Important notes to spouses
Safety
There is always concern expressed by spouses who are not going
on the trip. While it is impossible to guarantee safety
on these trips, I can assure you of all the following, which I
hope will set your mind at ease:
1. I take my own wife with me each time and would not put her
(or your spouse) in harm's way. If I ever felt that it was
unsafe to travel to Cabo (for any of us) the project
would
immediately be canceled.
2. The areas we stay in Cabo (whether at the Medano Hotel or
Playa Grande) are in the heavily touristed sections of the city
and very rarely does any form of
danger or violence occur there. The Mexican
government wants to maintain its tourism industry and has armed
patrols out assuring this.
3. I must confess that sometimes I wonder at Americans' fears of
Mexico when we, ourselves, have more shooting deaths in a
greater variety of venues than
almost any other country on earth. I am more
concerned about my safety here in the USA than I am in Mexico.
Participation
While I can fully understand
the desire to either participate in the project or have your
children (or other family members) see it, the Amigos de los
Niños have set a firm policy that only licensed
professionals can participate in
the clinic setting. The clinic, itself, is a small room that
contains three dental chairs and a sterilization area and
there is really no extra room whatsoever for more people.
The other factor is that if the local health department were
to come into the facility and find individuals working there
who are not genuinely trained dental personnel, it could
endanger the continuation of the clinic.
Come on down!
What I DO strongly recommend is to consider coming to Cabo
anyway, since it is a wonderful vacation destination. There
is plenty to do for children and for yourself. Both of the
principal housing locations have pools and many of the
tourist activities are easy to reach. There are glass bottom
boats, para-sailing, whale watching (depending on when you
come), ATV tours, zip lines and beaches (a couple of which
are NOT for swimming due to the dangerous undertow). In
short, it is a fabulous place to bring your family or just
come along by yourself for some R&R, tanning and great
food.
Further
questions
If you have any further questions, please write to me at
mexicoprojects@ hotmail.com. I will answer any questions you
have that remain, but my bottom line is that I want you to
feel as comfortable as I do while your spouse is on the
project. I have already taken more than 100 volunteers down
there (most of them women) and the consensus is that they have
felt safe.