An amazing volunteer program in a vet clinic.
If you read my article https://elvinechloe.com/my-volunteer-experience-in-a-french-consulate/ you know I waited for a while to be able to work in the US. In the meantime, I had the opportunity to volunteer in the French consulate in Seattle but also in Mexico. I always wanted to do this type of experience and as I had the time, I just decided to give it a go. And I had an amazing volunteer program in a vet clinic in Mexico.
The idea came up when I found out that my work permit would take longueur than I thought. As I was learning Spanish at the time, I wanted to travel but achieve something in the meantime. Then, I started to look at volunteer programs in South America. I found the website https://www.oceans2earth.org/ that had opportunities everywhere and very good reviews.
I decided to look for something with animals as my level in Spanish was too low. And then I choose to focus on central America so my husband could come at some point. Mexico was the perfect location. Also, I knew the Yucatan peninsula was among the safest place to go in the country for a woman alone. If you need some advice to organize your own trip, have a look at my article https://elvinechloe.com/all-you-need-to-know-for-a-volunteer-project-abroad/
I found this project in a vet clinic in playa del carmen focused on cats with a minimum duration of two weeks. I just thought it was perfect so after checking the website, the comments, and videos, I gave it a go. You can find out more about the place there https://cocosanimalwelfare.org/.
The organization was truly helpful, they gave me all the information to organize my trip. I knew I would have accommodation at the clinic. And that someone would come and pick me up at the airport. They also gave me a list to pack my bag taking into consideration the weather and the duration. They also gave me all the details regarding vaccination or potential risks in the area.
I booked my flight, got insurance, packed a bag (and luggage), and wait for the day!
I took my plane on the 9th of March 2020, arrived in Cancun in the afternoon. Ulysse was waiting for me at the airport. We went straight to a place to get two little cats to bring them to the clinic. My first few hours were pretty overwhelming in a country I didn’t know, a different language, and a different culture. But it’s also what made it so special.
I’m not going to talk about this experience day per day but instead will do a resume of the whole time. The clinic is located outside of the city center. Three to four vets are working there, and when I was there 4 students vets assisting them on surgeries. There was a receptionist, an office manager, maintenance and cleaning staff, and the director of the clinic. That’s about the team. Most of them spoke English very well.
I was the only volunteer for the first week until a Canadian girl arrived. Volunteers were coming every week one or two days a week, I met 5 of them. Our primary role was to look after the animals (cats and dogs) after their surgeries and help them wake up safely. I remember being a bit chock as I thought I was just going to clean cages and feed animals. But I was delighted to be involved in something so new.
Every day, the clinic would receive people and their pets in the morning for them to get trap spay, and neuter. The operation would take place once the vets have seen all the animals and made sure they can have it. We would get up to 20 animals per day, mostly cats. I would then with the help of other volunteers or vet students take care of the animals after their surgeries while they were still asleep. Our mission was to clean them, inject them with some vitamins to optimize their reawakening, and then stimulate them before they go back to their cages. It was very impressive the first time, there was a lot to learn but I loved the experience.
On top of this, we would also make sure that all the animals were fine and as less stress as possible before and after their surgeries. We would sometimes have injured cats that would stay for a few days so we needed to look after them in the evening.
And then there were the permanent residents, Mandy, a little kitten, waiting for her forever home. The mascot, Alice, a strong lady cat who had been rescued after being shot in the face twice by a previous owner. A grumpy male cat, Samson, unfortunately isolated as he had the equivalent of AIDS for a cat. A little female dog found in the jungle waiting for her forever family. Three crazy kittens abandoned in a bag only a few days old that we saved while feeding them with a baby bottle. Three cats rescued from animal traffic that mistreated them and 63 others. They’ve been in the clinic for a while but still wouldn’t let anybody near them.
We would also look after them all every day, feeding them and giving them love and attention. I worked 5 days a week and was free Wednesday and Sunday. I managed to visit the area, it’s such a beautiful part of the world. After our day, some time, we would walk to the beach for a bit, the weather was already unbelievable. You just need to be careful and avoid walking anywhere alone as you don’t know the place well enough.
My husband should have come and joined me after two weeks to discover more of the place together. But unfortunately, I had to jump in a plane back to Seattle just before the end of my program as Covid 19 hit and the borders were closing down between the US and Mexico. I went straight to Lockdown in Seattle.
Overall, I would 100% advise you to go and try this type of experience, you learn so much about yourself. I would love to do it again; my frustration was that I had to go sooner than I expected and didn’t get to see all I wanted to. But I will definitely go back there for a holiday. That’s it for an unforgettable volunteer program in a vet clinic.
I still managed to visit some incredible places and there are the two I preferred overall https://elvinechloe.com/two-wonderful-places-to-visit-near-playa-del-carmen/
