The first Alumni Immersion Trip to St. Michaels, AZ took place on April 21-18, 2007!  Six MVC alumnae including Bonnie Kincade Kozemchak, Cathy Toedt, Therese Effinger, Jill Meyer, Lisa Stellino and Maureen Berran Kubicek, along with a friend of MVC, Nancy Chacko traveled to the Navajo Reservation to spend the week at St. Michaels Association for Special Education (SMASE).  Throughout the week, the participants also had an opportunity to reconnect with the MVC ways of life- being in community, sharing in spirituality, and living with simplicity.  

In addition, the group members were able to see many of the local attractions including the Hubbell Trading Post, Canyon de Chelley, Window Rock, Sky City Acoma Pueblos, and the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, NM

Georgetown, Guyana
Dates: June 26-July 5, 2008
Registration: $200 non-refundable deposit
MVC Contact: Lisa Stellino, International Program Coordinator
215-641-5535

This trip offers MVC alumni the opportunity to experience Guyana (the only English speaking country in South America) on a short-term basis (8 days, 9 nights).  Participants will visit the ministries
of the Sisters of Mercy in Guyana, experience the culture, and reconnect with the values of compassionate service, spirituality,
and a simple lifestyle in community. 

Accommodations: 
Modest accommodations at a Guyanese house or flat
Rooms will be shared and mosquito nets provided
Use of local public transportation (mini-buses and taxis)
Guyanese meals prepared daily

Elements include:

• Meeting and learning from the Mercy community in Georgetown  (Sisters, Associates, Mercy Volunteers)
• Lectures on topics about Guyana, which could include: social and economic realities in Guyana today; history of the people/races of Guyana; language and culture of Guyana; living in Guyana (perspectives from MVC alumni/volunteers)
• Visiting the ministries of Sisters of Mercy : St. John Bosco Boys' Orphanage; Mercy Wings Vocational Center; St. Joseph Mercy Hospital ; Mercy Boys' Home; Mahaica (residence of people living with Hanson's disease); Missionaries of Charity - soup kitchen and shelter
• Daily prayer and processing of the experience
• Day trip to an Amerindian village
• Optional Day: Trip to Kaieteur Falls
• Shopping at the outdoor markets

Cost: 
$1400.00-1650.00 USD per person 

Cost includes:  

• Round trip airfare from Miami to Guyana 
• All room, board, and transportation in country
• 1 day trip to an Amerindian village
• 1 dinner out in Georgetown
• $200 non-refundable deposit

Additional expenses:  

• Each participant’s travel to/from Miami
• Travel insurance (optional)
• Immunizations (optional)
• Day trip to Kaieteur Falls ($185) (optional)
• Spending money for crafts and such (optional)

    Please contact the MVC office for more information!