Those who participate in experiential travel are an excellent source for other similar experiences. When a bicycling trip of New Zealand didn't pan out, we opted to further explore the possibilities at El Puente de Esperanza. Many high schools have a community service requirement, but few have a month long experiential learning program as does the school where my husband teaches mathematics. We recruited 14 students and started collecting requested donations that El Puente needed. With a total of 17 of us, including chaperones, we would each pack one of our packs as close to the 70 pound limit as possible with donated goods.

We arrived in Mexico City where another volunteer met us to help us with bus logistics and transporting the luggage to El Puente. Conveniently, the bus for Queretaro leaves directly from the airport. Our mountain of luggage couldn't fit into the luggage compartment; so, we left some behind for the next bus. We received the traditional sandwich and soft drink as we boarded the bus and shortly after we pulled away the feature film “ Bulworth” began. After a long day of travel we arrived safely in Queretaro, where we were met by Mary, the soon to depart on sabbatical, director of the facility. Her kind neighbor donated the use of his bus to transport us to the center of town. While we waited for the rest of our luggage to arrive, Mary briefed us on some of the finer points of Queretaro living. We were advised to take it easy the first few days to acclimate to the high altitude; to dispose of toilet paper in the wastebaskets provided, to conserve water, to wear sunscreen and most importantly to enjoy ourselves.

Our bus driver, very proud of his hometown, took us on a mini-tour of the city with a stop to see the well-known aqueduct. We deboarded the bus a block and a half away to avoid blocking traffic. We dragged our luggage to El Puente, where some of the residents and other volunteers came back and assisted in transporting our luggage to the building.

Typical of colonial city buildings, large doors lead into a courtyard. On this evening, it was dark and we could only get shadowy impressions of our new home for the next 3 weeks. El Puente, formerly a music school, sat vacant for 30 years. It is rented in an as-is condition and it is up to the foundation to maintain and improve the building.

El Puente conducts three residential programs: one for high school students, another for college students, both of which serve students who would otherwise not be able to afford the costs of traveling long distances to attend school from their remote villages. The third program trains underprivileged and abused women from the village of San Idelfonso. The women learn sewing skills and sell their products at an on-site store, both while residents and as graduates of the program, which usually lasts three years. The women receive pay for attending sewing classes and upon graduation they will have a sewing room built onto their village homes. Sewing tables and storage units are built for them so that they can continue in their own business.

The Marias, as the woman are affectionately called, and their children are part Otomi Indian. Most of the Marias have children; those less than school age are cared for on-site in the jugateria, while the older children attend school locally. Working in the jugateria proved to be one of the most popular jobs for the students. As many of the children have no father figure, the niños attached themselves to the boys in the group. They became their horses, game partners, and human jungle gyms.

Jobs are matched to the skills and desires of volunteers. Besides daycare duties, we painted, cleaned, organized our donations, helped cooked the lunchtime meal, built sewing room equipment, installed toilets and hot water heaters, gathered food donations, organized stock rooms, ironed fabric, tutored and taught guitar and did some bookkeeping; and what seemed like a million other projects. We also organized a luncheon in honor of the Marias, before our departure. We often had to remind ourselves that some things are done differently in Mexico. Painting was a challenge as glossy paint is a major expense and not used, even in high traffic areas. Along with brushes, a bunch of stringy fabric is used for painting, a technique unfamiliar to most of us, but mastered by one of the students. The design and building of furniture required some ingenuity, since wood is expensive which requires extremely efficient use of minimal structural pieces. Creative thinking came into play on many projects. How to get the most for the peso was a constant concern.

The financial officer, Ligia scavenges for donations from local sources. Most come in the way of food. There are few local volunteers. She knows where to find the best deals on any equipment or goods needed for projects around El Puente.

El Puente requests that volunteers bring a donation and contribute a small amount (about $5 per day) to cover utilities and free up money for other projects. Housing is in dorm rooms with a few rooms available for couples. Long-term volunteers often have private rooms and are not required to contribute financially. Currently, a long term volunteer that will supervise the high school and college girls residential program is needed.

Other volunteers fill in for the positions that are periodically vacated as volunteers come and go. The time and energy that long term volunteers contribute to the program impressed us. They seemed tireless, always enthusiastic and very supportive of the residents.

Volunteers are expected to put in a full day of work and work for 5 days with 2 days off.  As neither the Marias, nor their children speak English, we improved our Spanish skills throughout the three weeks. Gathering equipment and supplies for the painting project proved an exercise in bad Spanish and good hand motions. Both the techniques of painting and the equipment used vary a bit from what we were used to at home.

Everyday a variety of work options presented themselves to us. Some projects lasted for days, while others involved just a short time commitment. The directors of El Puente insist that volunteers inform them of particular likes and dislikes as far as jobs are concerned. Happy volunteers are productive volunteers.

During our free days we explored Queretaro and also made day trips to Bernal and Guanajuato. In Guanajuato we heard languages other than Spanish, which we didn't hear frequently in Queretaro. Usually on the bus ride to a destination, we engaged in conversation initiated by local passengers, who whole-heartedly welcomed us to their area of Mexico. They always offered advice about making connections and returning to Queretaro and wished us a pleasant visit.

In the evenings we wandered around the city of Queretaro, quickly finding the popular local hangouts like a churros and hot chocolate café, ice cream parlors and coffee shops.  A small gordita restaurant and an excellent taco stand provided welcome change to our usual rice and beans fare at El Puente.

Our full work schedule hastened our three-week stay and in no time it was time to say good-bye to our new family that sees many new friends enter and leave their lives on a regular basis. We departed with fewer pieces of luggage, but with more diverse experiences than we could have imagined. The Marias and their children gathered in the courtyard to bid us farewell. We took many photos of our new family to remember them and our time at El Puente.  Not that we could ever forget.  Happy Traveling.

El Puente – http://www.abridgeofhope.org

Queretaro – http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/queretaro/queretaro.html

Queretaro – http://www.visitmexico.com/destinations/r_den/s_que/d_qrt/