The application forms are available online in Adobe Acrobat "pdf" format. You MUST have the free Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view these files. If you don't have have it already, click here to download the free Acrobat Reader.
required forms for all applicants (
additional parental consent forms for minors (pdf)
additional forms for medical professionals (pdf)
additional adult release for snorkeling or scuba diving (pdf
additional parental approval for snorkeling or scuba diving for minors (pdf)
INTERCAMBIO CULTURAL MAYA -- December 27, 2009 - January 8, 2010
IMPORTANT INFORMATION!!! Please read this prior to completing the application.
Village living conditions in the Yucatan region of Mexico are quite different than in the United States. Sleeping accommodations will be hammocks. Sponge baths will be done from a bucket of water. Toilet facilities may be as basic as pit latrines. All participants will experience a loss of privacy.
When staying in a town or city, lodging accommodations will be simple: hammocks in a church or other institution, or in a small hotel. None of these facilities provides hot water showers. However, “refreshing” cold water showers are available.
During the stay in the village, please do not wear shorts or revealing tops (halter tops, spaghetti straps, etc.). These clothing items are acceptable only in the tourist areas. Intercambio also asks all participants to abstain from smoking and from alcohol usage in the homes and other facilities in which we will be staying.
A health examination and immunizations/medications are required of all participants. START that process as soon as you receive your acceptance letter from Intercambio since this process may take at least a month. Be advised that the costs associated with this may be in the range of $100 to $200. (The 2-page Health Form provided by Intercambio must be used and is included with these application materials)
A passport is required. To be considered as an applicant, you must provide your passport number on both the Application and Emergency Forms. You will also need a second photo I.D. It can be a valid photo driver’s license, an employee photo I.D., a school photo I.D., or any other photo identification showing your current name. Four copies of both the face sheet of the passport and the second photo I.D. are required as a part of the application process. See the “Application Instructions” form for more information. If you do not have a passport, you must apply for one now – do not wait for the acceptance letter.
Prospective participants have two options from which to choose at time of application.
Option 1 – The $1,025.00 fee includes lodging, food (some exceptions), a handmade hammock to use and take home, and transportation in Mexico beginning and ending at a Cancun hotel (to be named later). Roundtrip airfare to Cancun and roundtrip transportation between the Cancun International Airport and the Cancun hotel is the responsibility of the participant and is not included in the fee above.
Option 2 – The $1,600.00 fee provides all included in Option 1 plus roundtrip airfare from Indianapolis, Indiana, and roundtrip transportation between the Cancun International Airport and the Cancun hotel (to be named later). Space for this option is limited. (This fee will be altered if airfares or surcharges increase.)
Please note: For both Option 1 and Option 2, Intercambio Cultural Maya officially begins at 7:00 a.m., December 28, 2009, at the designated Cancun hotel and ends with arrival at the Cancun hotel on January 7, 2010. Any other services arranged for Option 1 or 2 participants before or after these dates and times are provided as a convenience and are not a part of the official Intercambio Cultural Maya trip.
A $600.00 deposit must accompany the application and emergency forms. Applications will be received at the Intercambio office September 1 through October 15, 2009. In the event of applicant’s cancellation, the deposit will be refunded fully until October 15, 2009. Letters of acceptance will be mailed October 22, 2009.
On this trip, Intercambio will be traveling to a small Maya village in the state of Yucatan in Mexico. The village will be a poor, subsistence-living agricultural community. Homes in which we will be staying may have thatched roofs, stick-construction walls, and dirt floors. Your experience on this trip will be a cultural plunge into the Maya world.
If you have access to individuals, a congregation, or civic group that would be willing to donate $50, $100 or more toward building materials and/or medical/dental/optical supplies, this would help Intercambio provide the necessary materials for our work.