Contact Info While Abroad

Emergency Contact Information and Phone Numbers for People Who Need to Reach YOU

In the case of an emergency, if your family and friends are having trouble reaching you, they can call Augsburg's CGEE-Mexico Site Director Ann Lutterman-Aguilar on her VONAGE U.S.-based line at 301-650-4406 (as if she were in the USA) or her Mexican cell phone at 011-52-777-215-6296 or call her via WhatsApp at +52-777-215-6296. If it is at night-time or early in the morning, they may need to dial twice in a row.

In the case of an emergency, your family and friends can also call the CGEE office in Minneapolis and leave a message with as much information as possible.  During office hours (8:00am – 4:30pm Central Standard Time).  After hours and on weekends, one of our Minneapolis staff members will monitor an emergency cell phone at 612-817-2830. 

One of our CGEE-Mexico staff is on call for emergencies 24/7.  During most weekdays, the International Resident Assistant (Diana Gonzalez +52 777 132 1144) will be able to assist you with health issues that emerge, such as accompanying you to a doctor if you need to see one. 

The CGEE-Mexico staff and consultants take turns "being on call" in case of emergencies or health problems that on the International Resident Assistant's days off and during the nights and on the weekends and holidays. That way someone is always on-call, 24/7. Your schedule will always list at the top who is on call on any given day, but if you don’t reach that person, try Ann at +52 777 215 6296 or Antonio at +52 777 191 1876 or Fatima at *52 777 555 0116. These are WhatsApp numbers, so download the free app now if you haven't already done so.

Karla Castillo  (+52 777 214 5802 and also WhatsApp), Kira Figueroa Smith (+52 777 4961058 and also WhatsApp), and Israel Escamilla Díaz (+52 777 184 8958 and also WhatsApp) are bilingual consultants who helps translate and assist with health issues from time to time. They will occasionally be on call during the semester, particularly on weekends if regular staff are unavailable. 

When using WhatsApp (a great free app), you need list Mexican #s with +52 before the rest of the 10-digit number. (We strongly encourage you to download and start using WhatsApp, if you don't already, as we will make much use of it when you are in Mexico.)

For your convience, here are important emergency numbers. You will receive a card with these numbers upon your arrival in Cuernavaca.

CASA AUGSBURG:  J. H. Preciado # 314

("entre el puente dos mil y la Iglesia de San Antón)

Colonia San Antón  62020

+ 52 777 -318-7799 y + 52 777 - 312-4245

Ann: + 52 777 - 215-6296 cell/WhatsApp

301- 560-4406 US Line

Antonio:  + 52 777 - 191-1876 cell/WhatsApp

+ 52 777 - 318-6394 home

Fatima: +52 777 555 0116 cell/WhatsApp

Diana: +52 777 132 1144 cell/WhatsApp

Veladores/Night Watchmen:  +52 777-210-6390

*EMERGENCY IN CUERNAVACA:  911

HOSPITAL HENRI DUNANT:  + 52 777 - 322-2442 or 315- 3411, Rio Panuco #100,Col. Los Volcanes

*CRUZ ROJA/AMBULANCE: + 52 777 -  315-3555

RADIO TAXI MONARCA: + 52 777 -  321-2802

USA Phone Lines

CASA AUGSBURG Office: +1 612-605-7230

MPLS. CGEE OFFICE: +1 612-330-1159

MPLS. EMERGENCY CELL: +1 612-817-2830

Emergency Therapy services: +1 (866) 743-7732.

Many US cell phone companies offer options for international usage in Mexico, although some are very expensive. Make sure to check with your cell-phone provider about international usage and costs. If you have a cell phone that is not tied to a data plan (unlocked), you can also purchase a Mexican SIM card at many stores across the country. These SIM cards are pay-as-you-go, and can be topped off with more pesos at many small stores. There are also many options for purchasing inexpensive phones in Mexico. YOU MUST HAVE A DATA PLAN THAT WORKS WHILE ABROAD. We recommend you do your research ahead of time: Here is a great place to start. Or read this article by the Federal Communications Commission.

Additionally, as you meet people and exchange phone numbers in Mexico, it is important to note that on US cell phones when calling Mexican numbers you MUST include the +52 Mexican country code before the local number. This is true even if you have a Mexican SIM card in a US telephone. We recommend including the +52 before each Mexican contact in your cell phone - often, Mexicans will not include it when they tell you their number. 

If questions arise as you plan for your program in Mexico, please refer to this list to find the appropriate person to address your concern!

Course Registration: The CGEE Minneapolis Staff (globaled@augsburg.edu) are the ONLY people who can register you for CGEE courses and help you add or drop any.  While it is helpful to cc Ann Lutterman-Aguilar, you MUST write to Lucy to request adding, dropping, or changing course registration in any way. If you do not write to Lucy yourself, these changes will not be official and could cause lots of problems at the end of the semester. 

Independent Study: CGEE Minneapolis Staff  

Information about courses in Mexico: Ann Lutterman-Aguilar

Fieldwork or Internship or Medical Observership Course: CGEE Minneapolis Staff and cc Fatima Mendoza

Textbooks: You don't need to buy any in the USA. You can rent copies in Mexico.

Not sure who to contact? Feel free to email CGEE Minneapolis Staff or Ann Lutterman-Aguilar, and they will gladly direct you to the right person.

Once in Mexico:  Questions about potentially changing courses:  Ann Lutterman-Aguilar.  However, please note that the CGEE Minneapolis Staff (globaled@augsburg.edu) are the ONLY people who can register you for CGEE courses and help you add or drop any.  

Internet-based calls: Most of you will undoubtedly use FaceTime or WhatsApp or another app on your cell phones to call your family and friends. There are phones in the CGEE Mexico office and one on the main floor of Casa Augsburg. See the numbers below. 

You may receive local and long-distance calls from within Mexico and internationally at the phones in Casa Augsburg, but you can only make local phone calls. 

Calls from the U.S. and Canada

CGEE Mexico phone line when dialing within Mexico: 777-318-7799 

CGEE Mexican phone line from U.S:  011-52-777-318-7799 

• Ann Lutterman-Aguilar or Violeta Jaramillo, Office Manager: Ext. 101

• Fatima Mendoza, Instructor: Ext. 102

• Antonio Ortega, Instructor: Ext. 106

• International Resident Advisor: Ext. 114

• Dining  area & first floor living room: Ext. 109 and 110

The US Department of State has information on Absentee Voting Information for U.S. Citizens Abroad here. Please request your ballot before your arrival to ensure you can vote while abroad!

Mailing Address in Cuernavaca

JH Preciado # 314

Colonia San Antón

Cuernavaca, Morelos

C.P. 62020 MEXICO

The Mexican postal service is often very slow. Allow up to three weeks for delivery of letters and small packages.  Warning: In many cases, packages do not arrive or are held up in Customs, so we caution you about having anything valuable sent through the mail!  If someone does decide to send you a package, we recommend that they send it in a large envelope rather than a box because boxes are almost always held up in customs (and end up costing you money to retrieve them), whereas envelopes tend to arrive without hassle.

Although reliable, Federal Express and United Parcel Service are expensive and must be given the street address:  J.H. Preciado #314, Colonia San Antón, 62020, Cuernavaca, Morelos, MEXICO and phone number (777) 312-3578, ext. 101. Be sure to alert the sender that deliveries can usually only be received Monday-Friday from 8 am -4 pm, as there are not always people around to receive packages during the evenings or weekends. 

It is also very important to know that the Mexican government charges an extremely high tax on most articles sent by mail from the United States according to the assumed value of the items. Hence, you may want to advise family and friends to take that into account when listing the price of any given package on the customs slip. Sometimes students have had to pay nearly half the cost of the birthday presents they have received in taxes!