Working and living in Mexico City for the past three weeks has been such a pleasure so far. As this was my first experience travelling alone to another country, let alone for six weeks, I was feeling incredibly anxious. However, upon arriving at the airport and the hotel I immediately felt comforted due to the familiarity of the climate, the buildings and the street vendors... Mexico City is simply so reminiscent of my hometown, Manila, in the Philippines.
I have already had so many memorable experiences so far during my short time here, with the first two weeks indeed being incredibly inspirational and influential with the way I am approaching my project. Learning about Design Thinking and being able to put this methodology into practice throughout this experience has already taught me so much. A particular instance in which I utilised this training is from our Community Activities in Xochimilco and the State of Mexico, where we were able to have a workshop with the Mazahua community. Xochimilco, along with being very informative about eco-tourism and agriculture, was also extremely enjoyable. Granja Las Ferminas was a beautiful farm – not only for its animals and sunflower fields but for the way the farmers and residents treated nature and the creatures around them with so much respect. It is almost shameful how rare it is to see animals treated as equals, with opportunities to retire as well. I also really enjoyed this trip as there was such a stark difference from the tumult of Mexico City. We ended the trip with a meditation session. It was astoundingly pleasant, and I felt that I left with lessons on sustainability and how one perceives the nature around us.
Meeting the Mazahua community was also very fulfilling. The community welcomed us so kindly and was very hospitable. I was wary of the feeling that we may have been intruding on their space, but to know we were invited and are invited to come again in the future was so lovely (the food was also some of the best I have had so far). I befriended a lot of the children there and had a lot of Spanish practice. Despite the slight language barrier, the children were so sweet and were truly a highlight of this trip. It is possible to communicate without words, I have found. Listening to the community themselves and hearing their stories truly helped me connect and learn from them. Knowing of their cultural traditions and how this is how the community lives on, I hope that our collaboration with Muuch Creative (a charity that supports artisans) can bring more awareness and support for the local indigenous communities in Mexico.