MARCH 6th – 15th | Project Mexico: Rosarito, Mexico 

12 spots | $1065 registration | all accommodations included

$100 deposit due upon registration. Final balance due on February 15th, 2026.

$100 discount is given to all who register prior to December 15th, 2025.

Take a real break from school, work, and the world.

OCF Real Break is an opportunity to travel to other parts of the world in service, pilgrimage, and fellowship.

This year’s Real Break trip is in partnership with Project Mexico, an Orthodox Christian ministry that cares for orphan children and builds homes for poor families in Rosarito, Mexico. During Texas A&M’s 2026 spring break, we’ll be road tripping to Project Mexico to construct a home for a family in need. On the way back, we’ll be staying at St Anthony Greek Orthodox Monastery in Florence, AZ to venerate one of the holiest sites in North America.

Frequently Asked Questions

On Friday, March 6th, we’ll depart from College Station Texas in a 15 passenger van. That evening, we’ll stop at an AirBnB in Tucson, AZ to rest before completing our trip to San Diego, CA on Saturday, March 7th. From there, we’ll cross the border into Mexico, where we’ll stay at Project Mexico Headquarters for 6 nights building a home for a poor family.

On Friday, March 13th, we’ll depart from Project Mexico and drive to St Anthony Greek Orthodox Monastery in Florence, AZ. We’ll stay there for 1 night before departing for our return trip.

On Sunday, March 15th, we’ll stop for Divine Liturgy at a parish along the drive back before arriving in College Station late that evening.

We have rented a 15 passenger van for our trip. Our two advisors will take turns driving the vehicle on both legs.

On the way to Project Mexico, we will be staying in an AirBnB in Tucson, AZ. On the way back, we’ll be staying at St Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery in Florence, AZ.

We’ll pack supplies and stop for meals along the way. Meals along the drive are included in the registration costs. Bedding will be supplied at all of our overnight stops.

Yes, you will need a passport to participate in the trip. If you do not have one, you can visit this government website to apply for one. To ensure you get your passport in time for the trip, we recommend applying for one prior to December 15th.

Participants that register prior to December 15th will receive a $100 discount from registration costs. You’ll also have the ability to qualify for additional scholarships for the rest of the trip costs.

Participants that register prior to December 15th will receive a $100 discount from registration costs. And the good news is, you only need to make a $100 deposit to secure your spot!

After you register and make a deposit for the trip, we’ll help set you up on a fundraising platform so you can receive donations towards the cost of the trip. You’ll also have the ability to qualify for additional scholarships for the rest of the trip costs.

If you aren’t able to raise all the funds or plans change before February 1st, you can always cancel your registration and request a full refund.

The road trip will depart from College Station in the morning on Friday, March 6th. While professors often cancel or make classes that day optional, some students may not be afforded that blessing and will need to miss class to attend the trip. In that case, a student can ask our campus missionary Alexandros to write a formal letter to their professor requesting the student’s excused absence from the class.

Participants should not need to miss class on Monday, March 16th.

You will be free to do as much studying as you wish during the drives of the trip. There will also be down time in the evenings at Project Mexico, though you may be tired from the day’s work.

A packing list will be provided a few weeks prior to the trip.

General items will include active clothing for construction work, toiletries, and monastery-appropriate attire. Bedding will be provided at all of our overnight stops.

We will be packing light and living simply.

In the 35 years since Project Mexico was founded, the program has hosted 16,000+ homebuilding volunteers and experienced 0 volunteer safety incidents.

All trip programming in Mexico is located in the small, safe town of Rosarito, just under an hour from the U.S. border. Any trips off the Project Mexico ranch (including across the border on arrival and departure) will be led by Project Mexico staff, who have hundreds of trips of experience under their belt.

Additionally, OCF has decades of experience planning Real Break trips all over the world. International travel insurance is included in the registration cost of all participants and two advisors will accompany participants along the trip to ensure safety and organization.

Both OCF and Project Mexico are registered non-profit entities and ministries of the Orthodox Church and have offered this program to dozens of Orthodox college students and volunteers from the U.S. over the past 25 years.

If you aren’t able to raise all the funds or plans change before February 1st, you can always cancel your registration and request a full refund.

Nope! Non-Orthodox Christians are welcome to attend in any capacity as long as you are open to enjoying the weekend in the Christian spirit.

Due to a variety of factors, including safety & insurance, all participants are required to participate in the entirety of the trip. If you cannot make it for the whole trip, we kindly ask that you wait until next year to participate.