F. A. Q.

1.) What is Mission Mexico?

Mission Mexico is an outreach of Catholic Campus ministry which consists of a group of Penn State students who travel to Tijuana, Mexico over spring break each year to serve an orphanage and the local community through various construction projects.

2.) What exactly does the group do?

The construction projects that the group works on each day vary from year to year. In the past, the group has spent several years working on the same church. Work on this church has included painting, tilling, the installation of flooring and weed removal. Each year’s project is not specifically known until immediately before the trip. The group spends its last full day of the trip visiting some of the attractions or beaches in San Diego. In addition, the group will visit a local market one morning and attend services at a local church another morning. . For the last night at the orphanage, the group throws a party for the children, complete with a cake, piñata, and gifts for the children. Click here to see the itinerary from the 2009 trip.

3.) What are the dates of the trip?

The trip takes place every March during spring break. Students typically depart the Friday before spring break and usually return the Saturday night before classes begin again. The dates of this year’s trip are from March 2, 2012 to March 10, 2012.

4.) Where does the group stay?

The group sleeps in a hotel in downtown San Diego for the last two nights of the trip. While in Mexico, the group sleeps in the Casa Hogar de los Ninos orphanage.

5.) What will a typical day during the trip be like?

The group starts its day around 8 am, eats breakfast at the orphanage, and then heads out to a work site. Anyone who wakes up an hour earlier may walk the children to school—a tradition the children love. The group returns to the orphanage for lunch around noon and then head back to the worksite for the remainder of the afternoon. Around 4 pm, the group stops working and heads back to the orphanage for the night. Usually, students use this free time to take showers and play with the children in the courtyard before eating dinner around 6pm. After dinner, the group continues playing with the children until their bedtime. Usually, there will be some sort of activity, reflection, or mass after the children retire for the night. After our scheduled activity, students are free to go to bed or socialize with other group members.

6.) What is required of the participants?

No skills are specifically required for anyone going on the trip. We only hope that everyone will participate in the work projects and activities that we offer. This has never been a problem in the past. All participants must have a valid passport.

7.) Who can go on the trip?

Any full-time Penn State student is eligible to go on the trip. Despite the fact that Mission Mexico is a club within the Catholic Campus Ministry at Penn State, any student of any religion may participate. In the event that they are more students interested in going on the trip than spaces available, a criterion that considers class standing is used to determine who can go on the trip.

8.) Is it too late to sign up for the trip?

Checks for the first payment are not accepted until early November.. After that, anyone may still secure a spot for the trip with a deposit as long as there is still space remaining. Checks for open spaces can only be accepted until the end of the fall semester, as airline arrangements must be finalized in early January.

9.) How much does the trip cost?

The trip costs $1,200. Any students in the Schreyer Honors College are automatically eligible for a $300 travel grant. All expenses and meals are covered within the cost of the trip. Theoretically speaking, students should not have to spend a dime; however, about $50-100 spending money is recommended for souvenirs.

10.) Why is the trip so expensive?

The cost of airfare to San Diego, the charted bus to and from the airport, and week-long van rentals in San Diego and Tijuana account for the majority of the cost of the trip. The remainder of the money is allotted for food, gas, and other incidentals. Since Mission Mexico serves a community outside of the United States, it is ineligible for travel grants awarded by UPAC (University Park Allocation Committee) as well as those awarded by most major corporations.

11.) How can I fundraise for the trip?

Mission Mexico conducts several fundraisers throughout the school year to help defray the cost of the trip. These include three taco dinners and a car wash. Students are also encouraged to seek donations from their local parishes. In previous years, some students have completely funded their trips though donations that they have received solely from their home parishes; however, some parishes do not even allow students to request donations. Students are also encouraged to ask friends and family members for donations. As mentioned above, any students in the Schreyer Honors College are automatically eligible for a $300 travel grant.

12.) Do I need to be able to speak Spanish to go on the trip?

No. Most people who go on the trip know some Spanish, but usually only one or two individuals are conversational or fluent. Most alumni of the trip would agree that knowing Spanish does not matter much at all, since the children of orphanage will want to play with you regardless of your level of speech.

13.) Is it safe?

When Tijuana attracts the media’s attention, it is often because of drug-related violence erupting in the city. Most of these incidents, however, take place in the downtown area of Tijuana, which is about 20 minutes from the orphanage that the students stay at. The group does not travel at night nor does it leave the gated perimeter of the orphanage at night. Since the group’s first trip in 2002, there have been no accidents or dangerous incidents.

14.) Do I need a passport?

Yes, the United States government requires that everyone entering the United States border must have a valid passport.