and plenty of gear around, and plenty comfortable riding at highway speeds in traffic – it was the bike for me and for my motorcycle adventure. So I bought it, learned how to ride it over the next 9 months or so, then after quitting my job I packed up my gear and hit the road south!
The beautiful backdrop of the mountains around San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
I’ve had wonderful experiences in the time that I’ve been in Mexico so far. The people that I’ve met, both fellow travelers and local Mexicans, have been excellent. Some of the local students that I’ve worked with have been especially inspiring as well. One such student was a young boy in Oaxaca named Juan. My first project with the students there was to build a straw rocket, to learn a little bit about energy and to just put something together that can fly for 50 yards or so. Juan immediately took an interest to the project, trying out several new designs. I asked him how he thought a particular design choice would affect his rocket (putting some fins towards the front of the rocket), and his response was: “I don’t know, I’m going to go test it and find out!”
Juan, a young aerospace engineer in training
He proceeded to try 5 or 6 different rocket designs, and eventually came up with probably the best flying rocket out of everyone. I was super happy with that already, but the next day when I came in to do another project he stopped me and asked me something that was quite wonderful: “Hey, when are you going to teach us how to build real rockets? I want to learn how to build real rockets now!” It was so cute and inspiring, and I sincerely hope that one day he gets to do that kind of work. He’s got the innate curiosity and technical mind for it, so I’m sure he would be great at it if he’s provided access to the educational opportunities and has a stable enough home life to pursue it. I really hope that he’s able to do it.
Testing out their rockets
Anyway, that’s an introduction to me. I’ll be continuing to travel and volunteer for probably the next year or so. If you’d like to follow along on my travels, my personal blog is at TravsTrek. Until next time, happy traveling and happy volunteering!
For anyone who has visited Lago Atitlan, this post will hopefully transport you back if only for a few minutes. For those who haven’t been, GO!
For me (and many others) this is a sacred place, rich with culture and nature and something more that you cannot quite capture in words. This month, three Do Good as You Go volunteers visited the lake and its surrounding pueblos, which upon arrival could be difficult for a visiter to distinguish between the multitud of “Sans”. But once you are there hopping into the water taxis and visiting these various places, you realize that they resemble a family of siblings; there is something connects them all, but they each have vastly different personalities. San Marcos is the hippie, middle sibling. This is the place for yoga, meditation and a retreat from the hustle & bustle. While the infamous San Pedro is the hyper-active, party child of the family, the one that needs ten activities a day to feel satisfied. San Pedro is fairly cheap and t-o-u-r-i-s-t-y, but fun for a day trip or two if you want to engage in an array of outdoor activities and also want the night life. This time around our volunteers spent the bulk of there time in San Juan, which is most like the oldest sibling, calm and rooted in traditions. It is known to be one of the least touristic of the main towns that are visited. They spent time with the amazing women (and Juan of course!) of La Casa del Tejido. A cooperative that focuses of the traditional production of woven textiles and coffee!
Thanks to Brad Ringstmeier – Perpetual Moto Discovery for the beautiful images.
Our other volunteers, Saya and Beto are visiting various DGYG locations and volunteering as they go to celebrate their honey moon. They interviewed Juan, the Casa del Tejido’s founder and manager about current needs. They need support in marketing, design, website design (WordPress preferably) or an experienced barrista to train local cooperative members on this end of the business!
Sign up today with DGYG and connect to beautiful projects like Casa del Tejido!
Catalyst Traveler, Brad Ringstmeier is a tireless story-teller, traveling across Latin America on his motorcycle, making videos and soaking up the cultures as he goes.
Brad is an interesting guy with a lot of history made in his own life. He grew up in rural Ohio and is an engineer by trade. He has the work ethic and meticulous mind to prove it! But, there is another side of him; a creative and socially driven side. He laughed as he told us about his time spent (years actually) living on a submarine. Life was…well, different then. He explained that he really got along with everyone and that he always felt that he should jump in help out, whatever the task. He joked that this quality allowed him to revolutionize pizza Fridays! All because he walked through the invisible barriers between the various levels of workers on the submarine. He helped the kitchen guys out and made friends. Then they made him special order pizzas…when others caught on, he didn’t brag or flaunt it… he explained why they were willing to go the extra mile for him and not them. And then, in true creative/engineer style, he created a new system where everyone got personalized pizzas. The cooks got into it because it wasn’t any more labor intensive and they enjoyed the positive feedback. The workers loved it because they got exactly what they wanted, which was highly unusual on a military submarine with hundreds of solders/workers to provide for. In the end the process was improved and the level of happiness was increased thanks to Brad, and pizza of course.
Brad has become a valuable asset to Do Good as You Go and to our partner organizations that he is working for. In one aspect, because of the product he is developing : videos that tell the story of each organization or project. But on another level, I think it is important that we recognize that Brad is a wonderful volunteer not just because of the work being done, but HOW he does the work. For all of us that enjoy volunteering and look to have an impact on communities as we travel, we can learn from Brad and his rules for engagement.
First off, for Brad interaction and relationships are the #1 priority while traveling. He says with total conviction, “People are what make a place a place for me.” That being said, he still takes time to enjoy the sights and the experiences. But, he is committed to connecting to the places that he travels through interacting as much as possible with the people he meets. So slow down! And don’t stress about your to-do’s and to-see’s as much. Instead, show up and get to know a place and it’s people, adventure will absolutely surprise you if you take this approach.
Even though he is madly passionate about creating the work, he stresses the involvement of the people on the ground above all else. The most important aspect of how he works that transcends into other forms of service is that he takes himself and his ego out of the equation. He puts himself last…listening and paying close attention to the details. I think this might be an unexpected blending of the highly disciplined nature of engineering and military training with a naturally creative mind. It is great to offer your unique set of skills to an organization or a business. But it is priceless when you allow them to tell you what they need from you and how your time and skills will have the most lasting impact.
Here are some of the videos that Brad has made so far! We are excited to see what is next.
Entre@migos – San Pancho, Nayarit, MX
Los Angeles (La Venada, Guanajuato, GTO) MX
Would you like to be a Catalyst Traveler? Learn more and apply today!
Catalyst Traveler, Stefano Mangini has developed an insightful project that connects children to far off places and cultures and also allows them to see the beauty and uniqueness of their own spaces…all through the magic of photography…
Stefano worked with DGYG over the course of several months to develop a workshop to teach youth how to create a “Portal”, his signature visual books. 30 photos to tell a story.
He tirelessly worked to raise funds to get new cameras for each location that he visited with the plan to lead a workshop. 35 cameras were purchased and donated to five distinct local community organizations throughout Latin America.
Here are the first three Portals that were created by youth in collaboration with Stefano:
Portal: La Casa de Las Nubes, Guanajuato
And if you are enjoying these photo essays and would like a look at one created by Stefano himself, check out this one on Lucha Libre in Mexico…
If you are interested in participating in Portals, join DGYG today. You can create a Portal, lead a Portals youth workshop or bring Portals the presentation to a community or classroom along your journey!
Carolina Robinson and Anissa Chihaoui set off on an amazing adventure together this past spring. Heading to Kenya, they had an interest to both explore the fascinating country, and a desire to connect with the local people and Do Good during their two-week trip.
After getting involved with Do Good as You Go, Carolina and Anissa made a plan to give back by offering a variety of arts & crafts and outdoor sports & games activities to the youth at the Miche Bora School, through Do Good as You Go partner the Mustard Seed organization. The Miche Bora School is a nursery and primary school for over 200 children in Mombasa, Kenya. Calling on their network, they successfully raised pre-trip funds to purchase the much needed supplies and sports equipment for the school, to take with them on their journey – they were ready for their Kenyan adventure!
Carolina and Anissa stayed with a local woman named Joyce in the “slum” in Mombasa, Kenya, a 20 minute walk from the school. “There was no danger going around by ourselves in the area. We were greeted warmly every morning by the community on our way to school” says Anissa. “On the last day, a small party was organized with the parents for the end of term, and we got to talk with some of them. We tried to learn a bit of Swahili as well, which always made people smile when we tried to talk to them. A wonderful time full of interesting interactions with people!”
“Joyce, our host, was a very kind person who helped us so much during our stay. She gave us so many tips, took us out to many places and cooked us great Kenyan cuisine. We learned a lot from her and had many wonderful discussions, as she has traveled as well!” says Anissa of her homestay experience.
“Most of the food in Kenya is Indian-inspired. I loved their chapatis and curry food!”
Carolina has written a wonderful account of her experience, from arrival to reflection post-trip, read it here!
Looking to travel to Kenya and volunteer? Connect with us and learn more about the local programs and needs. Join the Do Good as You Go Movement today!
Along the west coast of Mexico, Do Good as You Go (DGYG) has established a collaboration with an organization that is making a great impact with the youth and members of the community of San Francisco (San Pancho), Nayarit with their community center. The location is amazing. San Pancho is on the Pacific Coast just one hour north of the bustling and overtly touristic, Puerto Vallarta and only a 10 minute drive north of the up-and-coming beach town of Sayulita. For overlanders, backpackers and fly-in/fly-out travelers alike, this location is an easy and ideal choice.
The development of Entreamigos started with a small & simple initiative; invite artists and workshop leaders to sell their products in a provided space, in exchange they give workshops to youth and adults from the community of San Pancho.
Through the years, the small gallery showcasing works of local artists has seen a few additions and changes to create what is know today as the Educational Community Center.
After 10 years of operation, Entreamigos provides a library, a computer center, a language center, a recycling center, workshops on art/culture and sports and physical activities for children, youth and members of the community.
One of the principal interests of Entreamigos is the support for education of youth and children in a fun and lively manner as well as for the local staff of the center so that they can contribute to the change in their homes and communities.
Entreamigos has become a vital part of the not only the community but also the structure and economy of the city. They are the third highest employer in the town, surpassed only by the local hospital and school system! And the recycling program has transformed the town’s relationship with waste. Because of the deep involvement that this organization has with the community, there are limitless ways that DGYG volunteers can connect and support continued growth. Be it through offering workshops, support to local artists-entrepreneurs or through supporting the recycling or the sports program…even simply connecting to the library and working with them to continue the growth and usage of this amazing space and program! If anything, by visiting and purchasing the artwork and craftsmanship of the artists fostered and supported on-site is a way of Doing Good. There are roughly 10 local artisans whom have found their way through the training and support system of Entreamigos, and there is a group of local students supporting their college education through several small, collective businesses.
“This organization has a very ‘hands off, but all in’ sort of feeling about volunteers. You are encouraged to do all you want and will be supported in your efforts. They are very welcoming and loving people who allowed my children to take part in the workshops they offered free of charge because I was teaching a class.” – Rachel Berger (DGYG Volunteer)
The amazing travel aspect is that Entreamigos is only 10, short minutes walking distance to the beach!
Visit Do Good as You Go Movement to learn more about joining our network of volunteers and volunteer with us on your next trip to the beach.
Do Good as You Go 