For those not familiar with South Texas, the weather can change quickly. Please check the temperatures prior to packing for your trip. 10-day weather forecast information for Brownsville can be found at http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Brownsville+TX+78520.

Travel Costs

At this time, there is no registration fee for the elective itself. Residents and students will need to cover their own travel from their home institution to Harlingen/Brownsville and back home. Residents and students will need to cover their food costs, recreation and local transportation costs. Typically, participants share a rental car or have their own cars. Visiting students and visiting residents pay $600 housing fee.

A Word About Safety 

For the 2012-2013 academic year, there is no travel across the border into Mexico because of the drug cartel violence. Instead, participants have the opportunity to do intensive advocacy work on the border, tailored to community needs, as well as personal and professional interests. For example, students have worked with local community partners and the families they serve to identify and address health needs in the colonias. Colonias are impoverished, unincorporated rural settlements on the border which lack one or more basic infrastructure elements, such as water or electricity. The participants have found their advocacy experiences deeply rewarding and enlightening.

All participants are required to develop an abstract and give an oral presentation about their work. Some of the abstracts have been accepted for presentation or poster at national meetings.

We will continue to monitor the situation in Mexico and hope to resume work with our esteemed faculty partners there in the future.

As always, we strive to provide a safe and productive experience in this international location, the Texas/Mexico border.

Flights

There are several options in flying to Brownsville, Texas. Continental Airlines flies directly into Brownsville. Continental and Southwest Airlines fly into Harlingen, Texas, (30 minutes away). Continental and American Airlines fly into McAllen, Texas (60 minutes away). There are car rental companies such as Enterprise, Avis and Hertz at all of these airports.

Things to Bring

Recommendations from previous alumni of Community for Children:

  • Camera
  • Backpack
  • Pocket-sized notebook
  • Jump drive
  • Spanish-English dictionary
  • Laptop computer
  • DVD, CDs
  • Hat/visor

Attire

Normal clinic business attire. Sandals are not allowed in the clinic setting. Please bring closed-toe shoes to wear during the day.

While on the border, participants will be in very rural areas and may participate in outreach programs in outbreak regions (such as, house to house surveillance). Please remember to take insect repellent and sunscreen, long pants and long sleeve shirts, hats and sunglasses, closed-toe comfortable shoes appropriate for clinic and walking door-to-door in rural regions.

Recreation

There are many excellent recreation areas near Harlingen/Brownsville. If planning on spending time on South Padre Island (also highly recommended!), bring beach gear, sunglasses, sunscreen.

Local Attractions

Some helpful website: