Class during winter break probably doesn’t sound very appealing to students who are tired of tests, papers and homework. But students in natural resources and environmental sciences (NRES) 285 are ecstatic. For 10 days during winter break, class is going to be held in the forests and mountains of Mexico.

From Jan. 5 to Jan. 15, Tony Endress, professor of environmental stress physiology, and his 11 students are going to Nuevo Le¢n and Taumalipas, two states in Mexico.

Students will explore different ecological communities, expand their awareness of the impact of humans on their environment and help local communities with ecological projects.

The students are not only going to gain a broader understanding of the topics they learned in class, but also to peek into the lives of Mexican citizens.

“I think there’s an awful lot we can learn about other people just by interacting with them, living with them, sharing space, finding out what drives people, what economic or other kinds of problems there are in communities,” Endress said. “From interacting will come a more complete understanding of issues and circumstances and the way of a particular culture and place.”

The class will be visiting El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, a community that has between 12 and 25 families with homes spread out across the area, Endress said. While in El Cielo, students will be staying in the local citizens’ homes. John Milligan, junior in NRES, said he thinks he will enjoy the experience.

“It will give me a chance to learn what their life is like,” Milligan said. “We will be sleeping in their house, eating their food, helping them with the work and exploring the wonderful place they live in. If we stayed in a tent, we would not have that total experience.”

Andy McCracken, senior in NRES, is also looking forward to staying with the local citizens.

“It should be a good experience to see how different our society is and having such an intimate view of a house or a family will say more than any book,” McCracken said.

Milligan expects the lives of El Cielo citizens to be different from his own.

“The people live without running water, electricity (except for one light per house), roads and cars,” Milligan said. “The people there operate in a community that manages the land and farm together. If people don’t get work done, the whole community suffers.”

McCracken is nervous about the differences between Mexican and American culture.

“It’s always a little scary jumping into a different culture,” McCracken said. “Worrying if you’re going to stand out or make a fool of yourself is a concern for me as well as everyone else going on the trip, I’m sure.”

For most of their time, Endress and his students will hike, explore and discuss various ecological issues. During their free moments, the class will journey the cultural aspects of Mexican life.

“We should be going to a couple of clubs for dancing, probably also see some art museums,” said senior in NRES Jason Berner. “And once we are out of the city, it’s a lot of cool nature hikes, playing soccer games with the locals, and drinking around the campfire, looking at the stars and playing cards, I bet.”

Endress wants every aspect of the trip to be valuable.

“We’ll have fun, we’ll do things socially, but I hope that every minute that we’re there has something specific to do with the educational experience,” Endress said.