Outside the window of my new room there is a telephone pole and a tree. Clusters of wires converge on the pole, tangling themselves together, before scattering off on parallel paths. There's loose ends dangling, loops of endless knots that make me sure there could be an electrical fire any second. But there isn't. The tree next to the pole stands there. It is old and tall, taller than any trees we have in Dublin. The evidence of urban density next to it's natural counterpart is both comforting and disorientating.
My first week in Mexico has been a similar experience. Meeting all of the scholars, my team and our facilitators has given me an amazing sense of convergence; all of us are miraculously in the one place, working together on separate projects. Coming a week late to the project, I was worried there would be a sense of wheels in motion which I would have to run to catch up with. What I found was a team that was welcoming, considerate and ready to include me. We hit the ground running, and by the end of the week we had compiled a materials list, drawn character sketches and profiles for the puppets we are making, and written outlines for each of the games we are designing for children. Looking back on the week, I am proud of myself and the team for our work and for how we came together.
One challenge that I was anticipating was how to navigate the cultural context of Mexico City. In the area we are working on, combatting childhood sexual abuse through education, I was aware of the potential for assumptions and a western saviour complex to impede my ability to work effectively for Las Sabinas and the children. What I have found is that the ability to listen and learn from both the experts and citizen volunteers we are working with, who have been graciously sharing their knowledge, has been key to avoiding these challenges. Fostering the ability to listen has been a tenant of the project which my team has identified, and which we intend to carry through into the next stages of our project.
I am gaining confidence in myself through this project, both personally and professionally. I trust in my ability to learn and organise. I trust in my ability to navigate a new, unfamiliar environment, while remaining rooted in myself. I am also learning so much from my fellow scholars. Connecting with people from different universities, studying subjects that are vastly different from anything I know, and seeing their work ethic has been inspirational to me.
Endless knots, converging.